According to Academic Senate Regulations, the grade of Incomplete ('I') may be assigned when a student’s work is of passing quality and represents a significant portion of the requirements for a final grade, but is incomplete for a good cause as determined by the instructor; good cause may include current illness, serious personal problems, an accident, a recent death in the immediate family, a large and necessary increase in working hours or other situations of equal gravity.
In courses listed in the UC Davis General Catalog as being letter graded, “passing quality” means “of D- quality or better.” This standard holds in such courses whether or not the student has elected to take the course on a Passed/Not Passed (P/NP) or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) basis. For courses listed in the UC Davis General Catalog as being graded on a P/NP or S/U basis only, the completed work must be of a quality consistent with a grade of Pass or Satisfactory.
Incomplete grades are not be included in your grade point average at the end of a quarter. However, at the time of graduation, any remaining 'I' grades are included when your grade point average is computed in order to determine whether you have achieved the 2.000 average required for the bachelor’s degree. An Incomplete grade, in these computations, has the same effect as a grade F, NP, or U, depending on which option you have exercised. Therefore, it is recommended that students not delay the clearance of incomplete grades so as not to jeopardize graduation.
Life Cycle of an Incomplete Grade
An 'I' grade must be replaced with a letter grade (or P or S grade) by the end of the third succeeding quarter (excluding summer sessions) of academic residence, or the grade reverts to an F (or NP or U).
If a student’s degree is conferred before the expiration of the time limit for an 'I'-grade conversion, the graduated student shall have until the end of the third quarter succeeding the quarter in which the I grade was assigned to replace the 'I' grade. If the time limit expires after a degree has been conferred and the Incomplete grade has not been replaced, the Incomplete grade shall remain on the student’s record.
If the degree has not been conferred, and the work has not been completed by the end of the term three calendar years after the grade Incomplete has been assigned, and during which the student has not been in academic residence, then the grade Incomplete shall remain on the student’s record, unless the course is repeated. The three-calendar-years limit for the completion of courses assigned the grade Incomplete shall apply to all and only those courses in which the grade Incomplete is assigned on or after September 1, 2010.
Incomplete Grade Removal
You may replace an 'I' grade with a passing grade and receive unit credit and grade points provided you satisfactorily complete the coursework as specified by the instructor by the end of the third succeeding term of academic residence. To remove the incomplete, you must contact the instructor offering the course who initiates the Incomplete Grade Change via the online Grade Change Tool. For more information, see Grade Changes. Upon the completion of the online grade change, the professor or the department offering the course submits the online petition to the Office of the University Registrar. Students can use OASIS to see pending and past grade changes submitted on their records.
Extension of Incomplete Grade
For justifiable reasons, students may petition to extend the 'I' grade past the end of the third succeeding quarter. Petitions to extend the 'I' grade must be obtained from the dean's office for undergraduate students or from Graduate Studies for graduate students. Requests for extensions must be submitted before the 'I' grade lapses to an F, NP, U grade. The extension cannot be made retroactively. For more information regarding retroactive changes, see Grade Changes.
Repeating a Course with a Previous Incomplete Grade
Undergraduate Students
Schedule Builder prevents undergraduate students from re-enrolling in a course with an unresolved 'I' grade. To remove the 'I' grade, you must contact the instructor who initiates the Incomplete Grade Change via the online Grade Change Tool. For more information, see Grade Changes. If the Incomplete grade remains on your record because work has not been completed within three calendar years in which you were not in academic residence, contact the Office of the University Registrar.
Graduate Students
You may not re-enroll in a course if you have an unresolved Incomplete grade for that course. To remove the 'I' grade, you must contact the instructor of record to complete the online Incomplete Grade Change via the online Grade Change Tool. For more information, see Grade Changes. If the Incomplete grade remains on your record because work has not been completed within three calendar years in which you were not in academic residence, please contact the Office of the University Registrar. Students can use OASIS to see pending and past grade changes submitted on their record.