5.9 Incomplete Grades

If a student does not finish a course or program, and if there is reasonable expectation that the student can successfully complete the requirements of the course during the subsequent semester, the student will be eligible for an Incomplete (“Inc.”) at the discretion of the faculty member of the course or program. If the student does not resolve the Incomplete grade by the last day of classes of the next academic semester, the Incomplete will be converted to a failing grade administratively. (The grade is recorded on the transcript as “FIN.”) A student on probation with an outstanding Incomplete on the first day of the semester following the semester in which the student was on probation will be deemed to have failed the course for purposes of calculation of the GPA. (See paragraph 4, p. 25.) For purposes of this rule, the summer session counts as a “semester.”

If a student has received an accommodation from Student Affairs based on extenuating circumstances or disability that extends the completion of the student’s course or program of study beyond the end of the semester, the following policy applies. The student will be given an Incomplete with the expectation that all course work will be completed prior to the end of the second week of classes of the following scheduled semester, including the summer semester, regardless of whether or not the student is enrolled in summer classes. Only in extraordinary circumstances and with documented need would any Incomplete extend past the second week of the following semester. If there arises a situation in which an Incomplete extends beyond this time, it must be completed by the end of the next semester following the semester in which the Incomplete was received (including the summer session) or the student will not be allowed to register for any law school classes until the Incomplete is satisfied.

The Academic Standing Committee may, at its discretion, extend the period in which to resolve the Incomplete. Academic Standing Committee consideration of the extension of an Incomplete is initiated by a petition from the student seeking to extend the Incomplete grade. A student seeking an extension on this period must submit, prior to the conversion of the Incomplete to a FIN, a written petition to the Office of Academic Affairs for consideration by the Academic Standing Committee before the end of the semester following the entry of the Incomplete.

Individual faculty members may give a specific period that is less than a full semester in which the Incomplete work must be turned in. In many cases, this is desirable, so that students avoid the burden of trying to complete simultaneously assignments from two different semesters. There will, of course, be exceptions, but this is the preferred arrangement in most cases.

Generally, students who have an outstanding grade of “Incomplete” will not be allowed to register for clinic. Waivers will be granted on a case-by-case basis, by the Academic Dean. Factors taken into consideration for the waiver include the type of class the Incomplete is in, the amount and type of work the student has left to complete, and the likelihood that finishing the Incomplete will negatively impact the clinic experience.

No student who has a grade of Incomplete (“Inc.”) will be allowed to graduate or be certified to take any bar examinations. Thus, students may not be given an (“Inc.”) during their final semester.