Graduate and Undergraduate Councils
To: Administrative Officers, Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, Faculty, Students, Vice Chancellors and Vice Provosts
Dear Faculty, Students and Staff:
This is to inform the campus community that the Graduate and Undergraduate Councils recently approved the following policy changes for Incomplete grades on April 12, 2024:
Transcript Notation
- For any newly assigned Incomplete (“I”) grade, the transcript will display the final assigned grade from a resolved “I” grade in the term the course was enrolled. For any unresolved Incompletes, the transcript will display the lapsed “F” grade in the term the course was enrolled.
- Once the Incomplete has been replaced by the earned grade or lapsed “F,” the transcript will show no supplementary notation to indicate that the grade was changed nor include the date the grade was changed.
- Similarly, the transcript will no longer include notations or dates associated with grade changes for other reasons, including clerical or procedural errors and deferred reports (DRs).
The above changes to the transcript will be effective as soon as logistically possible but no later than Fall 2025.
Deadline to Resolve the Incomplete
- Undergraduate Students: The Undergraduate Council voted to affirm the current policy that students must resolve the Incomplete grade by the end of the next term. As currently allowed, undergraduate students may file a petition to extend the deadline to resolve the Incomplete grade with their college or school. The Council encourages the College and schools to review local petition policies to make sure they are straightforward and clearly communicated to students.
- Graduate Students: Under current policy, all students must resolve the Incomplete grade by the end of the next full term. The Graduate Council voted to change this deadline to resolve the Incomplete grade to the first day of instruction of the corresponding term in the subsequent academic year. Graduate students must submit the remaining coursework at least 30 days prior to the first day of instruction of the term, and the instructor must submit the final earned grade by the first day of the term (e.g., for a Fall quarter Incomplete, students must complete coursework by late August of the following academic year and the instructor must submit the grade in late September). In order to become effective, this policy change will require revisions to divisional Academic Senate regulations.
- In the interim, the Graduate Council has approved a process for graduate students to petition their home department for an extension to resolve Incompletes that have not lapsed to an “F” or “U” grade. Effective Spring 2024, if a graduate student is not able to resolve the “I” grade by the end of the following quarter, students with an “I” grade that has not lapsed to an “F” or “U” grade (including those with "I" grades assigned in prior terms) may file for an extension for an Incomplete. Per the UCLA Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study, the work for the course for which the “I” grade has lapsed to an “F” or “U” may be completed in a subsequent quarter if permitted by the instructor. The Graduate Council will send a separate communication regarding the petition process to academic units via the Division of Graduate Education listserv.
Use of the Incomplete Grade
We remind students and faculty that use of the Incomplete grade is governed by Academic Senate Regulation A-309: “The grade I may be assigned when a student’s work is of passing quality, but is incomplete. The grade I shall only be assigned when it is established to the instructor's satisfaction that the student's work is incomplete for good cause.” When considering whether to request an Incomplete grade, we encourage students to engage with their instructors and academic advisors, as appropriate.
We also encourage departments and campus units to take this opportunity to review any internal guidelines regarding how Incomplete grades may impact eligibility for academic opportunities and funding.
Sincerely,
Brooke Scelza
Chair, Graduate Council
Catherine Sugar
Chair, Undergraduate Council
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