Granting an Incomplete Grade

As the instructor of record, you may assign a grade of Incomplete (I) if your student’s work in a course has been of passing quality but is incomplete due to circumstances beyond the student’s control.

Students who fail to turn in all required work cannot request an I grade unless they have been unable to finish because of circumstances beyond their control. If you do not know why a student has not handed in a final paper or taken a final exam, you should give the student a failing grade rather than an Incomplete. Unless you can attest to the special conditions required for an I grade, you must give a student who has not completed your course an F, NP, or U.

Please see this helpful Spring 2020 memo to instructors on incomplete grades from Catherine P. Koshland, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education.

Resolving an Incomplete Grade

Graduate Students

Graduate students do not have a specified deadline for the replacement of an I grade. The method of replacement of the I grade by a final grade is determined by the Dean of the Graduate Division and the Graduate Council.

Undergraduate Students

Completion Deadlines for Undergraduates
All undergraduates must observe the following deadlines for replacement of an I grade.

At the instructor’s discretion, an earlier deadline for completion of undergraduate student work can be imposed. Instructors may notify egrades@berkeley.edu of the earlier deadline so it is visible to students in CalCentral. If no such deadline is set by the instructor, the student must complete the required course work at least 30 days prior to the deadline for replacing the I grade (see table below).

I Grade Received Course Work Completion Deadline Deadline for Replacement of I Grade by instructor (Lapse Date)
Fall semester 30 days prior to the first day of instruction of the following fall semester or the instructor-provided deadline, whichever is earlier. First day of instruction of the following fall semester by 11:59PM
Spring semester & Summer Sessions 30 days prior to first day of instruction of the following spring semester or the instructor-provided deadline, whichever is earlier. First day of instruction of the following spring semester by 11:59PM

Resolving an Incomplete Grade Assigned to a Two-term Sequence Course

To resolve an incomplete grade assigned to a two-term sequence course, only the second half can be updated through the grade roster on Calcentral. Contact egrades@berkeley.edu with the student and class information for the first half.