Grading & Registration Resources

Incomplete Grade Processes

Late Add Instructions

Late Drop Instructions

CLAS Incomplete Grade Policy and Procedures

An "Incomplete" grade, marked as "I" on a student’s record, indicates that the student was doing satisfactory work in class but due to nonacademic reasons beyond the student’s control, the student was unable to complete the course by the end of the semester. Examples include, but are not limited to, sudden physical or mental illness or injury, family emergencies or death in the family, military deployment.

An incomplete grade is given only if:

  • The student was doing satisfactory work in class.
  • The remaining work can be clearly delineated.
  • The request for an incomplete is made during the last 20% of the course.
  • The student has a valid reason why they can't finish by the end of the semester (see above for examples).

 

Process for Assigning Incomplete Grades

  • Faculty will need to enter an “I” grade in the Banner grading system and include the student’s last date of academic activity (LDAA).
  • When assigning an incomplete grade, faculty must fill out an Incomplete Grade Form and submit it to the CLAS Dean’s Office. This form must be completed when the incomplete grade is assigned and should include:
    • Brief outline of the course work to be completed.
    • A plan and deadline for completing the missing work.
    • A default grade to be awarded if the work isn’t done by the posted deadline.


Important: The completed form will be automatically sent to the instructor, the student, the department head, and the CLAS Dean’s Office. Make sure to enter the correct email addresses on the form.

  • If the faculty member who awards the incomplete won’t be at GVSU in the following semester, a designee must be identified to work with the student on completing the requirements and resolving the incomplete grade.  This designee should be provided with:
    • The course syllabus.
    • A list of work completed, and grades given.
    • Descriptions of any remaining assignments.
    • An outline of the grading scale for the course.

 

Timeline for Resolving Incomplete Grades

Per university policy, incomplete grades are to be resolved based on the following calendar:

  • Fall semester incompletes by the end of the following winter semester.
  • Winter and Spring/Summer incompletes by the end of the following fall semester.
     

The CLAS Dean’s Office will remind instructors about unresolved incompletes and give instructions for resolving or potentially extending the deadline.

  • These reminders come just prior to the deadlines for resolving incomplete grades each semester.

 

Resolving Incomplete Grades or Requesting Extensions

  • When the student completes the work, the instructor must file a Change of Grade form with the CLAS Dean’s Office. The electronic form is behind the faculty/staff login and may require multi-factor authentication to access.
  • One extension can be given if there are special circumstances that prevented the student from completing the missing work, such as illness, family emergency or other situation outside of the student’s control.
  • If an extension is needed, the instructor should inform the CLAS Dean’s Office and submit a new Incomplete Grade Form with the new deadline, a default grade, and an outline of the remaining work. The student will also get a copy of the new Incomplete form.
  • The new deadline should be no longer than one additional semester.
  • If the student doesn’t finish by the new deadline, the instructor must submit a Change of Grade form to award a final grade.
  • Additional extensions are rare and only granted in very special situations and must be approved by the CLAS Deans Office. The instructor must provide a detailed reason for the extension, and the student must agree to meet the new deadline and finish the work.
  • Question regarding extensions should be directed to AD Schaner.
  • If you have submitted an OSCCR incident report for a student based on suspected academic misconduct and the case is still pending, please enter a grade of Incomplete for the course. Once the case is complete, the grade should be changed based on the outcome of the review. Faculty do not need to submit an Incomplete Grade Form in these situations.

 

Additional Information:

  • Students with an incomplete should not register for the course in a future semester. If it’s in the student’s best interest to repeat the course to be successful, the student should drop the class from their schedule and retake it in a future semester.
  • To graduate, students need to finish all their courses—no incompletes allowed.
  • A grade of “W” (withdraw) cannot be used to resolve an incomplete. A request for a late withdrawal is a separate process that must be initiated by the student. These appeals are reviewed by the Academic Review Committee and not the CLAS Dean's Office. Contact the Student Academic Success Center for information on late withdrawals.
  • Instructors will receive notification from the CLAS Dean’s Office when it is time to resolve incomplete grades based on the calendar listed above.
  • Incomplete grades are not calculated in a student’s GPA but can impact progression into secondary admit programs.

GVSU Grade Change Procedure for Resolution of Incomplete Grades

When the student completes the missing work, the instructor will need to assign a grade and enter the new grade using the Registrar’s Grade Change Form. The instructor will forward the form to the CLAS Dean's office for processing. ([email protected]).

The Grade Change Form can be downloaded from the Registrar’s website.

The Registrar's Office will notify the student, the instructor, and the CLAS Dean’s office six weeks prior to deadline for a grade change. A list of Incomplete grades will be forwarded to the appropriate unit and the assigned instructors will be contacted by their unit.

If the instructor is not available during the process for resolving the Incomplete, the unit head shall decide on how to proceed.

If the student does not complete the work specified in the agreement in the time that was agreed to, the CLAS Dean's office will request that the instructor or unit head assign the default grade previously entered on the Incomplete Grade Form by using the Registrar’s Grade Change Form.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Late Add Request Instructions

The first week of each semester is the published Drop/Add period. During this time, students may drop and/or add classes at their discretion, provided there are openings in the courses and the student has met the appropriate prerequisite requirements. If a student wishes to add a course after this published deadline, it is considered an exception to the registration policies and requires several levels of support and documentation.

Please Note: Any addition to a student schedule after the published deadline is considered a late add including requests to change from one section to another of the same course.

Please complete all of the following steps listed below in sequential order:

  1. Obtain proper paperwork to complete the late add process.
    1. Download the PDF “Registration and Drop/Add Form”, found online at the Registrar’s website.
    2. Fill out the form completely with all required information.
    3. SAVE THE FORM.
    4. Provie a brief statement explaining the need for the late add. SAVE THE STATEMENT.
  2. Obtain the appropriate electronic signature via email as follows:
    1. Instructor – send an email with the PDF form and your statement attached to the professor of the course/section you wish to add.
    2. Unit head – if the professor supports the late add, the form will be signed and forwarded electronically, along with your statement, to the unit head for consideration.
    3. Assistant Dean for Student Academic Services and Advising – if both the professor and unit head support the late add, the signed form and your statement will be forwarded to the assistant dean for consideration.
    4. If the assistant dean supports the late add, the form will be signed and forwarded to the Registrar’s office for processing. This course will be added to your record and you are then responsible for any additional tuition and fees assessed due to the late add.
  3. Items to note:
    1. Nearly all late registrations involve additional fees. You will be assessed $25 for adding a class late. You will be assessed a $50 late registration fee if you are registering for all classes past the posted deadline. Please contact the Student Account Office at (616) 331-2209 to make arrangements for payment. Failure to do so could result in withdrawal from the courses.
    2. If the professor and/or unit head denies the late add, the process ends there.
    3. If you are attempting to register for a course for the third time, you will need to request approval from the unit head for the course via the Repeat Limit Approval Form.
    4. If your grade point average is below 2.00 and this is your initial registration, you will need to obtain registration approval from your assigned faculty advisor or professional advisor in the CLAS Academic Advising Center.

Late Add Appeal Statements

Consider the following points when submitting your late add appeal:

  1. Provide information on WHY you need to add the course after the published deadline.
  2. Steps you will take to ensure that the need for this type of an exception won’t be necessary in the future.
  3. If applicable, supply copies of any supporting documentation that substantiates your appeal.
  4. Describe your plan to make up any missed work.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Course Withdrawal and Late Drop Procedures

Course withdrawals (dropping a course) fall into three categories:

  • Withdrawals after the first week of the class and prior to the posted drop (“W”) deadline each semester
    • Students are able drop and add courses as needed prior to the start of the semester until Friday of the first week by 5:00 p.m. Parts of term courses will have different deadlines.
  • Late Withdrawals after the posted “W” deadline each semester 
  • Complete Withdrawals from all classes for a specific semester.

The steps to follow for each area are outlined below:

  1. Withdrawals After the First Week and Prior to the Drop (“W”) Deadline
    • A student may withdraw from a course or courses prior to the “W” deadline by either completing the transaction online via Banner or by contacting the Registrar’s Office ([email protected] or 616-331-3327).
    • No further documentation is needed.
    • Students should take steps to make sure they are fully informed of the impact of the course withdrawal
      • Consult with the professor prior to dropping the course to ensure that this course of action is appropriate.
      • Discuss the situation with their assigned professional advisor to determine the impact of the withdrawal on future semester schedules and time to degree.
      • Consult with Financial Aid to determine the impact the action will have on current semester and future semester tuition and financial aid awards, especially if this action will drop the student below full-time status.
      • Discuss with Housing if the student will no longer have full-time status and is living in campus housing.
    • Refunds are available only for specific timeframes in the semester – please consult the drop/add and refund schedule for those deadlines.
    • Students will receive a “W” on their transcript for each dropped course. This does not impact their semester or cumulative grade point.
    • Parts of Term Courses will have different withdrawal deadlines – please contact the Registrar’s Office for further information.

 

  1. Late Withdrawals After the Posted “W” Deadline – Late Drop Requests
    • Students who do not withdraw/drop a class prior to the posted deadline must accept the grade they have earned in the class, depending on the instructor's judgment of their performance in the course.
    • Requests for Late withdrawals (late drops) are reviewed and considered by the department offering the course and depend on extenuating or unusual circumstances. These circumstances are generally interpreted as conditions that will affect their academic performance that the student was unaware of prior to the withdrawal deadline.
    • Late withdrawals are not approved solely due to poor academic performance.
    • Approval of the late drop request is at the discretion of the unit reviewing the case. In some situations, units may recommend the student pursue a Complete Withdrawal (see #3) or an Incomplete.
    • For students with extenuating circumstances who wish to request an exception to the withdrawal deadline will need to follow these guidelines:
      • Begin the process by having a discussion with the professor for the course to determine if this is the appropriate action.
      • Complete the electronic Registration/Drop/Add form with all requested information in the top section. Be sure to list the specific course and section on the form.
      • Separate forms should be used for each course.
      • Draft a brief appeal/statement explaining the extenuating circumstances in support of the late drop. This appeal should also include an explanation on why the request is coming after the posted deadline.
      • Get Signatures: Route the completed form and statement (electronically via email) for consideration of the request. Please follow these steps in the order listed:
        • The instructor of the course. It is recommended that students have a discussion with the professor before beginning the appeal process. Their support is required to continue this process.
        • If the professor approves the late drop, they must sign the form and forward it to the unit head for their consideration. (if the instructor does not approve the late drop, students can still take their appeal to the unit head for consideration).
        • If the unit head approves the late drop, they must sign the form and forward it to the Student Academic Success Center ([email protected]) for final consideration and decision.
        • Please Note: The CLAS Deans Office does not review late drop requests.
        • If the instructor or unit head denies the appeal, that is the final decision and the appeal will not be processed.
    • Appeals for late drops must be submitted to SASC prior to 5:00 pm on Friday prior to final exams or they will not be considered.
    • Students should continue attending classes until the decision is made.
    • Notification will come from SASC if denied or from the Registrar if approved.
    • No refund will be granted for withdrawals after the posted deadline.

 

  1. Complete Withdrawal from All Classes
    • Students withdrawing from all classes in a given semester must complete the electronic Undergraduate Complete Withdrawal Form.
    • The form collects the necessary information and will be routed to the Registrar’s Office for processing.
    • The deadline for complete withdrawals is 5:00 p.m. on Friday the week before final exam week for full semester courses – parts of term classes may have different deadlines. Consult with the Registrar’s Office for additional information.
    • Parts of Term courses in which grades have already been earned cannot be dropped via the Complete Withdrawal process.
    • Complete Withdrawals should be considered only in truly extenuating circumstances. Students should take steps to make sure they are fully informed of the impact of the Complete Withdrawal:
      • Consult with all professors – in some situations, an Incomplete grade may be appropriate and allows the student more time to complete the requirements for the course.
      • Consult with assigned professional advisor to ensure that all options have been considered, and to determine the impact of the complete withdrawal on future semester schedules and time to graduation.
      • Consult with Financial Aid to determine the impact the Complete Withdrawal will have a future semester financial aid options and satisfactory academic progress.
    • There are no refunds granted for Complete Withdrawals after the “W” deadline. If the student decides to pursue a refund, they should be directed to the Tuition Refund Appeal Process.
    • The student will receive grades of “W” in all courses. This does not impact their cumulative GPA.

Students who are interested in appealing grades that have already been earned, should follow the Academic Grievance Process.

Questions regarding these late withdrawal options should be directed to Dr. Colleen Lewis, Associate Dean for Student Support ([email protected]).


Page last modified September 3, 2025
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