As of Autumn Quarter, 2025, the
Incomplete Grade policy at DePaul will undergo significant changes affecting how the IN grade may be requested and approved and the length of time before an IN grade converts to an F. All faculty and students should be aware of the new policy before an Incomplete is requested or granted.
LAS faculty, and students taking LAS classes, should be sure to note the following:
- The IN grade is intended to assist a student who encounters significant, unforeseeable circumstances after the quarterly withdrawal deadline and is unable to complete final exams, papers or projects that will have a significant impact on their grade. The University’s Withdrawal Policy is available
here; the University’s
Academic Calendar will provide the specific deadline for withdrawals in each quarter.
- The IN, therefore, is not an appropriate grade for a student who has an established record of missing work, failing grades, or attendance issues over the first seven to eight weeks of a course. Faculty should be in contact before the withdrawal deadline with students who are not maintaining a satisfactory record. Students should consider the consistency of their performance before requesting an Incomplete; faculty should weigh the same carefully before approving any Incomplete request.
- Students have significantly less time, according to the new policy, to resolve an IN before it lapses to an F. Before agreeing to an Incomplete, both faculty member and student should weigh carefully the student’s ability to complete the work before expiration of the grace period.
- Once the grace period has lapsed and the IN has converted to an F, a faculty member no longer has the authority to extend the grace period or promise the student a passing grade. At that point, the faculty member must make a written request to the LAS College Exceptions Committee* on behalf of the student to pursue an extension that might lead to a change of grade. Students may not appeal directly to the Exceptions Committee for an extension. The authority to grant an extension of an IN grace period and/or approve any resulting change of grade request by the faculty member rests entirely with the LAS College Exceptions Committee.
Questions about the University’s Incomplete policy or requests to convert a letter grade to an IN grade may be sent to the LAS Dean's Office by way of this email address:
LASAssociateDean@depaul.edu.