Drops, Incompletes & Withdrawals

Requests for Drops

When students’ job workload increases or they have extensive business travel, they often panic and think first about dropping their course. CAETE advises students to first consult with the instructor to discuss the following options:

• Extend a deadline to accommodate the student's special circumstances.
• Grant the student an incomplete for the course.
• Permit the student to withdraw from the course.
• Change from credit to no-credit.

Instructor permission is required for all options, and after the academic deadline, students must also petition the dean for the last two options. Refer to the CAETE academic calendar for the deadline date.

Requests for Extensions

Your distance learning students will occasionally request an extension due to work or personal issues. Be as flexible as you can, realizing that these students are attempting to balance professional and personal responsibilities while taking courses. Invariably some students will try to abuse the system. Use your best judgment to prevent students from taking unfair advantage.

Granting Incompletes

Occasionally a student will get too far behind in a course (due to job responsibilities, business travel, etc.) to be able to complete all the class requirements by the end of the semester. In this case, you may grant an incomplete ( I – Incomplete Failure) as their temporary grade at the conclusion of the semester. Granting an incomplete is entirely at the instructor's discretion. When a student asks you for an incomplete, discuss your specific requirements for course completion. Students should clearly understand the amount of extra time that you will grant them to finish their course work. University regulations stipulate that work must be graded and the new grade must be entered in the Student Information System (SIS) no later than one year after the end of the semester in which the student is enrolled for your course. This one year period is the maximum extra time allowed for an incomplete. As the instructor, you are free to specify your time limit for submitting work to finish an incomplete. If a new grade is not entered into SIS within the one year time limit, the I is automatically changed to an F.

Students to whom you grant an incomplete should understand that you may not have time to review their submissions and assign a course grade immediately after they have completed their work. In this case, you should establish a date for the grade to be given and inform the student.

Granting Withdrawals

If deadline adjustments or granting an incomplete is not feasible and the student wishes to drop, the instructor may grant a withdrawal according to the rules of the University. Refer to the University’s Uniform Grading Policy or check with the College of Engineering Dean's Office. The student should notify the CAETE Registrar as soon as possible. Note that tuition refund amounts depend on the date of withdrawal. Refer to the academic calendar for deadline dates.