Conditional Grades and Other Symbols

Incomplete Grades (IN)

Incomplete Grades (IN) may be assigned at the discretion of an instructor who believes that an extension of time is warranted for a student whose work is incomplete at the end of the semester.

Time Limits for Incompletes: Work must be completed and a change of grade submitted no later than the end of the semester in the following academic year. (Ex. Fall courses must be completed by the end of the following fall semester.) After a year no change may be made, and the IN grade remains on the student's permanent record.

Incomplete Grade Change Policy (As of January 2024)

Students who find themselves unable to finish all of the assigned work for a course before the end of the term may request a grade of Incomplete (IN) from the instructor. An Incomplete (IN) grade may be issues only if

the student has completed a substantial portion of the course (typically more than half of all graded assignments and assessments including all papers, quizzes, exams, and final projects),
the work is unfinished for reasons acceptable to the instructor, and
the student is in good standing in the course (earning no less than a C grade equivalent in all submitted work).

Faculty are under no obligation to grant requests for IN grades.

Where an Incomplete (IN) grade is appropriate, the Graduate Schools recommends that students and instructors discuss and agree upon outstanding work to be completed and the timeline for completion. All IN grades must be resolved within twelve months after the end of the course. After twelve months, the Incomplete (IN) will be considered "abandoned", and the grade will remain on the student's permanent record. ("Abandoned refers to a situation in which the students have agreed that the course may no longer be completed and the program has agreed to allow them to continue with a permanent IN grade on the transcript.)

Students facing extenuating circumstances may request an extension-of-time to resolve Incomplete grades beyond the twelve month timeline for completion. While Incomplete grades do not affect term or cumulative grade point averages, if a student in the Graduate School-Newark has 6 or more credits of coursework incomplete (IN), such student will be permitted to register for additional coursework only upon the resolution of all but one of the Incompletes. Students may complete the work for Incomplete grades even while not enrolled in additional coursework. Incomplete courses may impact student eligibility for federal financial aid. It is imperative that students with more than one IN grade discuss their academic progress with the Office of Financial Aid prior to requesting additional Incomplete grades. Responsibility for the monitoring of this process resides with the graduate programs.

No Grade (NG)

The NG grade is assigned by the Office of the Registrar. It is used when either the faculty member has left the grade blank or the student is credited with a blank grade because of a computer error. If a student who receives an NG grade fails to clear up the problem within the following semester, the NG grade will convert to an F, and the student's cumulative grade-point average will be recalculated accordingly.

Pass/No Credit (P/NC)

Graduate programs may offer courses on a Pass/No Credit basis. A nonnumeric grade of Pass or No Credit is assigned to any student who has registered for his or her course on this basis.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U)

Used for 700-level courses of research carrying credit or in regular courses taken not-for-credit.

Withdrawal (W)

Used when a student has withdrawn with permission of the proper authority.

Failing Grades (F)

Students earning a failing grade (below C) in any course shall:

Immediately be returned to academic probationary status and
be subjected to an administrative review by the Associate Dean of Student and Academic Services.

The Associate Dean will then determine an appropriate course of action for the affected student, with two options:

Dismissal from the program, or
permission to retake a course in which the failing grade was earned.

Students who are permitted to retake a course in which a failing grade was earned may return to regular status when:

A passing grade is earned in the relevant course, and
the student's GPA returns to the threshold.

Students who earn more than one failing grade in any single course will be dismissed from the program. Students should be aware that grades, failing or not, will affect their GPA and that this policy in no way circumvents GPA requirements for program continuation or graduation.

Grade	definition	numerical equivalent
A	Outstanding	4.0
B+		3.5
B	Good	3.0
C+		2.5
C	Satisfactory	2.0
F	Failing	0.0

Grades and Records (NG)

Grades and Records