Advising
- Advisors
- Plan of Study
- Advising of Non-Degree Students
- Yearly Evaluation
- Degree Works
Enrollment
- Registration statement
- Credit Loads and Limits
- Minimum Enrollment
- Leaves of Absence
- Non-Degree Students
- Auditing Courses
- Attendance Policy
- Emergency Leave Policy
- Withdrawal Policy
Grades
- Grades in Graduate Courses
- Grading System
- Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-Pass/Fail
- Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Incomplete Grades
- Repeated Courses
- Official Transcripts
In this section:
Advisors
Academic and scholarly advising varies by graduate program across the University. Each graduate academic unit has one or more graduate advisors, and every graduate student must be assigned an advisor throughout their graduate study and training. This advisor may also be the student’s thesis or dissertation advisor. The advisor and student typically meet soon after the student’s admission to the program to develop a plan of study and on a regular basis thereafter to monitor and review progress.
Plan of Study
All graduate students must have a Plan of Study, which is a formal agreement between the student and their program or committee regarding the conditions the student must meet to earn the desired degree. The Plan of Study usually lists required courses and activities and may describe the timeline for these requirements. The Plan of Study may also include suggested or optional courses and activities. Each college or school determines the mechanisms for establishing, changing, and monitoring students’ progress on plans of study. The Plan of Study should be in place no later than the end of the student’s first semester.
Degree Works is the online advising and degree auditing tool at WVU. Plan of Study requirements must be included in students' Degree Works audits. Some programs may choose to use Degree Works as students' plans of study.
Advising of Non-Degree Students
Each college or school establishes a mechanism to advise non-degree graduate students who intend to take the majority of their coursework in that college or school. Non-degree students with an interest in programs in two colleges or schools may be assigned to either by the Office of Admissions. Students are responsible for understanding the policies of each program and facilitating any needed communication between advisors.
Yearly Evaluation
All graduate students enrolled in at least one credit hour during the academic year must be provided with a written evaluation from their program following the end of each spring term. This requirement may be waived for students in good standing who are expected to graduate in spring or summer.
Degree Works
Degree Works is the online advising and degree auditing tool at WVU. All students are required to have a completed audit for graduation. Students can access Degree Works through the WVU Portal accessible at https://portal.wvu.edu. More information is available in the Degree Works section of the Academic Records tab on the Office of the University Registrar website.
All degree requirements must be verified by a student's college prior to graduation. Students are responsible for complying with all academic policies published in the University catalog and relevant program documents. If students have any questions about the information presented in the Degree Works audit, they are encouraged to contact their advisor.
In this section:
- Registration
- Credit Hour Loads and Limits
- Minimum Enrollment
- Leave of Absence
- Non-Degree Students
- Auditing courses
- Attendance Policy
- Emergency Leave Policy
- Withdrawal Policy
Registration
Students must use STAR to register for each course they attend in person or online.
- Athletes, Graduate and Professional Students register first.
- Undergraduate Students: undergraduate students register by classification, starting with Seniors, then, Juniors, Sophomores, and, finally, Freshmen.
- Advanced Registration. Certain populations of undergraduate students defined below can register 24 hours before other students with the same classification.
- Veterans and contracted ROTC students
- Students who receive advanced registration as part of their ADA accommodations
- Honor students
- Proposed plan for Advanced Registration Status
- Advanced Registration Seniors (seniors who are Veterans, contracted ROTC, Honors, ADA students)
- All Seniors (including non-priority Seniors)
- Advanced Registration Juniors (juniors who are Veterans, contracted ROTC, Honors, ADA students)
- All Juniors
- Advanced Registration Sophomores (sophomores who are Veterans, contracted ROTC, Honors, ADA students)
- All Sophomores
- Advanced Registration Freshmen (freshmen who are Veterans, contracted ROTC, Honors, ADA students)
- All Freshmen
- General registration (students who have not utilized their priority dates above)
- Students will be assigned a preferred time period for registration on the appropriate day through the time ticketing process. The first registration slot will occur each day at 8:30 am. The advanced registration window will open at 12:01 am, giving students 32 hours before the first student of the same class standing (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) without advanced status is able to register.
Credit Hour Loads and Limits
To be considered full-time, a graduate student must enroll in at least nine credit hours in a fall or spring term and six credit hours in the summer term, including audited courses. Graduate students are not permitted to take more than 17 credit hours in a term without approval by their college or school and by the Office of Graduate Education and Life. No overload requests will be considered for the summer term. Requests for more than 18 credit hours in a fall or spring term will not normally be approved. Although students may enroll for up to 17 credit hours in the summer term, they are strongly discouraged from enrolling in more than 12 credit hours.
Minimum Enrollment
In any term during which a graduate student is using University research facilities, consulting with graduate committee members, or completing a thesis or dissertation (including the thesis or dissertation defense and submission of the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation, or ETD), the student must enroll for at least one credit hour of graduate credit. These students are assumed to be utilizing University services, facilities, and other resources, including faculty expertise, even if they are not enrolled in formal coursework.
In addition, students formally admitted to candidacy for graduate degrees are required to register for at least one credit hour each fall and spring term as a condition of their continued candidacy. Individual programs may also require summer enrollment to maintain candidacy. Students admitted to candidacy who fail to maintain continuous enrollment may be dropped from candidacy.
Students who are not admitted to candidacy may enroll in courses intermittently if allowed by their program and if they are not using University facilities or consulting with faculty while they are not enrolled.
Students who have completed all requirements for a degree (including the thesis or dissertation defense and submission of the ETD) prior to the first day of classes of the term of graduation do not need to enroll during that term.
Students who are veterans should refer to the Veterans section of this catalog to determine minimum enrollment requirements.
Leave of Absence
Graduate students in good standing who wish to be away from their academic endeavors at WVU for one or more semesters but intend to return at a later date may request a leave of absence. Students should consult with their program or school/college concerning the required procedure to request a leave of absence. Some programs (such as some master’s programs or part-time programs) may not require students to request a leave of absence in order to enroll intermittently and remain in good standing. Doctoral students admitted to candidacy who do not wish to enroll for one or more semesters must be granted a leave of absence in order to maintain their candidacy. Leaves of absence are not required for summer terms unless otherwise specified by a student’s program.
When possible, requests for leaves of absence should be submitted in writing to students' program directors or department chairs prior to the beginning of the semester for which the leave is desired. Program directors or department chairs (or their designees) determine whether or not to grant leaves of absence, the length of time granted, and any conditions students must meet to return to their program following the leave of absence (including a date by which students must inform their program that they plan to return). Students are informed in writing of the outcome of their requests, and copies of the outcomes are retained in students' departmental or program records.
Information concerning military deployments during a semester is available under the Military Leave section of the undergraduate catalog.
Non-Degree Students
Non-degree students may enroll in any course in the University for which they meet the prerequisites and any other restrictions on the course. Some departments restrict enrollments to majors only or require non-degree students to obtain instructor permission to enroll.
A non-degree graduate student may accumulate unlimited graduate credit hours. Non-degree students may not apply more than 12 credit hours of previously earned credit toward a degree (see section on Credit Sharing Limitations under the Rules for Attaining Multiple Credentials section of this catalog). If a non-degree student is later admitted to a degree program, the faculty of that program will decide whether any credit earned as a non-degree student may be applied toward the degree.
Auditors
A student who audits a course must register and pay full fees for the course but does not receive credit for the course. A student who audits a course must let one semester pass before enrolling in the same course for credit. A student may only change their status from audit to grade or grade to audit through their advisor, during the registration period. Advisors will notify the Office of the University Registrar or Enrollment Services at the Keyser location of the student's intention prior to the end of the drop/add period. Attendance requirements for auditors are determined by the instructor of the course. The instructor may direct the Office of the University Registrar or Enrollment Services at the Keyser location to remove an auditor from a class list or grade report if attendance requirements are not met.
Attendance Policy
Instructors or programs set attendance requirements and policies that are appropriate for the goals and instructional strategies of their courses. Instructors are responsible for keeping accurate attendance records when attendance is used in grading. Students who are absent from class for any reason are expected to take full responsibility for their own academic work and progress and are required to complete missed work or equivalent work, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
University Sanctioned Absences
University sanctioned absences are absences in which instructors provide opportunities to make up missed substantial class work or activities (e.g., assignments, exams) and will not penalize students for those absences. University sanctioned absences include mandatory military obligation, mandatory court appearances, and participation in university activities at the request of university authorities. Instructors are expected to be flexible in allowing students to make up work missed due to university sanctioned absences. Instructors and students may consult with their Dean’s Office on events that constitute official university sanctioned events.
WVU supports its students who are also members of the United States armed forces, reserve units, and National Guard. Absences of less than three weeks of course work for military obligation (i.e., drill or training) are university sanctioned absences. WVU’s Center for Veteran, Military, and Family Programs website has additional information on the drill schedule for the West Virginia National Guard and can provide official verification of a student’s military orders upon request.
For university sanctioned absences totaling more than three weeks of course work resulting from military obligation, see WVU’s Military Leave section of the undergraduate catalog.
Students who will miss more than a week of course work due to health condition or personal trauma should refer to WVU’s Emergency Leave Policy.
Students wishing to appeal an instructor decision regarding an absence for a university sanctioned event may appeal to the Dean of the college/school for the relevant course.
Final course grades affected by attendance in an individual course may be appealed using the normal course grade appeal process located on the Appeals tab of the Academic Standards section of this catalog.
Excused Absences
Other events may justify an excused absence at the discretion of the instructor or program, school, or college. Instructors appropriately notified regarding anticipated absences that are not university sanctioned may use their judgment as to whether to allow make-up work.
Examples of events that may justify an excused absence include religious observances, illness of the student including Covid-19 related absence, illness of an immediate family member, death of an immediate family member, or extreme weather. Quarantined students are expected to complete class work and activities as assigned.
Students may miss class or assignments due to a variety of medical and health-related issues. There are two broad categories for such absences: those resulting from unexpected injuries and illnesses, and those related to a disability(ies) and/or chronic condition. When a student must be absent from class due to an unexpected and medical illness they should contact their instructors directly. For an extended illness the WVU Division of Student Life can assist the student in notifying his or her instructors. Students missing class due to a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility Services for assistance.
Students who will miss more than a week of course work due to health condition or personal trauma should refer to WVU’s Emergency Leave Policy.
Several high holy days have been added to the academic calendar for instructors to reference in their academic planning. Instructors may consult the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website for support regarding religious observances.
The Office of Accessibility Services can serve as a resource to discuss student absences related to accommodations. Contact Information can be found on the About Us tab of the Office of Accessibility Services website.
Absences stemming from work duties other than military obligation (e.g., unexpected changes in shift assignments) and traffic/transit problems are not university sanctioned and should not typically qualify for excused absences.
If an instructor chooses to allow excused absences for these other events, the stated attendance policy for the course should specify the number of days that may be missed and instructions for contacting the instructor for the excused absence.
Instructors may request third party documentation.
Procedures
All attendance polices must be made available to students in writing (typically within the course syllabus) within the first week of class.
Students are responsible for notifying their instructors of expected university sanctioned absences within two weeks of the event or as soon as possible. Instructors may require written documentation in advance of the university sanctioned absence from the academic or athletic unit sponsoring the activity for students participating in official activities. Instructors may request additional verification from the Center for Veteran, Military, and Family Programs website for students serving military obligation.
Students who are absent from class for any reason are responsible for contacting their instructors promptly, unless the instructors' policies require otherwise.
Students wishing to appeal an instructor decision regarding an absence for a university sanctioned event may appeal using the final grade appeal process for the relevant course.
Final course grades affected by attendance in an individual course may be appealed using the normal course grade appeal process located on the Appeals tab of the Academic Standards section of this catalog.
Emergency Leave Policy
During any semester, students may experience serious emergencies that will prevent them to be present in class or participate in a course for more than a week.
Short Term Leave
Upon presentation of documentation, students who will miss between one and three weeks of classes will work with their instructor to develop a plan to catch up on the work that they have missed.
- Up to the 13th week of instruction, students have the ability to withdraw from one or several classes.
- If the event and its subsequent related absences takes place after the 13th week of instruction, students may petition the Dean of the College, found on the Office of the Provost website under the Level 2 Reviewers webpage, where the course is housed to obtain a late withdrawal from a single class. Students who wish to withdraw from all their classes can petition the Dean of the College where their major is housed for a full, retroactive withdrawal. Students unable to attend or participate after the 13th week for a relatively short duration (which may include exam week) may arrange for an Incomplete with provision to make up the final exam.
Long Term Leave
Students who will miss more than three weeks of course work due to a health condition or personal trauma should notify the appropriate Dean of the College, found on the Office of the Provost website under the Level 2 Reviewers webpage, where their major is housed. The student should explain the circumstances of their absence and, with the assistance of the Dean, work with each of faculty members to agree upon a plan of action. In most cases, students will be asked to provide documentation or other evidence.
If necessary, these students may withdraw from the university and will go through one of the two following processes depending upon when the student withdraws.
- Withdraw from the University up to and including the 13th week of instruction. Students who withdraw before the end of the 13th week of instruction may need to return portions of their financial aid award. A W will be placed on all courses.
- Withdraw from the University after the 13th week of instruction. Students who leave the University after the 13th week of instruction should work with their home college/school’s Dean’s Office.
The relevant Dean’s Office will assist the student in reviewing the student's eligibility for credit for their courses on a course-by course basis with the instructors.
- If the course is substantially complete and the student has done passing work, the student should receive the grade earned at that time.
- If the instructor establishes that the course is not quite substantially complete and the student requests it, the instructor can follow the procedure for an Incomplete, with the agreement of the department chair and the Dean of the College where the course is housed.
- When it is deemed that no credit can be awarded, the student can be administratively withdrawn from the course.
Course Withdrawal and University Withdrawal Policy
There are three time periods during which students may withdraw from courses. The tuition refund policy can be reviewed on the Refunds tab on the Student Accounts website. The specific term deadlines can be found on the Withdrawal section of the Refunds tab on the Student Accounts website.
Withdrawal during the Drop/Add period
Students may withdraw from an individual course or all courses during the drop/add period, which runs until the end of the first week of a standard fall or spring 16-week term. Withdrawals from courses beginning on different parts of term or in the summer must be within the deadline as indicated on the Add and Drop Dates section of the Calendars tab on the Office of the University Registrar website. Courses dropped during the appropriate drop/add period will not be recorded on the student’s transcript.
Withdrawal by the Withdrawal Deadline
Generally, students can withdraw from one or more courses after the Drop/Add period but prior to the withdrawal deadline published in the University Calendar (during the 13th week of instruction for 16-week courses during the spring and fall terms). A grade of W will be recorded on the transcript, indicating the student withdrew from the course. The grade point average is not affected, but student progress within an identified major may be impacted, as well as the ability to retain financial aid. Additional information can be found about Withdrawing from Courses in the Maintaining Your Aid section of the Home tab on the Student Financial Services website. “Attempted Hours” on the transcript include all courses for which a W is recorded. If a student does not follow the university’s withdrawal procedures, the final grades earned by the student will be recorded on the transcript.
NOTE: No longer attending a course does not constitute withdrawal. Students who do not formally drop or withdrawal from a course they are no longer attending will receive a failing grade for the course.
Withdrawal from all courses after the Withdrawal Deadline (Retroactive Withdrawal)
Withdrawing from all courses after the withdrawal deadline is considered a retroactive withdrawal from the University for the approved term. A retroactive withdrawal must be requested within 12 months after grades have posted for the term in question. If the withdrawal is granted, a grade of W will be recorded on the transcript for each course. Retroactive withdrawals may not be requested for coursework in a degree that has already been awarded. Students may not request a withdrawal from a specific course or courses after the deadline for withdrawing from that term.
A retroactive withdrawal may be approved in one of two ways: contractual or non-contractual. The student’s current college or school determines if a student qualifies for a retroactive withdrawal and then determines the type of withdrawal.
- Contractual retroactive withdrawal: students may request a contractual withdrawal for one semester only. Students will be approved by their current college or school and will receive a contract. If they fulfill all the terms of the contract, the withdrawal will be granted.
- To qualify for a request for a contractual withdrawal, students must be able to demonstrate the following:
- Unusually poor academic performance
- An identifiable event or circumstances that explains the academic performance
- Demonstrated evidence that corrective steps have been undertaken
- To qualify for a request for a contractual withdrawal, students must be able to demonstrate the following:
- Non-contractual retroactive withdrawal: students may request a non-contractual withdrawal for up to one academic year. Non-contractual withdrawals are granted for extreme circumstances and require the approval of the student’s current academic college or school.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: A retroactive withdrawal does not carry a tuition refund and may result in the recalculation of aid or other educational benefits received. Granted retroactive withdrawals may change a student’s probation or suspension status. Financial aid recipients who withdraw from all courses before sixty percent of the term is completed may be required to return a portion of any financial aid disbursed for the term. Grades of W are counted in Attempted Hours and affect student completion rate, one of the standards for determining financial aid satisfactory academic progress. Students who do not receive at least one passing grade in a term may be required to return a portion of any financial aid disbursed for that term according to their last date of attendance or participation on record. If a student, whose financial aid has been impacted, believes this date is incorrect, they may provide documentation that supports attendance or participation beyond the last date of attendance or participation on record.
MILITARY NOTE: Students who are called to active military service during a term must submit a copy of their deployment orders to the appropriate institutional officer. For additional information relative to military withdrawals, or if students are being deployed after the 13th week of instruction of the fall or spring terms and want to keep their grades earned at the time of deployment, please refer to the Military Leave section of the undergraduate catalog.
Procedures
Withdrawal during Drop/Add period or by the Withdrawal Deadline
To withdraw from one or more courses by the withdrawal deadline, students should log on to the WVU Portal accessible at https://portal.wvu.edu and drop their courses through STAR.
Retroactive Withdrawal
To withdraw from the term after the withdrawal deadline, a student must request the retroactive withdrawal in writing from the dean (or designee) of the college of the student’s current major. A successful petition should demonstrate that the student’s performance was uncharacteristic and that the atypical circumstances interfered with the student’s ability to withdraw. Students who are considered for a contractual retroactive withdrawal will need to demonstrate that they can now make satisfactory degree progress. Students may be required to present third party documentation of the qualifying event and/or evidence of corrective steps. If the petition is granted, the dean or designee will request the withdrawal from all courses for the approved term at the appropriate time directly to the designated institutional officer.
General considerations when withdrawing from courses
- Students who wish to withdraw from one or more courses are encouraged to meet with their academic adviser.
- Students should determine if their course load would be reduced below the minimum requirement set by their program.
- Students should contact the appropriate office to contact to determine if their course load might be reduced below the minimum hours required to qualify for financial aid, scholarships, international full-time student status, or a graduate assistantship or fellowship..
- If a student is enrolled in two co-requisite courses (courses that must be taken and completed simultaneously) and withdraws from one of those courses, the student will be automatically withdrawn from the other co-requisite course as well.
- If withdrawal from the University for a semester would jeopardize the student’s standing in a particular program or major.
- Students who receive financial aid, veteran benefits, or scholarships should consult with the appropriate unit to see if the withdrawal will affect their status for the current or subsequent terms.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all outstanding financial obligations to the University are satisfied and all required forms are received and processed. The withdrawal becomes official only after the request is received and processed by the appropriate institutional officer.
- Students withdrawing from all of their courses in a term who are living in university residential housing should vacate housing and turn in keys via the proper procedure. Check with the main desk at the residential hall for procedural details.
In this section:
- Grades in Graduate Courses
- Grading System
- Emergency Grading Policy
- Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-Pass/Fail
- Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Incompletes
- Repeated Courses
- Official Transcripts
Grades in Graduate Courses
Letter grades are assigned in many graduate courses. Grades of C or below are considered substandard. Some programs allow credit toward the degree for courses in which any grade of C is earned; others do not. No credit is earned for graduate courses in which a grade of D is earned; individual programs determine if credit is earned toward the degree for professional courses in which a grade of D is earned.
Grading System
Grade | Description |
---|---|
A | Excellent |
B | Good |
C | Fair |
D | Poor (College of Law only) |
F | Failure |
I | Incomplete |
W | Withdrawal from a course before the date specified in the University calendar. |
P | Pass (See Pass/Fail grading below) |
X | Auditor, no grade and no credit. |
CR | Credit but no grade |
PR | Progress; final grade to be issued at end of second semester (used by Health Sciences only) |
S | Satisfactory |
U | Unsatisfactory |
H | Honors (used by Professional courses only) |
IF | Incomplete grade not removed by next regular term (computed as an F) |
UF | Unforgivable F |
FNA | Failure Never Attended |
FSA | Failure Stopped Attending (Last date of attendance required) |
Note: Grades that are not reported by faculty at the end of a term will be designated with an NR on the official transcript. All grades of NR must be resolved in order to graduate from West Virginia University.
Emergency Grading Policy
The primary instructor of record assigns final grades; however, under extraordinary circumstances, the dean in consultation with the program chair or director may select a designee to determine and assign grades in a course.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory and Pass/Fail Grading
At the graduate level, the satisfactory-unsatisfactory ("S/U") is the only grading option for the Research common course numbers 697/797. The "S" and "U" grades for 697/797 are not applied to the calculation of the GPA.
Other courses for which faculty wish to use a binary grading option use the pass-fail ("P/F") grading option. Grades of “F” earned using this option do apply to the GPA.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Grade Points
Each letter grade has a numeric value. Grade points are based on this number value and the credit hour value of the course.
- A = 4
- B = 3
- C = 2
- D = 1 (College of Law only; 0 points for all others)
- F/FNA/FSA/IF/UF = 0
The GPA is computed on all work for which a student registers, with the following exceptions:
- Courses with a grade of CR, H, PR, P, S, W, I, U, and X carry no grade value.
- When a student receives the grade of "I" and the incomplete grade is replaced, the grade point average is calculated on the basis of the replacement grade. If the "I" grade is not changed within the next semester, the grade is replaced with an IF, which is included in the grade point average.
Grade Point Average
To be eligible to receive a graduate degree, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 2.75 at the time of graduation. To be eligible to receive a graduate certificate, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 2.75 in courses applied to the certificate.
Some graduate degrees or graduate certificates require an overall grade point average higher than a 2.75. Graduate degrees or certificates also may require higher or specifically defined grade point averages. Refer to the specific program for more information.
Probation and most financial aid eligibility are determined by the institutional grade point average. Please review information on the Student Financial Services page for detailed information regarding financial aid eligibility.
GPA Calculation
The example below illustrates how to calculate a GPA.
Assume a student registered for the following courses and earned the following grades:
- HIST 700 (3 credits) - A
- HIST 718 (3 credits) - B
- HIST 793 (3 credits) - C
- HIST 795 (1 credit) - F
- HIST 797 (1 credit) - S
Multiply the credit by the grade value to get the grade points earned for each course using the values for letter grades as described in the Grade Points section.
(Number of Credit Hours) multiplied by the (Letter Grade Value) = Grade Points
- HIST 700 with a grade of A (3 credits) * (Letter Grade Value for an A) (4 points) = 12 Grade Points
- HIST 718 with a grade of B (3 credits) * (Letter Grade Value for a B) (3 points) = 9 Grade Points
- HIST 793 with a grade of C (3 credits) * (Letter Grade Value for a C) (2 points) = 6 Grade Points
- HIST 795 with a grade of F (1 credit) * (Letter Grade Value for an F) (0 points) = 0 Grade Points
- HIST 797 with a grade of S (1 credit) * (N/A Letter Grade Value for a S - not calculated in grade points) = N/A
Add the total grade points earned: 12 + 9 + 6 + 0 + N/A = 27
Add the total number of credit hours attempted: 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 0 (S grade credits not included) = 10
Divide the total number of grade points earned divided by the total number of credit hours attempted
GPA calculation = 27 (total number of grade points earned) / 10 (total number of credit hours attempted) = 2.7 semester GPA
Students may also login to Degree Works to utilize the GPA Calculator.
Incomplete Grade Policy
A grade of I (Incomplete) is a temporary grade assignment used when unforeseen, non-academic circumstances arise that prohibit students from completing the last course assignments or examinations at the end of the semester. The grade of Incomplete is typically assigned because of an excused absence from the final examination, or because assignments are unavoidably incomplete, as determined by the instructor. Generally, the student will have been active in the course up until the last day of the 13th week of classes and earned at least a D- to be eligible to request an incomplete.
- An instructor may not assign a grade of I without the student’s agreement and an Incomplete Contract. If a student has not requested an Incomplete, or the request for an Incomplete grade has been denied, the instructor should assign the grade earned in the course.
- Within the Incomplete Contract, the instructor is required to indicate a grade earned for the course assuming no additional work will be completed. Should the signed contract not be fulfilled, the instructor must either submit a grade of F or the grade indicated in the contract.
- If the student is unable to complete the work during the following term for non-academic reasons, the term of the contract may be extended with permission of the Dean. Additionally, the term of the contract can be extended if the instructor is not available for a portion of the course, for some legitimate reason, cannot be completed within the original time frame.
- An Incomplete grade not changed by the end of the next regular term, (fall and spring semesters) will be replaced with a grade of IF, and the class must be retaken to satisfy degree requirements as necessary. Under legitimate, extraordinary circumstances, with supporting documentation and the approval of the Dean, an instructor can submit a grade change for an IF within five years of when the course was taken.
- All grades of I must either be resolved or replaced with an IF in order to graduate from West Virginia University.
Procedures
- Students who wish to be considered for an Incomplete must request the incomplete grade prior to the end of the term. If instructors agree, they will set the contractual conditions under which the grade of I will be changed to a letter grade, and students will sign their online contracts. The grade of incomplete is not granted until the Incomplete Contract has been approved by the department and college.
- The instructor should establish the date by which all work must be completed. Ideally, the date will be prior to the mid-semester point of the following regular term but may not be later than the last day of class of that term.
- If the student does not complete the terms of the contract, the instructor will assign the earned grade recorded on the contract at the time the Incomplete was assigned.
- The student is not permitted to re-register for the course to complete the missing work and remove the grade of I.
- Students may appeal any final grade imposed by a course instructor/coordinator, institution, or its constituent academic units through the procedures described in the Academic Standards section of the catalog.
Repeated Courses
The process below is for courses that are not designated as repeatable for credit.
- Both the original course grade and the second course grade are included in determining the overall GPA. The original course is excluded from earned or degree hours and is marked with an (A).
- The original grade is not deleted from the student’s permanent record.
- The second grade is entered on the student’s transcript and marked as included (I) in the semester that the course was repeated.
- Courses repeated more than once are handled the same way with the final attempt carrying earned or degree hours. All attempts are used for determining the GPA.