Late Work and Extensions

Late Work and Extension of Time for Course Work

Undergraduates

Instructors have the authority to grant undergraduates an extension of time for medical reasons and other special circumstances up to the end of the Examination Period. Ordinarily, students requesting an extension of time to complete course work must have received the consent of the instructor before the final examination or before the final meeting of a course in which there is no final examination. 

In deciding the length of an extension granted for medical reasons, the head of the course should apply the principle used by the Administrative Board of Harvard College when it votes extensions beyond the Examination Period: Extensions are granted for a period commensurate with the time missed during an illness, without penalty. Questions about an appropriate extension for an individual undergraduate may be addressed to the student’s Allston Burr Resident Dean, Dudley Community Dean, or Resident Dean of First-Year Students. 

If a student submits work after a grade has been filed with the Registrar but before the end of the Examination Period, and if acceptance of that late work results in a grade change, the instructor should submit a grade change at my.harvard.edu. (See Changes in Grades.) 

An extension of time to complete course work beyond the end of the Examination Period can be granted to an undergraduate only by vote of the Administrative Board of Harvard College and only in exceptional circumstances. Instructors may not accept work from an undergraduate after the end of the Examination Period without the explicit authorization of the Administrative Board. 
 
Undergraduates cannot receive a grade of incomplete (INC or INP). 

Graduate Students  

In extraordinary circumstances, incomplete grades (INC) are granted to graduate students only at the discretion of the instructor. If a student receives an INC, the student must complete the work of the course before the end of the next regular term. For example, if a student receives an INC during the fall term, the student must complete the coursework during the subsequent spring term by submitting work before the final day of the spring term. If a student is granted a leave of absence from the University during the period in which an INC ordinarily would need to be completed, the INC will remain on the student's transcript while the student is not enrolled, and the time of the leave will not count against the student's grace period.  

If the work is not submitted within the required time frame, the INC becomes a permanent grade which will be reflected as INP on their transcript. Students may graduate with an incomplete or permanent incomplete on their record, so long as they have met all degree requirements as determined by their academic program.  

Permanent incomplete (INP) grades may be changed to a letter grade at the discretion of the instructor before the student has graduated. Students wishing to complete coursework for a class  in which they have received a INP should consult the instructor. If the instructor agrees to accept the outstanding work, they will set a deadline  for submission. Once the work is completed, a petition for a INP grade change must be signed and submitted to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Academic Programs. The FAS Registrar’s Office will then follow up with the instructor to update the grade. 

Papers and Other Written Assignments  

One or more papers or other written assignments (e.g., problem sets, laboratory reports) are often included as part of the work required of students in their courses. Most students learn more effectively from a series of graduated writing assignments than from a single term paper, particularly in courses designed to introduce students to a new field or a particular mode of inquiry. The feedback that students receive on work completed early in the term helps to clarify what is expected in written assignments, and later assignments provide students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned from the earlier comments.   

The nature and number of written assignments and their due dates should be included on the course syllabus. All regular written assignments must be due by the last day of classes, though instructors may grant individual undergraduates an extension of time for medical reasons and other special circumstances up to the end of the Examination Period, but no later, and may grant graduate students an extension of time until the end of the next regular term. (See "Late Work and Extension of Time for Course Work" within this section.) For information on final assessment deadlines, please see the Legislation on Reading and Exams Period section of Information For Faculty.   

Incomplete grades (INC or INP) cannot under any circumstances, including written final assessments (take-home exam, final paper, etc.), be given to undergraduates. Incomplete grade (INC) are granted to graduate students only at the discretion of the instructor. If a graduate student receives an INC , the student must complete the work of the course before the end of the next regular term. If a graduate student is granted a leave of absence from the university during the period in which an INC ordinarily would need to be completed, the INC will remain on the student's transcript while the student is not enrolled, and the time of the leave will not count against the student's grace period.  If coursework is not submitted on time, the INC becomes a permanent grade shown as INP on the transcript. Permanent incomplete (INP) grades may be changed to a letter grade at the instructor’s discretion, as long as the student has not graduated. Students seeking to complete work for a course with an INP should consult the instructor, who will set a deadline if they agree to accept the work. After completion, a petition for an INP grade change must be signed and submitted to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Academic Programs.