Policy on Course Withdrawals
Undergraduate
During the unevaluated course withdrawal period, Queens College students may withdraw from courses through the web, without faculty evaluation, so that the only record appearing on their transcript is W. The unevaluated course withdrawal period begins with the 4th week of the regular semester and extends through the end of the 8th week of the semester in the Fall or Spring. While it is not required, instructors can help their students make informed decisions on course withdrawals by returning graded work before the end of the 8th week. This provides students with information on their progress and enables them to withdraw without evaluation, from courses for which they are ill-suited or unprepared. (Please consult the Schedule of Classes for each Winter Session and Summer Session, for the exact withdrawal dates for each session.)
Beginning with the 9th week of the regular semester, permission to withdraw may be granted only by the Undergraduate Scholastic Standards Committee, located in Virginia Frese Hall, Room 201. Instructors cannot grant students such permission. The Committee may grant withdrawals from courses after the 8th week “only for the most pressing and urgent reasons” (see the Queens College Undergraduate Bulletin and the Academic Senate Policies book). The Academic Senate requires, further, that the student’s reasons for withdrawing be documented to the Committee. Note that the expectation of a low or failing grade is not an acceptable reason for the Committee to consider a withdrawal from a course. The instructor will be asked to indicate on a Course Withdrawal Evaluation Form what the student’s level of performance in the course has been up to their last date of attendance. Signing this form does not give the student permission to withdraw; it merely helps the Committee, if it decides to grant a withdrawal, to assign a grade of W or WF (Withdraw Failing).
Graduate
During the first eight weeks of the semester, no special approval is required for course withdrawal; students may withdraw from courses using the web. Beginning with the first day of the ninth week of the semester, students must complete an Evaluated Withdrawal Form (Graduate Students), which is posted on the Registrar’s website, and may also be obtained at the Office of the Registrar (Jefferson Hall 100) or the Office of Graduate Studies (Kiely Hall 139A). The form must be signed by the instructor of the course and by the Graduate Advisor of the student’s program. Beginning with the fourteenth week of the semester, the approval of the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies is also required. In both cases, the instructor must indicate whether the student is passing or failing as of the date of the withdrawal. An indication of failure results in the grade of WF, which has the same effect on the student’s grade point average as an F grade. Course withdrawals are permitted up to the last day of class.
Full details on all grading policies and procedures are given in the College Bulletin. The Undergraduate Scholastic Standards Committee Website also provides helpful information, as does the Graduate Admissions website.
Policy on the Resolution of Incomplete Grades
Undergraduate
The grade of Incomplete (INC), a temporary grade, must be requested by the student and may be given by the instructor to indicate that a student has a satisfactory record in course work, but for a valid reason is unable to complete the course. An Incomplete grade must be resolved through a make-up examination or through completion of the outstanding work during the next semester (Fall or Spring), even if the student is not in residence or has been academically dismissed. If not resolved on time, a grade of Incomplete is converted to FIN by the Registrar. The FIN is calculated in the GPA as a failing grade. This conversion may be appealed to the Undergraduate Scholastic Standards Committee.
The College grading policy interprets the submission of a grade of Incomplete as an implied obligation or agreement to assist the student in resolving the grade. Accordingly, instructors who will not be available to receive outstanding course work or administer a make-up exam should not submit a grade of Incomplete. Instead, they should submit a letter grade calculated without the missing work.
An Incomplete grade cannot be resolved through a second registration or repetition of the course.
Instructors who are asked by former students to resolve an Incomplete grade which has been converted to FIN should direct the student to the Undergraduate Scholastic Standards Committee to file an appeal before making arrangements for a make-up exam or receipt of outstanding course work. If the appeal is granted, the USSC will ask the instructor, who has the final authority in these matters, to determine if the student may be permitted to resolve the course. If the appeal is denied, the grade will remain FIN.
Graduate
The grade of Incomplete (INC), a temporary grade, must be requested by the student and may be given by the instructor to indicate that a student has a satisfactory record in course work, but for a valid reason is unable to complete the course during the regular time period. A graduate student receiving this grade must complete the work of the course by the end of the next two regular semesters. Requests for extensions of time must be addressed to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. If the course work is not completed, the Incomplete grade remains on the record without penalty.
Full details on all grading policies and procedures are given in the College Bulletin. The Undergraduate Scholastic Standards Committee Website also provides helpful information, as does the Graduate Admissions website.