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 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 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).

Graduate Students 

Incomplete grades (INC) are granted to graduate students only at the discretion of the instructor. If a student receives an INC, the graduate student must complete the work of the course before the end of the next regular term. A student can petition for an extension of time for an incomplete if they are unable to finish the work by the end of the next regular term, and the instructor is supportive of their petition. 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. Such extensions of time for completion of course work must be granted before the assignment of the course grade.