Grading Information for Instructors

The instructor of record has the authority and responsibility to assign and change grades. 

Grading deadlines are published each semester on the MyUAlbany employee portal under the Academic Services & Advising tab. We also send grading deadlines to instructors’ @albany.edu email addresses. 

All students must be graded, including for internships, independent readings, directed research, and dissertation load.

When grades are late, students are disadvantaged in several ways. Late grades may result in students: 

• Missing employment opportunities because their degree has not been awarded and cannot be verified 

• Receiving their disbursements and refunds late because the financial aid process was delayed 

• Missing opportunities to enroll in additional coursework 

• Missing opportunities to apply for graduate school 

• Missing scholarship opportunities (including the Excelsior Scholarship) that require the verification of a student’s GPA and credits completed 

• Missing opportunities to be included in the distribution of the Dean’s List 

• Not having sufficient time to plan for additional or repeated coursework after being notified of academic actions or sanctions later than expected 

Once grade rosters are made available to instructors, any student late adding or registering for the class will not appear on the grade roster. The instructor must submit a Grade Change Request Form, entering “NR” (not reported) when prompted to input an Existing Grade. 

The Registrar’s Office is available to help with and answer questions about final grading. Contact us at [email protected]. 

To change a grade, the instructor of record must submit a Grade Change Request Form.

The form will request information available in your class roster, such as semester/term, year, class subject, catalog number, class number, student name, student ID number and class level.  

Visit the Class Roster page for instructions on accessing your roster. 

Grade change requests must adhere to the regulations posted in the Undergraduate Bulletin and Graduate Bulletin. 

Requests are reviewed manually and processed on a first-come, first-served, basis. Some requests require additional levels of review and may take longer. 

Instructors will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] when a grade change is complete. Students who need to verify a grade change is complete should check MyUAlbany.

The Registrar’s Office is available to help with and answer questions about grade changes. Contact us at [email protected]. 

An Incomplete grade (I) is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the course instructor when the student has been unable to complete a class for reasons considered extenuating and beyond the student’s control. Those reasons must be documented at the time of the request. 

Instructors should be aware of the following: 

• You should not advise students to re-register for the class while they are conducting work for an Incomplete grade. 

• You should not allow students to attend the class in a subsequent semester to resolve an incomplete. 

• You must retain record of an incomplete grade request for two years after the course’s completion. 

• You should clearly articulate what work remains to be completed and establish an agreed upon timeline in writing. That timeline cannot exceed the deadline for completing the Incomplete grade. 

• To assign a final grade, you must submit a Grade Change Request Form no later than two weeks after the due date for incomplete work as listed on the Academic Calendar. 

• Incomplete grades that exist after the stated deadline will be converted to failing grades. 

• Except for extenuating circumstances approved by the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education extensions will not be allowed. If a student believes they have an extenuating circumstance they may begin the process of requesting an extension by emailing [email protected].

• A failing grade will not be converted back to an incomplete grade, except for extenuating circumstances approved by the Office of Undergraduate Education.  

• Requests to change converted grades are also subject to the official Timeline for Grade Changes and the approval of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.  

• If a student needs to access Blackboard to complete the work of an Incomplete, instructors can request that a Blackboard course be reopened by submitting an ITS ticket. This will reopen the Blackboard shell up for all students, not just those with an incomplete.

For additional information concerning undergraduate incomplete grades and satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grading, please visit the Grading Information for Students page. 

An Incomplete grade (I) is a temporary grade requested by the student and assigned by the instructor only when the student has nearly completed the course requirements but, due to circumstances beyond the student's control, the work is not completed. 

The instructor and the student must agree upon what work needs to be completed and establish a timeline for the completion of that work. Students cannot resolve an Incomplete grade by auditing or re-registering for the course in a subsequent semester or term. 

The work must be completed no later than one month before the end of the next semester. (For example, if a student received an Incomplete for a Fall 2022 course, they must complete the coursework one month before the end of the Spring 2023 semester.) Due dates are listed on the Academic Calendar.

Only in exceptional circumstances should a graduate student’s Incomplete (I) grade be extended beyond the original deadline. The student must request an extension from the instructor every semester. 

Once the work is completed, the instructor assigns the appropriate academic grade. 

An Incomplete grade that exists after the stated deadline will be converted to a failing grade (E or U, depending on whether the student was enrolled for A to E grading or S/U grading).

If a student Did Not Attend (DNA), do not enter a grade for that student. It is not appropriate to assign an Incomplete (I) grade to a student who never attended your class. Instead, in the grade roster: 

1. Click the “Transcript Note” tab. 

2. Click “Note” next to the student’s name. 

3. Enter “DNA” in the Note ID box. 

4. Click OK. 

5. Click save. 

If an undergraduate student Stopped Attending (STP) your class after the last day to add a course with a permission number, grade the student based on the work they completed.  

Check the Academic Calendar for exact deadlines. 

If an undergraduate student Stopped Attending (STP) your course on or before the last day to add a course with a permission number, do not enter a grade for that student. Instead, in the grade roster: 

1. Click the “Transcript Note” tab. 

2. Click “Note” next to the student’s name. 

3. Enter “STP” in the Note ID box. 

4. Enter the date the student last attended your class in the Transcript Note field. 

5. Click OK. 

6. Click save. 

If a graduate student Stopped Attending (STP) your class after the last day to drop a course with a “W” assigned grade, grade the student based on the work they completed.  

Check the Academic Calendar for exact deadlines. 

If a graduate student Stopped Attending (STP) your course on or before the last day to drop a course with a “W” assigned grade, do not enter a grade for that student. Instead, in the grade roster: 

1. Click the “Transcript Note” tab. 

2. Click “Note” next to the student’s name. 

3. Enter “STP” in the Note ID box. 

4. Enter the date the student last attended your class in the Transcript Note field. 

5. Click OK. 

6. Click save. 

Thesis 699 courses have two grading options Incomplete (I) or Unsatisfactory (U). 

Instructors should assign students an Incomplete (I) grade before the final grade roster is due. Do not leave a blank grade. 

Once the student’s thesis is completed, approved submitted and accepted by the Graduate School, their staff will submit a grade change form to change the Incomplete (I) grade to a Satisfactory (S) grade. 

If the student’s thesis is not approved, the instructor should submit a Grade Change Request Form to change the Incomplete (I) grade to an Unsatisfactory (U) grade. 

Exceptions to this rule include: 

• ACHM 699 courses should be graded by the instructor of record. The instructor may assign a grade of Incomplete (I), Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U). 

• 699C courses should be graded by the instructor of record or the Graduate School. The instructor/Graduate School may assign a grade of Incomplete (I), Load Only (L) or Unsatisfactory (U). 

• RPAD 699 courses should be graded by the instructor of record. The instructor may assign an A-E grade. 

• 899 courses should be graded by the instructor of record before final grade rosters are due. The grading options are Incomplete (I), Load Only (L) or Unsatisfactory (U). 

Note: A Load Only (L) grade indicates the student is engaged in a specified scholarly activity in a particular session.