Incomplete FAQ

How EXACTLY do I make up the research requirement so I can clear my Incomplete?
  • Log into your Sona account.
  • Select “Incomplete” for your course. If you do not know how to select SONA courses, follow the instructions here.
  • Participate in research and assign the credits to the Incomplete course.
  • If you completed some of your credits in a previous quarter, you do not need to repeat them (see below). You only have to complete the remaining credits.
  • Email the Subject Pool Coordinator at spcoordinator@ucdavis.edu once you have completed the requirement.
  • The email to the subject pool coordinator should include: (1) your student ID number, (2) the name of the course you received the incomplete in, (3) the instructor of the course you received the incomplete in, and (4) the quarter you received the incomplete.
  • IMPORTANT: If you do not do email the subject pool coordinator, your Incomplete will not be changed to your letter grade.
  • The subject pool coordinator will determine whether or you have completed the requirement. If so, she will put through the paperwork to have your Incomplete changed to your letter grade.
  • This process to change your grade can take between 3-6 weeks, so do not wait until the last minute.
What happens if I do not complete the research requirement?

If you do not complete the research requirement by the deadline, you will receive an incomplete (I) in the class. The deadline is on the Welcome page of this site.

You will have until the end of the next registered quarter (excluding summer sessions) to make-up the research requirement in SONA. Once you have done this, you must email the subject pool coordinator so they can put in a request to convert your incomplete into a letter grade.

The email to the subject pool coordinator should include: (1) your student ID number, (2) the name of the course you received the incomplete in, (3) the instructor of the course you received the incomplete in, and (4) the quarter you received the incomplete.

When can I make up the research requirement?
You can make up your requirement as soon as the next quarter begins.

What if I don’t see the course I received an incomplete in on the list of SONA courses when I sign in?

You should select the course called “Incomplete” for your course, NOT the course you received the incomplete in. For example, if you received an incomplete in PSC 41 in Fall 2017, you should still select “Incomplete” for your course.

I have completed some of the research credits already. Do I need to start over?

No. You do not need to complete the whole requirement again, just the number of units that you are missing. For example, if the requirement is 6 units, and you have completed 3, you just need to complete an additional 3 to fulfill the requirement.

How do I find out how many credits I have already completed?

You can see your old credits on your schedule and credits page. Archived credits are located in the comments column on the far right.

Do I need to reassign the credits I already completed?

No.  Please do not try to reassign your old credits when you are working to clear an Incomplete.

How will the Subject Pool Coordinator know I have completed my credits ?

You must email the Subject Pool Coordinator so they can check your account. The Coordinator will look at how many credits you completed when taking the course and how many credits you earned toward an Incomplete and add them together to see if you have completed the required number of credits.

How long do I have to fulfill the requirement?

You must fulfill the requirement within one registered quarter at UCD (not including Summer Sessions). Failure to do this will result in a one-step grade reduction in the class (e.g., A- becomes B+, B+ becomes B-, and so on).

Please note: This policy applies to students who receive an Incomplete for courses taken in Fall Quarter 2023 and onward. The policy is slightly different if you received your Incomplete for courses prior to Fall Quarter 2023 (see the Research Participant Letter you received when you took the class or contact the Subject Pool Coordinator).

It is Summer, and I am not enrolled in any classes. Can I still clear my Incomplete?

You do not need to be enrolled in courses or even located in Davis to complete your requirement, as may be the case during the summer sessions. You may still take part in studies or submit papers even if you are not currently taking any courses. If you are not able to attend in-person studies, there are typically online studies available. However, there is a limit on the number of online studies for some courses.

I am trying to clear an Incomplete, but the System will not allow me to sign up for any online studies.

This is because of the online study limit and the fact that the default credits required for the Incomplete course is 0. Email the Subject Pool Coordinator at spcoordinator@ucdavis.edu, who will help you change your required credits.

Note for students with Incompletes prior to Fall 2023: the required credits reset at the end of every quarter, so if you take more than one quarter to clear your Incomplete, you may need to contact the subject pool coordinator again.

But I cannot get an incomplete! It will affect my scholarship/enrollment status/eligibility for sports teams/etc. Isn’t there anything you can do?

Unfortunately, the deadline to meet the requirement needs to be very strict. Moreover, it is not fair to the many students who did meet their requirements on time. Typically, there are well over 1000 students each quarter who need to complete a research requirement for PSC 1, 41 or 1Y. If we granted extensions to some students, we would need to do the same for all of them and this is impossible.

Instead, you may choose to start the process of resolving your incomplete early—you can write research summaries over the break and submit them on the first day of the next quarter. Please note that they will not be graded until the start of the next quarter. You can also begin to take part in studies on the very first day of data collection (the first day of instruction).

Remember, the process of changing a grade from an “I” to a letter grade can take several weeks to be fully processed, but you can at least do your part to resolve your I at the very beginning of the next quarter if you so wish. It is highly recommended that you resolve your incomplete sooner rather than later, as after one quarter it will be replaced by a reduced letter grade.