Incomplete grades in MRU clinical courses

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the MRU Preceptor placement team

An Incomplete at MRU starts with a written request on the Incomplete Grade Request Form, citing extenuating circumstances. You need at least 80% of the course done and approval from your course faculty and program Dean. Anything past 14 days after the course ends also needs the Office of Academic Affairs, and 15 weeks is the outer limit before the I becomes an F.

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80%of the course done before MRU will grant an Incomplete

14days past course end before Academic Affairs must also approve

15weeks after course end, the outer limit for an Incomplete

Numbered steps. Requesting one, step by step: 1 Count where you stand; 2 Talk to your course faculty early; 3 Put it in writing on the form; 4 Get every approval you need; 5 Finish with an approved preceptor. — Requesting one, step by step: 1 Count where you stand; 2 Talk to your course faculty early; 3 Put it in writing on the form; 4 Get every approval you need; 5 Finish with an approved preceptor.

The rule, point by point

MRU's Incomplete policy sits on pages 100 and 101 of the 2025 catalog. It covers courses generally, not only clinical ones, and it is short enough to read in full. Here it is in plain terms.

The request is written, on MRU's Incomplete Grade Request Form, and has to cite extenuating circumstances.
Your course faculty and your program Dean both have to approve it.
It is not granted unless at least 80% of the course is complete.
An extension beyond 14 days after the course ends needs approval from the Office of Academic Affairs.
The absolute maximum is 15 weeks after the course ends. Work not finished by then becomes an F.
You usually cannot take a course whose prerequisite is still graded I.

MRU does not say publicly where the form is kept. The forms area of the MRU PORTAL and your course faculty are the places to ask, and it is worth finding the form before you need it.

How an Incomplete meets the clinical rule

The NP program sections of the catalog draw a hard line for clinical courses: hours with an approved preceptor, logs, case lists, documentation and the signed evaluation, all by the course's last day, or the course is failed. The Incomplete policy runs on a different clock that can stretch 15 weeks past the course end.

MRU does not explain publicly how the two rules fit together for a preceptorship. It is reasonable to expect that an approved Incomplete is what lets clinical work continue past the last day, but that is our reading, not MRU's wording. Get the answer from your course faculty and program Dean, and get it in writing.

Timing matters for the same reason. A request made after the last day may come too late, because by then the practicum rule has already been applied to your course. Raise it while the course is still running.

Requesting one, step by step

Count where you standWork out how much of the course is complete, including hours, logs and assignments. Below 80%, an Incomplete is not available and you need a different plan.
Talk to your course faculty earlyExplain the extenuating circumstance, for example a preceptor leaving or a serious illness, and ask whether they will support the request.
Put it in writing on the formUse the Incomplete Grade Request Form. Describe the circumstance, the work that remains and the date you expect to finish.
Get every approval you needThe request needs your course faculty and your program Dean. If the finish date is more than 14 days past the course end, the Office of Academic Affairs must approve it as well.
Finish with an approved preceptorRemaining hours still have to be done with a University-approved preceptor, then logged and signed off like any other clinical hours.

What an I does to your next term

The prerequisite rule is where an Incomplete bites. In the FNP sequence, MSN6050 and MSN6150 both require MSN5700, and MSN6400 requires every earlier clinical course. An I in MSN5700 can therefore hold up semester IV, and an I in either specialty course can hold up the capstone.

The PMHNP and AGACNP certificates must be taken in program order, so the same pattern applies. PMHNP students take MSN5056C and MSN6057C together in semester III before MSN6065C in semester IV, and an I in either of the first two could affect the next term.

Check the calendar as well. By our arithmetic, 15 weeks after a Fall 2026 course ending on December 20 lands on April 4, 2027, most of the way through the Spring semester. An Incomplete that runs to the limit is likely to cost you a term; one finished within a few weeks may not.

Keeping your preceptor through the extension

An Incomplete only helps if someone can precept the remaining hours. Before you submit the request, ask your preceptor whether they can keep taking you for the extra weeks, and put those dates in the plan you give your course faculty.

If your preceptor cannot continue, you need a replacement that MRU approves before any hours count. Tell your clinical instructor straight away. MRU's rule is that a student without a preceptor is appointed one for an additional fee, the Practicum Affiliation Fee; the affiliation fee page sets out that choice against bringing your own.

Finding a preceptor who fits your course and can start soon is exactly the work our placement desk does, and we move quickly when an extension is on the clock. MRU still approves the replacement, and we make sure its approval request is complete when it goes in. Get in touch as soon as you know an extension is coming.

When an Incomplete is the wrong tool

An Incomplete is narrow by design. In these situations another route usually fits better.

Less than 80% of the course is done: an I is not available. Before the 50% point a W may be possible; after it, a withdrawal becomes a WF and counts as a failure.
You need time away from the whole program: MRU has no leave of absence, so read the no leave of absence page before deciding anything.
The problem is a grade you believe is wrong rather than unfinished work: that goes through MRU's academic appeals process instead.
You cannot see a way to finish within 15 weeks: the I will become an F, which counts toward the repeat and dismissal limits on the failing a clinical course page.

Questions MRU students ask

Can I get an Incomplete at MRU if my preceptor quit?

Possibly, if at least 80% of the course is done and your course faculty and program Dean approve a written request citing extenuating circumstances. A preceptor leaving is the kind of event you would describe, though MRU does not publish a list of qualifying circumstances. You will still need an approved preceptor to finish. The preceptor dropped out page covers the first steps.

Who approves an Incomplete at MRU?

Your course faculty and your program Dean approve the request. If the extension runs more than 14 days past the end of the course, the Office of Academic Affairs must approve it too. No extension can run beyond 15 weeks after the course ends, and anything unfinished at that point becomes an F.

Does an Incomplete count against satisfactory academic progress?

MRU's public catalog does not say how an I is treated in the GPA and completion calculations for satisfactory academic progress, which is checked at the end of each semester. Ask the Office of Academic Advisement and Student Success, which handles SAP appeals, before you rely on it, especially if you receive financial aid.

Can I start the next clinical course while I have an Incomplete?

Usually not, if the course with the I is a prerequisite. The catalog says students generally cannot take a course whose prerequisite is still graded I. In the FNP sequence that covers most clinical courses, because each builds on the one before. Ask your program chair whether any exception applies to your plan.

What happens if I don't finish the Incomplete in time?

The I becomes an F once the 15-week limit passes. That F counts like any other failed course: it uses the one repeat allowed for that course and counts toward the two-course limit for concentration courses. Set a finish date well inside the limit and track it as closely as you would the original last day.

GradesFailing a clinical courseWhat turns an MRU clinical course into an F, the one-repeat and dismissal rules, W versus WF, make-up hour fees, and what an F does to your clinical sequence.WithdrawalNo leave of absenceMRU offers no leave of absence. How withdrawal and re-entry work, the 14-day automatic withdrawal rule, and what to do if a preceptor falls through mid-term.OfficeThe Office of Academic AffairsWhat MRU's Office of Academic Affairs does in nursing clinical courses: preceptor approval, 24-hour written disclosures, long incompletes and withdrawals.LogsLogs and case listsMRU NP courses fail if logs, case lists or documentation are missing on the course's last day. What each piece is, where it is kept, and the falsified-log rule.Mid-coursePreceptor dropped outPreceptor quit partway through your MRU clinical course? Protect the hours you have, find a replacement MRU can approve, and know the Incomplete and W rules.HoursBehind on clinical hoursBehind on hours in an MRU clinical course? What the catalog says about the last day, Incompletes, W deadlines and adding an approved second preceptor.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against MRU's own catalog, addenda and program pages. The nursing student handbook on the MRU student portal and MRU's Office of Academic Affairs have the final word.

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