Definition:

Academia is notorious for its jargon. Terms get bandied about and weird acronyms get thrown into the mix. But an incomplete is a particularly useful word to keep in your arsenal, especially when your college kid gets sick or stressed or starts to melt down. An incomplete is simply this: It's the designation for a class your child started and did well in, but did not complete in a given quarter or semester for reasons so compelling that the professor and dean are willing to cede him more time.

Most universities allow a student to drop a class, allowing students to try a course and change their minds about taking it even weeks into the semester. But sometimes events transpire that make finishing a class impossible after the drop deadline passes. A case of mono, for example, can derail an entire term of study. Serious illness, severe emotional distress or a family emergency that requires the student's immediate presence back home can make studying and exams impossible. This is what an incomplete is for. Instead of failing the class, the professor grants the student a reprieve - a chance to come back later and finish what he or she started.

Rules vary by campus, but typically, the student must file a formal request with the professor at the time events unfold, not after he's a no-show for the final exam. The dean may need to approve the request as well, and an agreement must be reached as to how the work will be completed. If the only thing remaining is a final paper, for example, that's easy to finish on one's own.

If the work remaining includes two weeks of lectures, labs and the final exam, the student may end up retaking at least part of the class.

When grades come out, the student will receive an I or incomplete in the class, which does not affect his grade point average. When the work is completed, the I turns into an actual grade. If the work is not completed within the time allowed - typically a year, but again, this can vary from school to school - the I becomes an F.