Incompletes, withdrawals and course changes at IWU
When a clinical course goes sideways at IWU, you have three main routes: an incomplete if at least 75% of the work is done, a withdrawal that earns a W, or sitting the course out, which the Office of Learner Success must set up before the start date. Each carries timing and re-entry rules worth knowing, above all the 14-day engagement rule and the exams after a break of more than six months.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your IWU program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your IWU course.
Three routes, compared
The right route depends on how far into the course you are and why you are stuck. The table summarizes IWU's catalog rules for nursing students; your Program Leader and course faculty apply them to your case.
| Route | When it fits | Who approves or arranges it | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incomplete (I) | At least 75% of coursework done and attendance requirements met | Your instructor, once the Program Leader signs off (plus the Dean in the BSN-to-DNP) | Faculty-set extension, 10 weeks at most |
| Withdrawal after the start | You cannot finish and an incomplete does not fit | Registration Change Counselor | A W if requested before the course's last day |
| Sitting a course out | You know before the course begins that you cannot take it | Office of Learner Success, with the Program Leader setting the retake | Retake in a later cohort; placement may be delayed by enrollment limits |
Letting a course drift has no upside. Without an official withdrawal, faculty enter the grade you actually earned, and in a major course that requires a B or better, that grade can count as unsatisfactory.
Incompletes in IWU nursing courses
The Division of Nursing sets its own incomplete rule, which differs from the general rule for IWU's adult and online programs. Eligibility starts with progress: three-quarters of the coursework must already be complete, and the request goes to your instructor in writing, by email. Your instructor cannot grant it alone, because the Program Leader has to sign off, and faculty decide how long the extension runs, with 10 weeks as the ceiling. Falling short of the course's attendance requirements rules an I out.
Doctoral students in the BSN-to-DNP clear one extra hurdle, since the Dean has to consent as well. For comparison, the general CAPS rule asks for two-thirds of total points at C level or better, routes approval through Student Engagement & Success, turns an unresolved I into an F after 10 weeks, blocks withdrawal once an I is issued and warns that holding more than one active incomplete can lead to suspension. Ask your Program Leader which parts of the general rule also reach nursing students.
If the missing piece is clinical hours, an incomplete only helps once a preceptor is in place, and 10 weeks passes quickly when a new site still needs IWU's approval.
The 14-day engagement rule
IWU tightened this rule for 2026-27. A student with no engagement for 14 consecutive days is withdrawn from the class, where the 2025-26 catalog allowed 21 days. Engagement means posting in a discussion, submitting an assignment, or completing a test or quiz, all tracked in Brightspace. Clinic days with your preceptor are not on that list, so keep posting and submitting during clinic-heavy weeks.
The consequences can reach past one class. You may be withdrawn from the entire program when the program is lock-step, when the course is a prerequisite, or when it is your second consecutive withdrawal for non-engagement. IWU's NP programs follow a prescribed sequence, so treat the rule as a program-level risk.
If an absence is coming, a hold or appeal goes to the Office of Student & Faculty Support Services within 7 calendar days. Accepted reasons include medical and military absence, employer-mandated absence and verified technical outages.
Withdrawing or sitting a course out
When you know ahead of time that you cannot take a course, arrange the withdrawal with the Office of Learner Success before day one; Learner Success and the Program Leader then set your retake. BSN-to-DNP students set up temporary leave the same way, and leaving a course partway through requires the Associate Dean of Doctoral Programs, or that dean's designee, to sign off.
Once a course is under way, withdrawals go through a Registration Change Counselor, and a request made before the last day earns a W. Weigh the knock-on effects the catalog lists first:
- Cohort: enrollment caps can keep a returning student from rejoining a cohort right away (2025-26 catalog).
- Financial aid: a temporary withdrawal can affect eligibility under Satisfactory Academic Progress, where withdrawals and incompletes count as attempted but not earned and you must pass 67% of attempted hours.
- No add/drop: IWU National & Global runs without an add/drop window, which means even a briefly engaged course that ends in a W stays in your SAP record.
- Tuition: after more than 90 days out, a returning student may face a tuition increase.
- Grades: with extenuating circumstances, you may petition within 90 days of a grade posting to change an F to a W.
Returning after six months or more
Stay away from class longer than six months as an NP student and IWU asks for proof that your skills held up: passing scores on competency exams for your track, covering advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology and physical assessment, and a filmed, complete history and physical exam. Two failed attempts mean auditing the course or courses and then passing before you re-enroll, with exams and audits at your expense.
The BSN-to-DNP catalog entry sets the exam pass mark at 87% and allows re-enrollment twice without an appeal; a third return requires a petition. Separately, IWU's withdrawal policy applies curriculum changes to anyone returning after six months or more, and a student withdrawn that long must apply again, this time through IWU's Office of Strategic Enrollment and Partnerships, then finishes under whichever catalog is current at re-entry.
A single missed clinical course can edge you toward that line if the next cohort with space is months away. For the knock-on effect on your finish date, see delayed graduation.
When your site falls through mid-course
Losing a preceptor is not, under any public IWU rule, the same as failing. What matters is whether the course requirements can still be met before the deadline, and how fast you move.
- Tell course faculty the same dayEmail your instructor from your IWU account, explain what happened and list the hours or encounters still owed.
- Stay engaged in BrightspaceKeep posting and submitting so the 14-day rule does not add a withdrawal to the problem.
- Ask which route fitsWith at least 75% of the work done, ask whether an incomplete is possible; otherwise ask about a W and the retake timeline.
- Start a replacement search at onceA new preceptor still needs IWU's approval, and the site's compliance items may need updating in Medatrax.
- Log only real hoursRecord only supervised time you actually completed, since IWU dismisses students who falsify clinical hours.
Our pages on a preceptor who dropped out and on failing a clinical course cover the neighboring situations.
Why IWU students choose us when a course is at risk
A course in trouble needs a fast, well-prepared replacement, and that is the moment our service is built for. Your placement advisor launches a search in your community matched to the specific IWU course and the hours you still owe, looking for a preceptor whose schedule can absorb them inside an incomplete window or before a retake opens.
We put together the preceptor's credentials and license, the site's details and every record IWU requests, checked against its rules so the School of Nursing has a complete file in hand from the start. IWU makes the final approval. From there your advisor stays reachable through the last day of the course. Share your course, remaining hours and deadline through the form on this page, or read about our process.
Questions IWU students ask
Can I get an incomplete in an IWU clinical course?
Possibly. Nursing students become eligible after completing 75% of the coursework, provided attendance requirements were met. Send the request to your instructor by email; approval rests with the Program Leader, and the length of the extension is a faculty decision capped at 10 weeks. In the BSN-to-DNP, the Dean's consent is needed too.
How many days can I miss in an IWU online course?
Under the 2026-27 catalog, 14 consecutive days with no engagement withdraws you from the class; the 2025-26 limit was 21 days. Engagement means a discussion post, a submitted assignment or a completed test or quiz. Holds and appeals for accepted reasons, such as medical, military or employer-mandated absence, go to the Office of Student & Faculty Support Services within 7 calendar days.
Do I have to retake exams if I sit out an IWU NP course?
Only if the break runs past six months. Past that mark, IWU wants track-specific competency exams (pharmacology, pathophysiology, physical assessment) and a filmed history and physical. A shorter gap avoids those exams, though a returning student may still wait for a cohort with space, and more than 90 days out can bring a tuition increase.
Who do I contact to withdraw from an IWU nursing course?
Before a course starts, the Office of Learner Success arranges the withdrawal and, with your Program Leader, the retake. After it starts, withdrawals go through a Registration Change Counselor, and a request before the last day earns a W. BSN-to-DNP students who leave partway through a course also need the Associate Dean of Doctoral Programs, or a person that office names, to approve it.
Does a W affect my financial aid at IWU?
It can. For Satisfactory Academic Progress, IWU counts withdrawals and incompletes as attempted but not earned hours, and you must pass 67% of what you attempt. With no add/drop period, even a course you engaged in briefly counts. IWU also warns that a temporary withdrawal can affect eligibility, so ask your academic advisor before you withdraw.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
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