Incompletes, drops, withdrawal and time limits at Troy University
When a preceptor falls through or life intervenes, Troy University's 2025-26 Graduate Catalog offers four tools: an Incomplete, an In-Progress grade for practicum courses, a drop before the 65% point and a full withdrawal. Each runs on its own clock, and so does your whole program, under time limits Troy words differently from one document to the next.
Preceptor gone and the clock running?
Tell us your course, how many hours remain and your grade deadline.
Which option fits which problem
Each tool fits a different situation, and choosing the wrong one can cost a semester. All of them come from the 2025-26 Graduate Catalog; confirm anything that matters with your faculty advisor before you act.
| Situation | Option | The rule that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Passing and making satisfactory progress, but hit by documented circumstances beyond your control | Incomplete (I) | Request it on the Incomplete Grade Request form before the grade is assigned; finish within 9 weeks of the semester's end or it becomes FI |
| Practicum or internship hours left to complete | In-Progress (IP), where the course type allows it | One calendar year to clear it, then it turns to FI |
| A course will not work out and the 65% point has not passed | Drop (DR) | Non-punitive; done in Student Self-Service |
| Leaving every course this semester | Full withdrawal (W) | Official withdrawal form, not Self-Service |
| Stepping away from the program | Time away, then return | Up to two years keeps your program; two years or more means readmission |
Incompletes and the FI grade
An Incomplete is something you ask for, not something assigned automatically. You request it on the Incomplete Grade Request form before the grade is given, and the instructor decides. The catalog's criteria are satisfactory progress, a passing grade at the time you ask, and documented circumstances beyond your control.
The instructor sets the deadline for finishing, and it may be no later than 9 weeks after the semester ends. Work not finished by then turns the grade into FI, which counts as an F, and an F is below B, so it also counts toward the six-hour rule. Troy's academic calendar also sets an I-grade change deadline for each semester and term.
| Semester or term | Last day to change an I grade |
|---|---|
| Summer 2026 and Term 5 2026 | September 27, 2026 |
| Term 1 2026 | December 13, 2026 |
| Fall 2026 and Term 2 2026 | February 14, 2027 |
| Term 3 2027 | May 16, 2027 |
| Spring 2027 and Term 4 2027 | July 25, 2027 |
The date your instructor sets can come earlier than the calendar date, so that is the one to plan around.
In-Progress grades for practicum courses
Troy's catalog allows an In-Progress grade only for certain kinds of courses: thesis research, practicum, internship, thesis, personal supervisor or curriculum development, and field problem courses. Practicums and internships are on that list, which makes IP the grade most relevant to a clinical course whose hours run out of time.
An IP has one calendar year to be cleared; after that it turns into FI. Whether a particular NSG course uses IP, and on what terms, is a question for course faculty, so ask as soon as a shortfall looks likely rather than in the last week.
Get the finishing plan in writing: which preceptor, which dates, how many hours, and when the grade will be changed. A replacement preceptor still needs the Preceptor Information Form and faculty approval before any new hours count, and Troy's rule that clinical hours fall inside an enrolled course still applies, so settle how that works for your IP with faculty. If your preceptor has already left, preceptor dropped out walks through the next steps.
Dropping a course before the 65% point
The last day to drop a course falls at 65% of its length, and a drop brings a non-punitive DR grade. Drops are made in Student Self-Service. For 16-week semester courses the Spring 2027 date is March 22, 2027; the other posted dates are on the academic calendar.
Clinical students can also be required to drop. Under Troy's MSN manual, late preceptor forms mean dropping the clinical course together with its co-requisite, and if you leave that undone, faculty drop you. In that case one late form costs you two courses.
A drop is light on your transcript and heavy on your timeline. Because every FNP-specific course comes around only once a year, in order, dropping an FNP practicum can delay everything after it by a year. Weigh that against an Incomplete or IP before you act, and talk with your faculty advisor the same week.
Withdrawing from every course, and time away
Leaving all your courses in a semester is a full withdrawal, and it cannot be done in Self-Service. You complete Troy's official withdrawal form, and you receive a W until the withdrawal deadline. After that date a grade is assigned instead, and exceptions, such as military deployment, must be documented.
The 2025-26 Graduate Catalog does not describe a formal leave of absence. What it does describe is what happens by length of time away. Away for up to two years, you get in touch with the Student Services Office and keep your place in your original program. A student out two years or more files a Readmission to Graduate School Application and follows the requirements current at readmission.
Coming back to clinicals takes preparation as well. Troy expects every clinical document to stay current from the day you register until the semester closes, so expect to renew items in ViewPoint Screening, confirm your RN license in the clinical state, and submit new preceptor forms for the course you rejoin.
Time limits, and where Troy's wording differs
Every Troy graduate nursing program has a time limit, and two of them are worded differently in different places. Until someone confirms your limit in writing, plan to the shorter reading.
| Program | One Troy source | Another Troy source |
|---|---|---|
| MSN | 2025-26 catalog, general graduate rules: all credits within five years of "degree completion" | 2025-26 catalog, MSN section: five years from initial enrollment |
| DNP, post-BSN | 2025-26 catalog: eight years | 2026-27 DNP manual: five years |
| DNP, post-master's | 2025-26 catalog: five years | 2026-27 DNP manual: five years (the two agree) |
| Post-master's certificates | MSN manual: all credits within five years of certificate completion | No second figure |
| Nursing transfer credit | 2025-26 catalog: expires after five years | No second figure |
The MSN wording matters in practice. One reading asks whether every credit is recent enough on the day you finish; the other starts a five-year clock on your first term. For post-BSN DNP students the gap between the two figures is three full years. Ask the MSN Program Coordinator or the DNP Coordinator which rule governs your cohort, and keep the reply.
A year lost waiting for a once-a-year FNP course is a year off a five-year clock.
Why students on a tight clock call us
Incompletes, IP grades and drops all come down to one question: how fast can the missing hours be found? When a preceptor leaves late in a course, we look for a replacement who meets Troy's rules for that course, in your area and outside your work setting, and we have the details for the new information form, biosketch and license copy ready so faculty can review the change quickly.
For students returning after time away, we rebuild the preceptor plan around the course you rejoin and the time limit you are working under, so the remaining practicums line up with as little lost time as possible.
The decision on each preceptor and setting is Troy faculty's; we make certain the request on their desk is complete and fits Troy's rules at first reading. Use the contact page or the form below and tell us your deadline.
Questions Troy students ask
Can I get an Incomplete at Troy if my preceptor quits?
Possibly. Troy's 2025-26 Graduate Catalog lets the instructor grant an Incomplete when you are passing, making satisfactory progress and facing documented circumstances beyond your control, and you must request it on the Incomplete Grade Request form before the grade is assigned. For practicum courses, an In-Progress grade may fit better. Ask course faculty early.
What is an FI grade at Troy?
FI is what an unfinished Incomplete or In-Progress grade becomes when its deadline passes: at most 9 weeks after the semester for an Incomplete, one calendar year for an IP. It counts as an F, so it lowers your GPA and uses semester hours toward Troy's six-hour limit on grades below B.
Does Troy offer a leave of absence for graduate nursing students?
The 2025-26 Graduate Catalog does not describe a formal leave of absence. It sets out what happens by time away instead: up to two years out, you contact the Student Services Office and keep your original program; two years or more, you apply for readmission and follow the requirements current then. Talk to your faculty advisor before you step away.
Is Troy's DNP time limit five or eight years?
Troy's documents disagree for post-BSN students. The 2026-27 DNP manual gives five years, while the 2025-26 Graduate Catalog gives eight years for post-BSN students and five for post-master's students. Post-master's students get five either way. Plan to five until the DNP Coordinator confirms your limit in writing.
Can I withdraw from all my Troy courses in Self-Service?
No. Self-Service handles single-course drops, but a full withdrawal needs Troy's official withdrawal form. You receive a W until the withdrawal deadline; after that, grades are assigned, and exceptions such as military deployment need documentation. Clinical students should also tell their faculty advisor, since preceptor agreements and approvals are tied to the courses you leave.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Troy's own 2026-27 MSN, DNP, AMSN and RN to BSN orientation manuals, program pages, degree maps and state authorization pages. Your faculty advisor, your course faculty and the School of Nursing have the final word.
Troy asks you to recruit your preceptor. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your Troy program, where you live and which semester your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors who meet Troy's rules for the course, check the setting against Troy's limits, and prepare everything the Preceptor Information Form and biosketch ask for, well ahead of the form deadline.
- Preceptors matched to the course: a graduate-prepared NP or physician for
NSG 6619, pediatrics and women's health forNSG 6666, adults and older adults forNSG 6668 - Preceptor Information Form details, a biosketch and a copy of the preceptor's license, ready for your faculty advisor
- In your own area, in Alabama or a state where Troy can offer clinicals, never in your own work setting
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Program, city and semester is all we need to begin.