Incompletes, leave and the five-year limit at Loyola
When a Loyola University New Orleans practicum ends with hours still owed, an Incomplete gives you about six weeks into the next term to finish, if you qualify. Practicum-type courses that run past one term can carry an In Progress grade instead. Behind both sits one fixed boundary: five years from your first graduate nursing course to finish, with any leave counted inside them.
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Tell us your Loyola program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your Loyola course.
When an Incomplete fits
Loyola's grading regulations reserve the Incomplete (I) for circumstances beyond the student's control. You need about 75% or more of the course work done and a passing standing, and the request has to come before the final exam or last class. A student on academic probation also needs the associate dean's approval.
What an Incomplete asks of you
- A circumstance beyond your control that kept you from finishing
- About three quarters of the work complete, with a passing standing
- A request filed before the final exam or last class, on the incomplete grade request form from the graduate resources page
- Every remaining piece turned in by the sixth week of the next term; after that the I converts to an F
An Incomplete also holds up graduation, because students carrying an I are not certified to graduate. The AGACNP guide makes the link explicit: acute care hours still missing when the term closes are handled through an Incomplete, which is why its midterm action plan exists (see AGACNP practicums).
The six-week clock and the dates that end it
The incomplete grade request form reads two ways. Its deadline line counts six weeks from the first day of the next term, while the part the instructor completes speaks of work arriving as late as six weeks past the term's end. Ask your instructor which date they are holding you to and write it down.
The Registrar prints the hard stop on each calendar. Summer 2026 Incompletes turn to F on September 28, 2026, Fall 2026 ones on March 1, 2027, and Spring 2027 ones on June 28, 2027, though the Summer 2027 5-week calendar gives June 25 for that last group. Our academic calendar page sets these beside the term dates.
Six weeks is short for clinical work. Finishing leftover hours while starting the next practicum means extra shifts early in the new term, and your preceptor may not have room for them. Arrange the finishing time before the term closes, and if the plan requires moved practicum dates, the faculty of record can approve that on the Early Start/Extension form.
In Progress grades for longer practicums
Loyola's grading rules add a second category for practicum-type courses built to last beyond one term: In Progress, or IP. The expectation is completion inside a year. Past that point the IP turns into an F, and only a Request for Continued IP keeps it open.
Whether a course uses IP is set by the course, so check the syllabus or ask your course faculty early. If you hold an IP, mark the one-year point on your calendar the day the grade posts, and decide well before it whether you will finish or file for more time. Keep your hour logs and preceptor signatures current while the IP is open, since the course still has to be completed and graded.
Taking a leave of absence
Loyola has two leave rules, one from the School of Nursing and one from the university. Read them together.
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Nursing leave of absence | A formal leave secures your return within one year; that year counts inside the 5-year limit; you re-enter on a new plan of study under the curriculum in force when you return |
| University leave of absence | Up to two consecutive semesters, only for graduate students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, requested through the dean's office by that semester's withdrawal deadline |
| GPA below 3.0 | A graduate student under 3.0 who asks for leave is fully withdrawn instead |
Online students use the online university withdrawal or leave of absence form linked from the resources page; the posted version dates from 2023. Returning on a new plan of study can change your hour targets. Loyola's practicum letter for pre-Fall 2024 FNP cohorts lists 180-hour practicum courses, while the current curriculum sets 200 hours each, so check the targets on your new plan (FNP hours). Your old preceptor and site may not be available when you come back, so start the return placement three months ahead like any other.
Withdrawing from a course or from Loyola
After drop/add, withdrawing from a course records a W up to the calendar deadline. A W does not affect your GPA but may affect financial aid, and a student who simply stops attending without withdrawing receives an F. In online courses, silence in Canvas through the seventh day of a session (11:59 PM Central) can get you administratively dropped.
For 2026-27, the course withdrawal deadline is November 24 for the Fall 2026 full semester and its second online session, with October 2 for the first session. Spring 2027 uses April 23 for the full semester, and March 5 and April 30 for the two online sessions. University withdrawal stays open until classes end: December 4 in Fall, May 7 in Spring, and August 13 for Summer 2027.
Leaving the university is not a way around a pending academic dismissal, and Loyola says so directly. Readmission is required for anyone returning after twelve months away or with a graduate GPA below 3.0. The grades and progression page covers dismissal and appeals.
The five-year limit
Loyola gives every graduate nursing student five years, counted from the first course, to complete the program. If your plan of study shows the finish line falling outside that window, the result is academic dismissal, and a year of approved leave counts toward the five years rather than pausing them.
| Program | Posted plan length | Room left inside 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP | 3-year plan | About 2 years |
| BSN-DNP FNP | 4-year plan (the program page says 36 months) | About 1 year on the posted plan |
| BSN-DNP Nurse Anesthesia and dual | 36 months full time | About 2 years |
| MSN PMHNP | Seven semesters, year-round | Roughly 2 and a half years |
| MSN-DNP Executive Leader | 2-year plan (2024) | About 3 years |
A failed practicum, a semester of leave or a term lost to a missing preceptor each eats into that margin, and the BSN-DNP FNP has the least of it on the posted plan. Keeping every practicum placed on time is the simplest protection. If a delay has already happened, see delayed graduation.
How we help when time gets tight
An Incomplete, a leave or a lost term all come down to the same need: preceptor time, soon, that fits Loyola's rules. We find it. For a student finishing Incomplete hours, we look for a preceptor with room in the next six weeks. For a student returning from leave, we start the new placement three months before re-entry so the Wishlist, the affiliation check and Placement Approved are done before the first day back.
The approval itself belongs to Loyola's placement office and faculty; what we add is a request that arrives complete and in line with Loyola's rules. Tell us what you still owe and we will plan the fastest workable route.
Questions Loyola students ask
How long do I have to finish an Incomplete at Loyola?
Loyola's rule gives you until 6 weeks into the following term, after which the I becomes an F. The Registrar's calendars fix the conversion dates, for example March 1, 2027 for Fall 2026 Incompletes. Because the request form describes the six weeks two slightly different ways, confirm the exact date with your instructor when the Incomplete is granted.
What is an IP grade at Loyola?
IP means In Progress. Loyola uses it for practicum-type courses that run longer than one term. Finishing is expected within about a year. After that, the grade becomes an F unless a Request for Continued IP is on file. Ask your course faculty, or check the syllabus, to learn whether a specific course uses IP.
Can I take a leave of absence from Loyola's nursing program?
Yes. An approved nursing leave holds your place for up to a year, though that year still runs against the five-year limit. The university's own leave allows up to two consecutive semesters for graduate students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, requested through the dean's office by the semester's withdrawal deadline. You return on a new plan of study.
Does a W hurt my GPA at Loyola?
No. A W recorded before the withdrawal deadline does not affect your GPA, though it can affect financial aid. The costly mistake is to stop attending without withdrawing, which earns an F. Online students can also be dropped administratively if they show no Canvas participation by day 7 of a session.
What happens if I cannot finish my Loyola nursing program in five years?
The bulletin's limit is five years from your first course, and a plan of study that runs past it ends in academic dismissal. Approved leave does not stop the clock. If you are close to the limit, meet with your program director before another term slips.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Loyola's own bulletin, program pages, practicum guides, forms and licensure disclosures. Your plan of study, your practicum guide, your program director and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.
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Tell us your Loyola program, where you live and which term your next practicum starts. We find preceptors whose patients fit the course, check whether the site already has a Loyola affiliation agreement, and prepare everything your Exxat Wishlist needs.
- Preceptors matched to the course: outpatient primary care for
NURS G823, pediatrics and obstetrics forNURS G829, acute care forNURS G902, psychiatric care forNURS G856 - Preceptor CV, license and Nursys PDF, the Preceptor Agreement and the site's signer details ready for the Wishlist
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