Instructors may assign an incomplete, represented by an X, only for very specific reasons.  According to the General Information Catalog, "The symbol X is not issued for student or faculty convenience; it may be issued for one of the following reasons only in the case of compelling, nonacademic circumstances beyond the student’s control":

• Missing the final exam for illness or other nonacademic reason, with verified documentation.
• Incomplete courswork for reasons other than lack of effort for students otherwise passing the course.
• A reexamination procedure is underway. For more information on the reexamination procedure, please see the page on Finals.

To view the entire statement on incompletes, see http://registrar.utexas.edu/catalogs/gi09-10/ch04/gi09.ch04a.html#symbols.

In no case should the student be encouraged to re-enroll in the class for which a grade of X has been assigned.

Changing a Grade From an X to Another Grade

To change a grade, instructors must submit use the Registrar's online system. The grade change must be submitted by the last date for grade reporting in the next long semester; for example, an incomplete in the fall semester must be changed by mid-May the following spring semester. If a grade change form is not submitted as required, the X will change to an F. Instructors may request an extension to submit the grade change, subject to approval by the dean. Extensions of incompletes should only be requested for the most compelling reasons; the associate dean is reviewing the college's policy on these and will be issuing a revision soon.