Late penalty for assignment items

Updated 15 May 2023

Instructors control whether you lose credit on an assignment if you finish any of its item Part questions (Part A, B, etc.) after the assignment due date and time. The policy for late submissions can vary by assignment or by the kind of assignment, like homework. You might receive full credit, partial credit, or no credit for late item Part questions that you submit late.

  • Any late penalty credit deduction appears in the grading policy for the assignment.
  • When the penalty rate is by the hour or day, credit for a Part question submitted late is reduced for each fraction of the hour or day.

    For example, if the late penalty is 10% per hour, you lose 15% credit for a Part question you submit 1.5 hours late. If the penalty is 20% per day, you lose 10% for answers you submit 12 hours after the due date.

  • You can usually get more credit by completing questions late rather than giving up on questions to finish on time. This doesn't apply when "No Credit for Late Work" is in effect for the assignment.
  • The late submissions rule for an assignment applies to ALL the item Part questions you don’t answer before the assignment due date and time.

    The only exception is if your instructor has granted the class full credit (100%) for an item Part. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s usually because of a possible issue with the question.

When you open an assignment, you can quickly learn whether it's worth submitting items late.

  1. Open an assignment so that its assignment summary page is in view. Information in the top right shows whether any late penalty is in effect for the assignment:
    • Full Credit for Late Work
    • Partial Credit for Late Work
    • No Credit for Late Work
  2. If the assignment gives you "Partial Credit for Late Work", select Grading Policy (top right) to view the rate of credit loss, which can vary by assignment. For example, there could be credit loss of 10% for each hour late, up to a limit of 40%.

    Note: A late penalty is never applied to a Part question for which your instructor has granted all students full credit (100%). This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s usually because of a possible issue with the question.

The Scores page shows “Late Penalty” in the Notes column for any completed assignment that had a late penalty.

  1. Open the assignment and select the % Score link for an item you submitted late.
  2. On the Item Score Details page, the Late Penalty column reports any credit reduction for each Part, such as 10% credit.
  • Avoid requesting answers so that you can finish on time, since you will always lose credit this way.
  • It may be worth completing the assignment late to receive partial credit.
    This depends on the late submissions rule in effect for the assignment.
  • Try to complete timed assignments before their due date.
    The assignment due date for a timed assignment takes precedence over its time limit. This means that even if you haven't used up the time allowed to complete it, you may no longer be able to access the assignment after its due date. More on timed assignments
  • Ask your instructor for an extension.
    If you have good reason for missing an assignment due date, ask your instructor for an extension to the original due date. You may be able to receive full credit on the assignment this way.