![Canvas logo](https://i0.wp.com/sites.miamioh.edu/teach-online/files/2021/12/canvas-sq.png?fit=750%2C750&ssl=1)
This is a situation is one that causes a lot of confusion, especially when students who received an “incomplete” need to access a course to finish their work. Basically, you’ll need to override the default end date that’s set for the term in the backend of Canvas (which most people can’t even see).
Here’s how you do it:
- Go into the course in which you need to extend access.
- Click Settings in your course navigation menu.
- Scroll down to the middle of the settings options in the “Course Details” tab to find the section with your course’s start and end dates. (The “Ends” date field will likely be empty.)
- Enter a future date into the “Ends” field—one that will give your student the time they need to finish their incomplete work.
- Select the Students can only participate in the course between these dates checkbox. This will override the academic term end date that’s set in the backend of Canvas.
![Screenshot showing the location of the "Ends" field (Step 4) and the "Students can only participate..." checkbox (Step 5) in a Canvas course's settings.](https://i0.wp.com/sites.miamioh.edu/learning-technology-faq/files/2021/01/Canvas-end-date.png?w=3840&ssl=1)