Terms You Need to Know

Academic Advisor: A professional staff member in the Dean of  Undergraduate Studies’ office who assists students with course selection and academic decision making appropriate to their personal, professional, and academic needs and goals.

Academic Probation: The process whereby the course load for a student with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of less than 2.0, but above 1.0, after attempting a minimum of 24 credit hours, is limited to no more than 13 hours. Probation is lifted when a student attains a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. A student who remains on probation for  two semesters (or 24 hours attempted) will be subject to Academic Suspension.

Academic Suspension: The revocation of a student’s enrollment in the University. Suspended students may not register for, or complete, any classes at GW. Suspended students may apply for readmission following completion of their  term of suspension.

A student may be suspended from the University for any of the following academic reasons: 1) cumulative grade-point average below 1.0 after attempting a minimum of 24 credit hours; 2) failure to attain a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or more after two successive semesters (or 24 credit hours attempted) on probation; 3) failure to make adequate and timely progress toward the degree. A student suspended twice for poor scholarship will not be readmitted.

Advanced Standing: Credits earned at other institutions of higher education, or credit earned by examination (A.P., I.B.) prior to enrollment at GW.

Audit: Taking a class for no academic credit. Generally, students are not required to do any academic work for a class they are auditing. A student who has been admitted to the University may register, with the permission of the instructor, to audit a class. An audited course may not be repeated at a later date for credit. Tuition for audited classes is charged at the same rate as courses taken for academic credit.

Baccalaureate Degree: An undergraduate degree (BA, BS, BFA) awarded after completion of a minimum of 120 academic credits and successful completion of all published degree and major requirements.

Balance Sheet: An accounting of the requirements remaining for the student to complete their degree(s). Students should request a Balance Sheet after they have earned 60 credits and declared a major.

Bulletin: The official catalog and source of information regarding University academic and administrative policies, major and degree requirements, course descriptions, etc.

Colonials: The mascot name for GW teams.

Consortium: A group of universities in the Washington, D.C., area. Students may register for classes at any of the member schools. Participation is subject to the regulations of the school in which the student is enrolled. See the Registrar’s website for specific regulations and information concerning registration for Consortium courses.

Continuous Enrollment (CE): A process by which a student may take a leave from GW to study at another institution, while remaining enrolled at GW. Once a student enrolls in a GW degree program, they must be continuously enrolled in the University. Generally, if a student wants to take classes elsewhere during the Fall or Spring semesters, they must register for “Continuous Enrollment.” A student may register for CE for a maximum of two consecutive semesters. It is not necessary to enroll in CE to take summer classes at another school, or for Study Abroad. Contact the Undergraduate Studies Office (Phillips 107) for more details (also see Leave of Absence (p. 20)).

Course Overload: Generally, taking more than 18 credits per semester. Students must petition the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for permission, using the Petition to Carry a Course Overload form. Students who were on the Dean’s List the previous semester, however, may take 21 credits without petitioning.

CCAS: The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the liberal arts college within GW.

Dean: An administrator who is also a faculty member.  The Undergraduate Studies Office has an Associate Dean and an Assistant Dean.  The deans are responsible for undergraduate student and curriculum issues.

Dean’s List: An honor recognizing students for excellent academic performance during a single semester. See the section on academic standing for details.

Drop/Add: The process by which students may change their schedules. This may be done on GWeb through the second week of classes. After the second week of classes, schedule adjustments must be made using the Registration Transaction Form (RTF). A course may be dropped with no academic penalty until the fourth week of classes. Consult the Registrar’s website for financial implications of drop/add once the semester has begun

Full Time: Taking at least 12 credit hours during each of the fall and spring semesters. Full-time status is required for many scholarships, most financial assistance, some insurance policies, and for many other aspects of student life at GW. Some scholarships require that a student take 15 credit hours each semester. To make the Dean’s List, a student must take 15 hours per semester, not including Pass/ No Pass courses.

GCR (General Curriculum Requirements): The universal, broad-based curriculum requirements all CCAS undergraduates must meet prior to graduation.

GPA (Grade Point Average): The numerical average earned for all courses taken for a letter grade. GPA is calculated for each semester and also on a cumulative basis. Minimum GPA standards must be achieved for successful major and degree completion.

GWeb: The GW Information System through which students can access information about their records, as well as general information about the University.

Hold: A restriction placed on a student’s record by a GW department (e.g., Student Accounts, CCAS Advising, Gelman Library, Student Health). A hold will prevent any registration transactions from occurring until it is removed by the office which placed it. Students should check for holds each semester, several weeks prior to registration. First year and transfer students, until they declare their majors, and students on academic probation, will have registration holds placed on their accounts each semester. Students must review their tentative list of courses with their Undergraduate Advisors prior to their registration date to remove this hold.

Honors: Latin Honors—Recognition awarded at graduation to students whose academic records give evidence of particular merit. The student’s cumulative grade-point average determines the level of honors as follows: Cum laude, 3.4–3.59; Magna cum laude, 3.6–3.79; Summa cum laude, 3.8–4.0.This designation is entered on a student’s transcript and diploma. Special Honors—May be awarded by the faculty to any member of the graduating class for outstanding achievement in the student’s major field of study.  The student must fulfill university and departmental requirements in order to achieve these honors. Consult the Bulletin for GW regulations and those of the specific departments.

Leave Of Absence (LOA): A process by which a student may take a leave from GW for either medical or personal reasons, while remaining enrolled at GW. Students on LOA may not register for classes at another college or university. Students who wish to go on LOA, should contact the Undergraduate Studies Office to register for “Leave Of Absence” for  that semester. A student may only register for LOA or CE for a maximum of two consecutive semesters. (Also see Continuous Enrollment.)

Major: A concentrated, in-depth study of an academic area in which students meet established departmental requirements.

Cross-School Major: A major completed at another school within the University. A cross-school major may supplement but not replace a major in a student’s home school. CCAS students may cross-school major in the Elliott School (ESIA), and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

Minor: A program of study in a subject within Columbian College, generally consisting of 12 to 18 credit hours of prescribed courses.

Part-Time: Students taking less than 12 credit hours during the fall or spring semester are considered part-time students. International students, students receiving financial aid and students living in GW housing must be full-time students.

Pass/No Pass: A grading status available to juniors and seniors only.

Prerequisite: Course(s), or course content mastery, which must be completed prior to taking subsequent courses in an academic discipline.

Professional Credit: Courses taken by Columbian College students, in another school within the University. Columbian College students can apply a maximum of 18 hours of professional credit toward graduation. Students pursuing a cross-school major or secondary field may increase the 18 hour limit, but only with permission of the Dean.

Residency Requirement: The rules governing the number of credits a student must take in CCAS and GW programs to be eligible to graduate.

Secondary Field of Study: A program of study, similar to a minor, taken in a GW school other than the Columbian College. A secondary field generally consists of 12 to 18 credit hours of prescribed courses. A student must be in good academic standing to be eligible to declare a secondary field.

Syllabus: An outline which delineates course requirements, grading criteria, content, faculty expectations, deadlines, examination dates, grading policies, and other relevant data.

Transfer Credit: Generally, credits not earned at GW.  

Withdraw (W): Leaving a course after the fourth week, but before the end of the eighth week, of class. A student who withdraws from a class will receive a notation of “W” on their transcript. A “W” does not affect a student’s GPA.