Academic Advising for Transfer Students

Transfer students bring with them experiences at other institutions that are valued by CCAS and GW. These experiences often mean that transfer students have slightly different concerns and needs than students who joined GW directly from high school. Students will work with their advisor to review how their transfer courses work towards College and University requirements.

 Topics 

• Who is my advisor?
• How do I transfer credit from classes taken at a previous college/university?
• Is there a credit limit that can be transferred?
• What is the University Bulletin?
• What are General Education requirements?
• How do I declare my major and/or minor?
• What are selective majors/minors?
• Can I change my major and/or minor?
• What is DegreeMAP?
• Are there any classes that do not count towards graduation?
• What are the residence requirements?
• How do I get a GW e-mail address?
• Do I need a GW email address?
• How do I get a GWorld card?
• What is an advising hold and how do I get it removed?
• How do I register for classes?
• How do I add or drop a course after open registration has closed?
• How do my transfer credits apply to the General Education Curriculum?

For additional information or inquiries, please contact us at the following:

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Phillips Hall Room 107
801 22nd Street, NW
Washington DC, 20052
Main phone number: 202-994-6210
trnsfer@gwu.edu

 Q: Who is my advisor?

Your professional advisor is assigned on the basis of the first letters of your last name:

Please call 202-994-6210 to schedule an appointment with your advisor.  Once students declare a major, a faculty member in that academic discipline is added to mentor the student in the major. The professional advisor remains with the student to review the student's progress towards the degree, prepare materials to help students evaluate their progress, and identify avenues for fulfilling requirements. 

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 Q: How do I transfer credit from classes taken at a previous college/university? 

Send your official transcript to:

Undergraduate Admissions
The George Washington University
2121 I Street, N.W., Suite 201
Washington, D.C. 20052

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 Q: Is there a credit limit that can be transferred?

There is no limit on pre-matriculation transfer credit. However, all students must complete at least 60 hours toward the degree in residence, including at least 12 hours of upper-level course work in the major field.

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 Q: What is the University Bulletin?

The University Bulletin is the official source of information regarding University academic and administrative policies, major, minor, and degree requirements, course descriptions, etc. The year in which students declare major and/or minor directs students to the Bulletin used for major requirements. The year that students enroll is the Bulletin that students use to determine their GCR requirements. Students may have GCR, major, and minor requirements in different Bulletin years.

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 Q: What are the general education requirements?

General Edcuation Requirements are an arrangement of liberal arts and sciences courses which all Columbian College students are required to complete in order to graduate.  

                   For students admitted prior to Fall 2011:
               General Curriculum Requirements (GCRs) 

               For students admitted Fall 2011 and later: 
               General Education Requirements: Perspective, Analysis, Communication (G-PAC)

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 Q: How do I declare my major and/or minor?

To declare a major or minor, you must complete a Major/Minor Declaration Form. This process requires that you speak to a faculty member in your intended major or minor department. The faculty mentor will help you plan a course of study for completion of your majors and minors. This declaration form must be signed by your advisor(s) and turned in to CCAS at Phillips Hall 107.

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 Q: What are selective majors/ minors?

Majors in Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication, English and Creative Writing, and Political Communication require a special application process. Please see the appropriate departments for application requirements.

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 Q: Can I change my major and/or minor?

You can change your major or minor at any time. To do so, you should complete another Major/Minor Declaration Form to make the appropriate changes. Please note that changes to your curriculum might alter your graduation timeline. See your professional academic advisor before making any changes to your curriculum.

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 Q: What is DegreeMAP?

DegreeMAP is GW's online advising tool for use by students and their advisors to track progress toward degree completion. DegreeMAP is being implemented with the students' interests in mind, to provide more information about degree requirements earlier in their academic careers, and to give students a tool to monitor and track progress toward their degree.

For more information on DegreeMAP, please click the DegreeMAP tab on the main CCAS advising page.

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 Q: Are there any classes that do not count towards graduation?

Yes. All Lifestyle, Sport and Physical Activity (LSPA) courses and hours earned above the 18 hour professional credit limit from GW schools outside CCAS do not count towards graduation. Professional credit refers to courses taken outside of the Columbian College in another school within the University, such as  GWB or SEAS.

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 Q: What are the residence requirements?

Students must complete at least 60 of the total number of credit hours required for the degree at or through the University and must complete 45 of the final 60 hours in residence in the Columbian College, including at least 12 hours of upper-level course work in the major field. (Students who study abroad must complete 45 of their final 75 hours in residence. No more than 30 credit hours may be transferred through study abroad at institutions other than those affiliated with GW.) Nine of the final 15 hours must be completed in residence.

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 Q: How do I get a GW e-mail address?

Once you have accepted your offer of admission and returned your enrollment deposit, you are then able to create your GW email address. Click on "Email & News" on the left hand side of the screen, choose "Getting an Account," proceed to "Create Net ID," and follow the prompts to receive your email address.

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 Q: Do I need a GW email address?

Yes. You will receive important concerning graduation, registration, housing information, etc through your GW email address. You can only receive your balance sheet through your GW email address.

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 Q: How do I get a GWorld card?

To obtain a GWorld Card you must visit the GWorld Card Office in the Marvin Center, Room 501. Everyone obtaining a GWorld Card must bring a government issued picture ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. The GWorld Card is the official identification card of The George Washington University. The Card is required for all students, faculty and staff members and may also be obtained by Alumni. After you receive your GWorld Card you may go to the GWorld Online Card Office to register your card and conveniently add to your Colonial Cash or Debit Dollars online, as well as suspend a lost card, view your transaction history and account balance.

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 Q: What is an advising hold and how do I get it removed?

All Columbian College undergraduate students without a declared major are required to see their advisor to discuss selection of courses prior to registration each semester. An advising hold will prevent you from registering until you have met with your advisor, at which point it will be lifted. Remember that other holds (e.g., student accounts, library, student health, etc.) may also prevent you from registering and are administered by the appropriate University office.

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 Q: How do I register for classes?

Registration is completed on-line through the GWeb information system which can be entered through myGW portal. Consultation with your CCAS advisor before enrolling for classes is strongly encouraged.

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 Q: How do I add or drop a course after open registration has closed?

To add a class after the open registration period (completed through GWeb), students must use a Registration Transaction Form EZ (RTF EZ) and obtain the signature of the instructor. Students have until the end of the fourth week to add or drop a course with the RTF EZ; students can use the form to withdraw from a course during weeks five through eight. A professor’s signature is not required to drop a course.

 Q: How do my transfer credits apply to the General Education Curriculum?

 G-PAC Transfer Credit Application
General Reminders:
Transfer credit does not apply to AP/IB credit.  Under no circumstance can credit by examination be applied to the G-PAC.
Transfer courses applied to the G-PAC must appear on the list of courses approved for G-PAC.

Students with below 30 transfer credit hours: 
No course taken outside the University will count toward the G-PAC.

Students with between 30 and 59 transfer credit hours: 
Three courses taken outside the University can count toward the G-PAC: one in quantitative and scientific reasoning (math/stat/natural sciences); one in social sciences; and one in arts/humanities.  See your advisor for specific application of your credits.

Students with 60 or more transfer credit hours:
All appropriate courses will count toward the G-PAC.  See your advisor for specific application of your credits.

Petitioning to count a transferred course toward GPAC
Under these guidelines, students can petition to have a transfer course count toward the G-PAC that is not on the approved list of G-PAC courses:
Students who have under 30 hours cannot use any transferred courses toward G-PAC and cannot petition a course to count toward the G-PAC.

Students who have 30-59 hours can petition for one course that is not on the G-PAC approved list to count toward the G-PAC, only if they do not already have 3 courses that will count.  They cannot petition for a fourth course.

Students who have 60+ hours can petition for one course that is not on the G-PAC approved list to count, regardless of how many transfer credits they are using toward G-PAC. See your advisor regarding a petition if the above applies to you.

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