Student Newsletter - January 2025
Welcome to the CCAS Graduate Student Newsletter! Designed to keep you up to date with news and events, policies and processes, and all things for CCAS graduate students!
Graduate Student Newsletter Archive
January 2025
The Student Services Team is here to advise, guide, and provide you with resources to aid in your success, as well as help you navigate university policies and procedures. Our office is located in Smith 118, and we are open during normal business hours on Monday – Friday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. You can schedule a virtual, phone, or in-person appointment with your Student Services Coordinator and Career Counselor.
For our January newsletter, we have the following topics:
- Upcoming Student Events
- Spring 2025 Reminders
- Completing Your Degree in Spring 2025
- Career Services
- Resource Highlight: Free Campus Transportation Options
- ETD Deadlines
- Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
- Funding, Fellowships, Internships & Employment Opportunities
Welcome Back!
We are so excited to see you all back on campus for the start of the Spring 2025 semester! We hope you had a restful and restorative winter break. As always, please feel free to stop by our office in Smith 118 (Mon - Fri, 9:00am - 5:00pm) if you have any questions, or just to chat and grab some stickers!
Upcoming Student Events
A Better Tomorrow: Science and Technology’s Essential Purpose
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 5:00pm | Jack Morton Auditorium | Registration
Join Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Assistant to President Biden for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, for her talk titled “A Better Tomorrow: Science and Technology’s Essential Purpose.”
Dr. Prabhakar will explore how we can use today’s tremendous advances in science and technology to build the future we all aspire to. She'll guide us through recent significant progress and vital priorities ahead—from addressing climate change and advancing healthcare to navigating the transformative AI revolution and beyond.
National Hot Chocolate Day
Thursday, January 30 2025 from 10:00am - 5:00pm | Smith Hall, Ste 118
The Student Services Team will be celebrating National Hot Chocolate Day on January 30th! Stop by Smith Hall 118 between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM to meet your Student Services Coordinator and get free hot chocolate!
Spring 2025 Reminders & Resources
Here are some important reminders for the start of the Spring 2025 semester.
Graduate Enrollment Requirements
All CCAS graduate students must register continuously each fall and spring semester until they have completed their program of study. Failure to register may result in a student being withdrawn from their program of study. Students who are withdrawn for failure to register may be required to apply for readmission. Please see our Registration Policy for more information.
If you would like to request a leave of absence (LOA) for the Spring 2025 semester, please review our LOA policy and discuss this option with your Director of Graduate Studies. If you choose to take an LOA, please complete a Leave of Absence Application Form and submit it to us at [email protected].
Key Registration Dates this Month
Please review the Registrar’s Office’s Fall/ Spring Schedule for a full breakdown of key dates.
January 13 | First day of Spring 2025 classes |
January 17 | Last day for Consortium registration. Registration reopens at 10am with waitlists cleared. |
January 26 | Last day to add a course on GWeb. Last day of the 100% tuition refund period (for details, please review the Student Accounts Office’s Tuition Refund Policy). |
If you need to add a course after January 26, you will need to obtain permission from the course instructor or your department and submit an RTF-EZ to the Registrar’s Office.
Tuition Refund Policy
In addition to key registration dates with academic impacts, you should also keep in mind the Tuition Refund Policy, which governs the proportion of your tuition that may be refunded based on when in the semester a course is dropped. Courses dropped within the first two weeks of classes will be eligible for a 100% tuition refund. If you drop courses after the second week of classes, please be aware that you will only be refunded a portion of the tuition you paid for those credits. More information on the Tuition Refund Policy can be found on the Student Accounts Office website.
Student Accounts Late Fee Policy
Tuition, health insurance charges, and other fees are due by the first day of the semester, or upon registration if the semester has already begun. This means that changes to your registration once the semester has started may impact your Student Account.
Even if you paid your balance in full prior to the start of the semester, it is important to check your Student Account eBill in GWeb any time your registration changes. For example, if you choose to take an additional course or increase the number of credits you take for a course, you will automatically be charged additional fees and have an outstanding Student Account balance. Additionally, if you drop one course and pick up another course after the 100% tuition refund period has ended, you may have an outstanding Student Account balance even if the courses both have the same number of credits.
Any outstanding balance on your Student Account after the start of the semester may be subject to a late payment fee. The Student Accounts Office charges late fees for each semester in two rounds: a flat, $75 fee earlier in the semester, and a 5% fee based on the total amount owed later in the semester. In spring, the $75 late fee is charged in March, and the 5% fee is charged in April.
More information on the late fee policy, as well as the full fee schedule, can be found in the Late Payments section of the Student Accounts Office website. Information on course exchanges can be found in the Adding & Dropping Courses section of the Student Accounts Office website.
Academic Policy Resources
Please familiarize yourself with all CCAS and University policies. Students are responsible for adhering to all policies and procedures relevant to the pursuit of their graduate degree, including those published in the University Bulletin, the CCAS Bulletin, and in the CCAS Graduate Student Handbook.
Notice for New Students Admitted in Spring 2025
If you started your program of study in the Spring 2025 semester, please make sure that you have turned in all official documents and transcripts required as part of the admissions process. If you have not submitted your transcripts, you will notice a hold on your account and will be unable to register for Fall 2025 courses. If you have a transcript hold, please reach out to our Admissions team at [email protected]. They will work with you to ensure you have turned in all required documents. More information on holds can be found on the Registrar’s Office website.
GW’s Wireless Network Changed: Update Your Mobile Devices Now
GWireless retired on Jan. 2, 2025. Eduroam is GW’s new wireless network. To access WiFi when on campus, forget the GWireless network and set up your eduroam connection on mobile devices like your phone, laptop, tablet, etc.
Completing Your Degree in Spring 2025
If you will be completing your program requirements in Spring 2025, please apply to graduate in GWeb as soon as possible. The deadline to apply to graduate in Spring 2025 is March 14, 2025. Please note that you must be registered for courses in Spring 2025 in order to graduate. Online graduation application instructions can be found on the Registrar’s Office website.
Career Services
Happy new year and welcome back! CCAS Graduate Career Services is excited to host several new workshops and events this semester. Check out our spring Career Readiness Workshop schedule below, starting with Revolutionary Resume: Next Level on Thursday, January 30th at 12:00pm!
In addition, our spring Career Services Open House will be on Thursday, February 13th from 9am-4pm in Smith Hall 118. Stop by to ask us any career-related questions! More career events will be announced throughout the semester.
Spring Career Readiness Workshops
Revolutionary Resume: Next Level, 1/30 at 12:00pm
Effective Job Searching with ChatGPT, 2/5 at 12:00pm
A Cover Letter is Like a Love Letter, 2/12 at 5:00pm
Professional Etiquette, 2/27 at 12:00pm
Interview With Ease, 4/2 at 5:00pm
LinkedIn Profile Construction, 4/10 at 12:00pm
LinkedIn Professional Branding, 4/16 at 5:00pm
Our career counselors are available throughout the year to answer your career questions! Schedule an appointment with Erin Ahart or Dr. Johnette Ruffner-Ceaser via Handshake. For more information and helpful resources, visit our website or email [email protected].
Resource Highlight: Free Campus Transportation Options
Looking for a safe, affordable way to get around campus? GW has a few (free) options you might find useful.
Safeway Saturdays
If you live near the Foggy Bottom campus, you may consider taking the Safeway Shuttle to shop for groceries. Every Saturday during the normal academic year (August-May), between noon and 4:00pm, students can hop on the “Safeway Shuttle” in front of Funger Hall. The shuttle runs between Foggy Bottom campus and the Safeway on Wisconsin Ave. Check out the Safeway Saturdays page for more information and shuttle times.
GW Safe Ride
GW Safe Ride provides a free and safe ride to/from Foggy Bottom Campus residence halls and academic buildings during late-night hours for students, faculty and staff who prefer not to walk alone. GW Safe Ride operates daily between 7:00pm - 4:00am during the academic year, except on designated University holidays. For more information and a link to download the GW Safe Ride app, please visit the GW Safe Ride page.
Spring 2025 ETD Deadlines
Please continue to be mindful of ETD clearance deadlines for both Ph.D. students and for Master’s students completing a thesis.
Ph.D. students should visit our Ph.D. Clearance Deadlines page, and Master’s students completing a thesis should review our Master’s Thesis ETD Submission page.
Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
All GW students enrolled in classes on the Foggy Bottom, Mount Vernon, VSTC, and Corcoran campuses, as well as all international students on a J1 or F1 visa, are required to have health insurance while they study at GW. These students will be automatically enrolled in GW’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).
If you have existing coverage under a health insurance plan other than GW SHIP, you may want to waive SHIP coverage. If you plan to waive SHIP coverage for Spring 2025, please check to see whether your existing insurance plan meets the waiver criteria before submitting the SHIP waiver form. The deadline to waive SHIP coverage for Spring 2025 will be February 1, 2025.
For more information, refer to the GW University Health Plan website or the GW Student Health Center SHIP website. For specific benefits or claims questions, contact Aetna Student Health at 877-480-4161. For all other questions or concerns, email [email protected].
Funding, Fellowships, Internships & Employment Opportunities
Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships (OGSAF) Funding Awards
Multiple Deadlines between January 3, 2025 and February 15, 2025
Applications for funding awards provided by OGSAF are now open for the 2025-2026 academic year. The focus of these awards varies, so whatever your area of study, you should be able to find an award suited for you.
We would also like to direct your attention to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs’ (OGPA) 2024-2025 Graduate Student Handbook. This handbook is a collection of university-wide resources that are available to the graduate student population.
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Program
Application Deadline: January 15, 2025
The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) fellowship program provides opportunities to doctoral candidates to engage in dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. The program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States.
For information on eligibility and the application process, please visit the Fulbright-Hays DDRA website.
George Washington University Presidential Fellowship
Application Deadline: January 15, 2025
If you are a current master’s student applying to start a GW PhD program in Fall 2025, you may consider applying for the Presidential Fellowship. The George Washington University Presidential Fellowship offers high-achieving students the opportunity for professional development and graduate study at GW. Founded in 1989, the Presidential Fellowship program requires a two-year commitment and fellows contribute to the advancement of the GW community by serving as ambassadors through their academic, professional, and personal involvement.
More information on eligibility, applications, and deadlines can be found on the Presidential Fellowship website.
NSEP Boren Graduate Fellowships
Application Deadline: January 22, 2025
The National Security Education Program Boren Fellowship is for graduate students interested in acquiring or strengthening skills in languages critical to US National Security, and is intended for those who are willing to make a commitment to federal service. Graduate Fellows are able to choose their own program or select one of four Flagship Programs. In addition to language learning, Graduate Fellows are encouraged to conduct research, take additional academic courses, and/or pursue internships. There is also an opportunity to be funded for domestic language programs. The maximum award offered for graduate students is $30,000.
More information on eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found on the Boren Awards website. You can also view a recording of OGPA’s Boren Awards Information Session. If you have any questions, you can reach out to the Boren campus representative, Isabelle Giuttari of OGSAF ([email protected]) or schedule an appointment.
CCAS Dean's Graduate Lectureship
Application Deadline: January 23, 2025 at 5:00pm
The CCAS Office of Graduate Studies is pleased to announce our annual call for proposals for the Dean’s Graduate Lectureship (DGL). The DGL program is designed to provide exceptional Ph.D. candidates with an opportunity to design and teach their own undergraduate courses, while obtaining financial support for their dissertation research.
Applicants for the DGL must have been advanced to candidacy in their Ph.D. program and must have at least one semester of GTA/GIA experience in their home departments, leading discussion sections, recitations, and/or laboratories. Recipients of the DGL should expect to teach a Dean’s Seminar in Fall 2025, and will receive the standard CCAS graduate teaching assistant salary and stipend as well as required tuition for the semester (up to 9 credits).
A full description of eligibility and application requirements, which include a letter of support from the chair of the department in which the course will be offered, can be found on the CCAS website under the section for the Dean's Graduate Lectureship. Please direct any questions to Trey Trkula, Administrative Associate to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, at [email protected].
Updated January 13, 2025.