Frequently Asked Questions (Undergraduate)
Academic advising at George Mason University is an integral part of the educational and developmental process that enhances student success by supporting, teaching, and connecting students to curricular and co-curricular experiences. Mason is committed to supporting holistic success across the student experience, connecting students to campus resources, and helping students set and achieve academic, career, and personal goals. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor at least once per semester.
Please read the Academic Advising Policy below carefully before scheduling an appointment with your advisor.
Degree Related Questions
University Catalog is a publication containing academic programs, policies and procedures, requirements, courses, description and the more. To access the Catalog, please visit https://catalog.gmu.edu/.
Students’ catalog year is academic year they have entered George Mason University. It is important because major requirements can change from year to year. You only must follow the catalog from the year you started at Mason.
The Office of Academic Affairs provides sample degree plans showing recommended course sequences to complete your degree. You are strongly encouraged to use these plans to map your own path to graduation.
Degree Audit is used for degree auditing available at the Patriot Web. Students are required to learn how to read and use this system. We recommend students follow the tutorial on the Registrar’s website.
Students are required to spend at least a year (semesters 6 and 7, semester 7 and 8, or semester 6, 7, and 8) at George Mason University’s main campus in Fairfax. Generally, the application starts at the beginning of September for a Spring term transition, and in the middle of March for a Fall term transition. You may learn more about the steps and procedures here. If you need any consultation about the eligibility or the application process, please contact your academic advisor.
Graduation is not an automatic process. Students should apply to graduate no later than the application deadline each semester. You must be in good financial standing with the university to receive your diploma. Learn more about applying for graduation.
Concentration, Minor, and Change of Programs
GLOA and BUS students are required to declare a concentration. For students in CONF and ECON programs, declaring a concentration is optional. If you would like to declare a concentration:
- Complete a Change of Program form.
- Contact the advisor for your current program. You can find your advisor at Find My Advisor. The academic advisor will help you with processing the form and provide information on the concentration requirements, course choices, and more.
George Mason University has over 100 minors to choose from. You can browse them all here. If you intend to add a minor to your degree:
- Complete a Change of Program form to declare a minor.
- Contact the academic advisor for the minor program. Students may pursue a minor offered by the Fairfax campus as well. If you plan to do so, please make sure to schedule an appointment with the minor advisor at the Fairfax campus.
If you want to remove a minor, please complete a Change of Program form.
Students can apply to change their major. The new major must be one of the programs offered at the Mason Korea campus. If you would like to change your major:
- Complete a Change of Program form.
- Contact the advisor of the major you want to change to. You can find them at Find My Advisor. The new major academic advisor will help you with processing the form and provide information on the degree requirements, course choices, and more.
- Complete a Change of Program form.
- Contact your current academic advisor. You can find them at Find My Advisor. The academic advisor will help you with processing the form and provide information on the degree requirements, course choices, and more.
- Complete a Change of Program form.
- Contact your current academic advisor. You can find them at Find My Advisor. The academic advisor will help you with processing the form and provide information on new concentration requirements, course choices, and more.
Academic Retention
Students with a term GPA and/or cumulative GPA below 2.00 may face additional academic actions, such as warning, probation, suspension, or dismissal. Students should be familiar with the retention categories in the university catalog here. Academic Warning alerts students in Good Academic Standing that they are in danger of not meeting academic requirements. Students on warning who just completed their first academic term will be limited to enrollment in a maximum of 13 credits for the following terms until they achieve good standing. Students on probation and returning from suspension will be limited to a maximum of 13 credits until they achieve a term and cumulative GPA 2.0 or better.
Student Holds prevent several enrollment-related functions, such as: registration, withdrawal, enrollment verification, ordering transcripts, and even graduation, until the holds are resolved. The purpose of a hold is to direct attention to the need to resolve a critical issue, of which the student should already be aware. To view existing holds on the Patriot Web, students should select the Student Services tab, Student Records, and View Holds.
If you found a hold on your account, directly contact the office by which the hold was placed. Most common holds are Admission, Finance, University Life, and Academic Affairs.
Leave of Absence and Re-enrollments
Please refer to this website for further details on the leave of absence process. For PPP students, please contact the academic advisor using Find My Advisor before submitting this request.
There are no required documents to return to campus from leave of absence. The University Registrar at Fairfax will automatically assign a time ticket depending on the semester students applied to return. For example, if a student’s leave of absence is effective from Fall 2024 and plans to return in Fall 2025, the student’s status will become active with a Fall 2025 time ticket. This means the student may register for Fall 2025 courses when the registration begins. We encourage students to check out the Academic Calendar for any updates on important dates and deadlines.
Students who have not enrolled for one or more semesters without any approved documentation on file may need re-enrollment or readmission, depending on the length of time they have been away from the campus. Please find more information here. Re-enrollment and readmission are not automatic processes. Students must contact the academic advisor using Find My Advisor to apply for re-enrollment. For readmission, please contact the Office of Admissions and Enrollment at askmk@gmu.edu.