Incoming Students
To prepare students to succeed academically and to support their transition to GW, we have provided some answers to frequently asked questions by incoming student-athletes and their families. Our goal is to provide a central location to help facilitate a smooth transition to GW.
After reviewing these FAQs, feel free to contact your team’s athletic academic advisor with any questions. Your athletic academic advisor's contact information can be found here: Academic Services.
Orientation information can be accessed via this website. Please be sure to monitor your emails, as frequent communication is sent out about orientation. It is important that you follow all of the guidelines and steps to ensure matriculation to GW.
Your GWID is a 'G' followed by a series of eight numbers. It serves as your identification number and it is important to note it down or memorize it for future reference. If you have forgotten your GWID, you may use the retrieval tool to look it up or contact the IT Support Center at (202) 994-4948.
- AP Tests - To receive credit for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, you must have official score results sent directly to GW's Office of Undergraduate Admissions from the College Board. GW's College Board code is 5246. Official AP scores should be sent as soon as they are available, but no later than the end of a student's first year at GW. GW only accepts scores of 4 or 5 to receive credit.
- IB Examinations - To receive credit for International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations, students must have their official score results sent to GW's Office of Undergraduate Admissions as soon as they are available, but no later than the end of a student's first year at GW.
- A-Levels - To receive credit for Advanced-Level (A-Level) examinations, students must have their final (not provisional), official exam results sent directly from the exam board or their secondary school to GW's Office of the Registrar as soon as they are available.
- Dual Enrollment/College Coursework - Students enrolled in college coursework while in high school should apply as a first-time student. There is no limit to the number of pre-matriculation credits a student can bring to GW from a post-secondary institution. In order to receive credit, you should have official transcripts sent to the Office of the Registrar as soon as possible.
Anyone interested in taking an economics or mathematics course in their first semester will need to complete this online test prior to registration.GW uses the online placement system Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) to place students in the appropriate economics and math courses. More information can be found here.
Students wanting to register for CHEM 1111 (Gen Chem 1) are required to take an online chemistry knowledge check and complete the prep course prior to registration. More information on the prep course can be found on the Chemistry Department’s website.
Click on the appropriate link for your home school advising office:
For your team’s practice and lift/conditioning times, please reach out to your coaching staff or athletics academic advisor to confirm.
First-year registration takes place at the end of July and your assigned registration day can be found here. Athletics academic advisors make themselves available via Zoom during the registration windows to assist with any issues and to help troubleshoot. More information on the actual process itself can be found on the registrar’s website.
It is okay to not get everything you wanted to register for! You can make changes to your class schedule after the registration days, all the way up to the first week of classes. To give yourself the best chance of getting the classes you want, you should utilize the Plan Ahead function. If you have questions about the process, please contact your athletics or school academic advisor.
You will need to register with our Disability Support Services office to receive accommodations at GW. The learning specialist serves as our liaison to DSS, and any questions can also be directed to that individual.
In accordance with NCAA rules and regulations, to maintain eligibility you must be registered for a minimum of 12 credits (4 classes) each semester and pass 6 credits to be eligible in the first-year Spring semester. If you have any concerns or questions, please refer to your athletics academic advisor or the GW Compliance office.
A typical course load consists of taking 4 or 5 classes during the semester. Each of those classes will normally meet twice a week, for an 1 hour and 15 minutes. Classes are most commonly offered either Monday/Wednesday (M/W) or Tuesday/Thursday (T/R) unless the course also requires a lab or a discussion session. A lab or discussion will add an additional meeting time and can take place any day of the week.
You do not officially have to declare a major until the end of your sophomore year. However, it is important to communicate your interests to your advisor early to ensure that you can finish your major requirements on time. The ESS staff can also assist with major and minor explorations for those who are undecided on what path they want to take. You can also explore GW Career Option Sheetsto become familiar with how certain majors can relate to sample occupations.
GW offers numerous minors to choose from, and they can be declared at any point. Typically, minors require 6 classes to complete them. Therefore it is relatively easy to pursue one, or even multiple! It is also possible to double major at GW, and if you are interested in doing so you need to connect with your advisor to map out a graduation timeline. Please refer to the GW Bulletinto explore all of our options.
Holds can prevent you from adding or dropping classes and they are placed in students’ accounts for various reasons. You should check to make certain that you do not have any holds on your record that will prevent registration. You can do this on GWeb by clicking “Student Records & Registration”, "Student Records Information", “View Administrative Holds”.
Transfer Student-Athletes Checklist
- Submit an Application
- Sign up for new student orientation
- Request an official transcript to be sent to GW
- Make sure that the official transcript has all of your course work from your previous institution, including the final grades from the last semester.
- Your classes will be evaluated to determine what the equivalencies at GW are, and you’ll be awarded credit accordingly. In cases where there is a class that doesn’t transfer how you thought it would, you can connect with your advisor to pursue a possible re-evaluation.
- You can bring in as many credits as you want, however, GW has a residency requirement of 60 credits to graduate. Therefore, you need to complete at least 60 credits here to get a GW degree conferred.
- Set up a meeting with your athletic or school academic advisor
- It is imperative to set up a meeting with your advisor after your official transcripts are evaluated so that you can register for classes, declare a major, and get whatever other questions you may have answered.