Office of the Registrar

Registration Information

General Information

• Days of the Week Codes

  • 
    

    M	Monday
    T	Tuesday
    W	Wednesday
    R	Thursday
    F	Friday
    S	Saturday
    U	Sunday

• Building Abbreviations

  • 
    Fairfax Campus (4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030)

    AB	Academic V (Arts Building)
    AC	Aquatic and Fitness Center
    BL	Blue Ridge
    DK	David J. King Hall
    E	East Building
    ENGR	The Engineering Building
    ENT	Enterprise Hall
    FH	Field House
    FAB	Fine Arts Building
    HT	Harris Theater
    IN	Innovation Hall
    JC	Johnson Center
    KB	Krasnow Building
    KH	Krug Hall
    LH	Lecture Hall
    NEM	North East Module
    NET	Course offered through the Internet
    OCL	Off-campus Location
    PAB	Performing Arts Building
    R	Robinson Hall
    RAC	Recreation and Athletic Complex
    RSCHI	Research I
    SH	Shenandoah
    STI	Science and Technology Building I
    STII	Science and Technology Building II
    SUI	Student Union I
    SUII	Student Union II
    T	Thompson Hall
    W	West Building

    
    

    Arlington Campus (3401 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201)

    ARL	Arlington Professional Center
    ARLTB	Truland Building

    
    

    Prince William Campus (10900 University Blvd, Manassas, VA 20110)

    PW-OB	Occoquan Building
    PW-DH	Discovery Hall
    PW-BRH	Bull Run Hall
    PW-FC	Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center

    
    

    Off-Campus Sites

    C	Commerce Building
    C2	Commerce II Building
    KA	Keller Annex 3807 University Drive, Fairfax, VA)

• What is a CRN?

  • A CRN is a Course Reference Number. This 5 digit number identifies the course name, number and section.

• What is my PIN?

  • Your initial default 6-digit PIN, which you will use to access Patriot Web, is your birth month, day and year in the format MMDDYY. (e.g., March 1, 1980 = 030180). If you have accessed the system before, enter your GNumber and click on the the "Forgot PIN button". If you are unable to access the system, please contact George Mason's ITU Support Center. Their offices are located in Innovation Hall, Room 233. Their phone number is (703) 993-8870.

• I have a hold; what is it, and what should I do about it?

  • A hold may be placed on a student's account for a number of reasons by offices such as parking services, cash office, library, student health etc. Some holds prevent registration. Check Patriot Web (Student Services and Financial Aid/Student Records/ View Holds) to view your holds. Contact the department that placed the hold on your account in order to resolve the issue.

• What does taking a course with "satisfactory/no credit" (or "pass-fail") grading mean?

  • Undergraduates may take up to six credit hours to be graded S-NC. This applies only to electives outside the major field. Graduate students may take courses as S-NC only for courses that will not be used for degree or certificate requirements.

• How do I obtain satisfactory/no credit?

  • Your instructor must sign your Satisfactory/No Credit form to grant you permission. Bring the signed form to the Registrar's Office for processing by the last day to add the course.

• Will the Registrar's Office accept an emailed force add?

  • Yes, however force adds must be sent to the student's Mason email account from the instructor's Mason email account. The email must contain the following information: the student's name, id number, course name, section number, meeting date and time. Students should then print out the email and bring it to the Registrar's Office by the last day to add. Force adds are not accepted electronically. Please note: We are not able to accept e-mailed force adds from all departments. Please call (703) 993-2441 before attempting to force add in this way. 

• What is the maximum number of credits that I can take per semester?

  • STUDENT STATUS	CREDIT LIMIT
    Undergraduate	18
    Graduate	12
    Non-Degree	10

    Written approval must be submitted in order to register for more than the maximum allowable credit hours. Undergraduate and Non-Degree Undergraduate students should contact their Dean for permission. Graduate and Non-degree Graduate students should contact their department for permission.

    Important Note: Undergraduate students on warning, probation, or returning from suspension are limited to a maximum of 13 credit hours for following semesters until they achieve good standing. Students pre-registered for 14 or more credit hours are responsible for seeking academic advising and adjusting their enrollment to a maximum of 13 credit hours by the end of the second week of the semester or their schedule will be automatically adjusted by the Registrar’s Office.

Registration

• May I register after the add deadline?

  • No, only the Chair of the Department offering the course may grant permission to register for the course, if circumstances warrant an exception to policy. The Late Schedule Adjustment Form, if approved by the Department Chair, must be signed by Student Accounts before it is taken to the Registrar's Office for processing.

• May I drop after the drop deadline?

  • No, students must drop any course they will not complete by the drop deadline for that course. If students feel that they have non-academic circumstances that would warrant an exception to policy, they may appeal to their Academic Dean/Director for permission to withdraw. A grade of 'W' will be assigned to those courses but students will be financially liable for tuition. The Withdrawal Form or Late Schedule Adjustment Form, if approved by the Dean, must be signed by Student Accounts before it is taken to the Registrar's Office for processing.

• How do I register for Closed or Controlled Sections?

  • Paper force add slips, if approved by the department, should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office (Fairfax campus-North Chesapeake, Room 1 or Prince William campus-Occoquan Building, room 201) by the last day to add. Some departments/instructors will issue an override via the Patriot Web. You must use the Patriot Web to register for courses for which you have been issued and electronic override.

    Important note: The School of Management, the Math Department and some other academic departments have their own process for granting this permission. Please consult with the academic school or department offering the course for information about force add policies and procedures.

• How do I register for a course that has a time conflict with another course on my schedule?

  • You must obtain a force add slip signed by both instructors in which both instructors acknowledge the time conflict.

• How do I register for an Independent Study?

  • Registration for an individualized study sections requires approval by the department Chair/Director.  The Individualized Section form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the last day to add.

• How do I register for a course that has a prerequisite?

  • Students are responsible for meeting course prerequisites before attempting to register for a class. If a student has registered for a class without having met the prerequisites, the department may request, during the first week of class, that he/she drop the course. Contact the department if you receive the “Pre-Req and Test Score” error.

• How does an undergraduate student register for a Graduate Course?

  • A degree-seeking undergraduate student may be granted permission to enroll in a graduate course numbered 500-699 to earn credit applicable towards the undergraduate degree or to hold the course in reserve to apply towards future graduate study. Students must meet all eligibility requirements and receive approval on the Graduate Course for Undergraduate Credit or the Reserve Graduate Credit form in order to qualify for graduate-level coursework. Refer to the University Catalog for more details and eligibility criteria.

• I am a Mason employee; how do I register?

  • You must first be admitted to the University. After admission, you will register for your courses via Patriot Web. Contact the Office of Student Accounts to request your employee waiver. You must contact the Office of Student Accounts each semester, in order to receive your waiver.

• I am a senior citizen; how do I register?

  • You must first be admitted to the University. Most senior citizens opt to enroll as non-degree students. After admission, register for your courses using Patriot Web then contact the Registrar's Office to apply the audit grade type to your courses. The Registrar's Office will notify Student Accounts to apply your tuition waiver. You must contact our office after enrolling each semester, and prior to the tuition due date.

Auditing Courses

• What does "audit" mean?

  • Students do not receive grades or credit for audited courses. The tuition fee is the same amount for both audit and credit courses. The credit hours will not count into attempted or earned hours.

• How do I audit a course?

  • Students who wish to audit a course must receive permission from the instructor. Bring a signed Course Audit form to the Registrar's Office for processing by the last day to drop the course.

• When is the last day to change a course to audit status or vice versa?

  • The last day to change a course from credit to audit status or vice versa is the last day to drop the course. Please consult the academic calendar for drop deadlines. Drop deadlines for each course may vary.