Academic advising at George Mason University is integral to student success.  An exemplary George Mason Graduate is an engaged, reflective citizen and well-rounded scholar who is prepared to act. George Mason commits to supporting holistic success across the student experience, connecting students to campus resources, and helping students set and achieve academic, career, and personal goals. 

Academic Advising

Academic Advisors at George Mason are assigned to students based on their declared major, and this relationship begins during Orientation. Students are recommended to meet with their Academic Advisor at least once per semester to discuss questions, concerns, and goals.

Advisors assist students with: 

  • navigating undergraduate education at George Mason; 

  • transitioning to college; 

  • setting academic goals and making connections to career goals; 

  • learning about available academic George Mason resources; 

  • understanding George Mason academic policies and procedures; 

  • accessing and using the degree audit tool; 

  • selecting courses for the student’s class schedule;   

  • checking on progress towards degree completion, and much more.   

Individual departments establish their own advising processes; students are encouraged to check with their departments for the appropriate procedures and to determine how to access academic advising. Students can use the Academic Advising website for advising information. The advisor locator provides links to School and College advising websites, and steps to schedule an advising appointment.

Advisors help students plan and make informed decisions about their academic progress in order to meet university, school or college, and program-specific degree requirements. It is the student's responsibility to read this catalog and know and fulfill the requirements of a specific baccalaureate degree. To assist in the advising process, George Mason provides a computerized degree evaluation. Students should access their individualized reports through Patriot Web. It remains the student's responsibility to seek official approval for any program change so the computerized degree plan may be kept current and accurate. 

Students changing majors are encouraged to meet with an advisor in the new major. Students considering changing majors can also meet with an Exploratory Academic Advisor to navigate their options. Students may change majors by completing a Change/Declaration of Academic Program Form available from the Office of the University Registrar. This form must first be signed by an advisor in the School or College offering the major before it is submitted to the Office of the University Registrar. 

Students can explore majors and minors using the "Find Your Program" tool in this Catalog. 

Office of Academic Advising

The Office of Academic Advising is located within Undergraduate Education and provides comprehensive leadership for a consistent and quality undergraduate academic advising experience at George Mason University. The Office of Academic Advising is responsible for advocacy and overall accountability for undergraduate academic advising. This is achieved through collaboration with leadership in academic units across the university and other stakeholders to provide consistent administration of academic advising processes, procedures, and policies. Advising program evaluation and advisor professional development are central to the administrative charge of this office to determine data-informed best practices and advising program improvement. 

The Office of Academic Advising also provides direct advising services for Pre-Health, Exploratory, Non-Degree, and undergraduate students terminated from their major. 

Exploratory, Undeclared, and Undergraduate Non-Degree Students

Students who have not declared a major (or who have been terminated from their major) are assigned an Exploratory Academic Advisor within the Office of Academic Advising. Students are encouraged to make appointments with their Exploratory Academic Advisor to discuss major exploration, academic goals, general degree requirements, registration, policies, procedures, getting connected on campus, and other topics. More information can be found on the Exploratory Academic Advising website.  

Non-degree students taking undergraduate courses at George Mason also can access academic advising services within the Office of Academic Advising. More information can be found on the Non-Degree Student Advising website. 

Health Professions Advising

Web: prehealth.gmu.edu

Health Professions Advising assists students of any major in their pursuit of postgraduate work in a medical field (allopathic and osteopathic medicine, dentistry, optometry, physician assistant, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, communication sciences, and veterinary medicine). Health Professions Advising collaborates with university and community partners as well as professional schools to provide programming and resources to support pre-health students. The Health Professions Advising Coordinator advises students on prerequisite courses, experiential learning, and application preparation to support pre-health students' competitiveness in the application process to a professional school. 

Patriot Pre-Law Advising

Web: scharprelaw.gmu.edu 

The Patriot Pre-Law Program prepares students for the law-school application process and for success in law school.

Working with students in our five pre-law groups, our goals are to:

  • bring law school admissions personnel to campus so they can help students understand what it takes to be accepted;
  • prepare students for the Law School Admissions Test, a high-stakes exam that dictates where they can attend law school and the types of financial aid and scholarships they can receive; 
  • provide specialized attention to the law school personal statement, a key component of the admissions process;
  • help students select the best law school for their needs and determine how to fund it.

Interested students are encouraged to contact Professor Phillip Mink at pmink@gmu.edu.  

Office of Fellowships

Web:https://provost.gmu.edu/students/fellowships

The Office of Fellowships helps undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni of all majors find and apply to nationally competitive awards that pay for school, research, study abroad, and more! Our team will assist you in identifying and preparing applications for nationally competitive fellowships to support your academic, professional, and public service goals. Note that fellowships do not provide immediate or emergency funding, instead they usually provide support for the following academic year or summer.

Throughout the academic year, the office provides information sessions and workshops to connect students to fellowship opportunities. Current students can make an appointment to speak with an advisor using Patriot Connect.