Policies
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Collection of Student Address Information
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Statement
FERPA and the Release of Student Information
Final Examination Conflicts
Graduation Retention Information
Military Duty
Police Statement
Religious Holidays
Statement of Ethical Principles
Student Consent Form
Student Identification Number (GWid) and Social Security Number
Class Attendance
Attending regularly scheduled and scheduled make up classes, discussions and recitations, laboratory sessions and other course meetings is a fundamental student responsibility. Faculty may use class attendance and participation as factors in determining course grades. The contributions of class attendance and participation toward course grades should be explicitly stated on course syllabi as should all factors used in determining these grades.
While it is expected that students will make every effort to attend classes, it is recognized that personal circumstances (e.g., religious observances, documented family and medical emergencies) and University-scheduled events (e.g., varsity athletic competitions, performances) will arise which preclude class attendance. In such circumstances, faculty and other instructors are expected to make appropriate accommodations (e.g., make up tests, adjusted due dates for papers and projects), such accommodations to be determined by the faculty member. The student is responsible for obtaining the materials presented in missed classes and for making up missed tests and other assignments. No academic penalty shall be imposed for class absences which are permissible in accordance with University policy.
It is expected that students will schedule classes in order to minimize the number of classes that may be missed. Further, it is expected that whenever possible, students will inform course instructors in advance of any absences related to scheduled events.
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Collection of Student Address Information
As ordered by the District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment, the University hereby adopts the following policies for the purpose of collecting more accurate information on the current local addresses of GW students:
1. Current local address Information: Each undergraduate student at the University is required to report and update as necessary his or her "current local address." For purposes of this policy, "current local address" will mean the address at which the student, including students who commute, resides during the week while attending classes at the University.
2. Failure to Report: Failure to report a current local address accurately to GW or failure to advise GW promptly of a change in current local address will constitute a violation of this Policy and may result in the encumbrance of further registration.
3. Implementation: In order to implement the collection of current local address information, the following procedures are hereby adopted:
a. Solicitation of Address Information: Each semester, undergraduates who are not living in University residence halls and not studying abroad will be required to provide a current local address. Students will be notified that they must update or confirm their current local address in the GWeb Information System. A pop-up screen soliciting address information will block student access to GWeb until data are entered in the current local address field. Students will be advised that the information will be audited and that if it is determined that a student has entered an address beyond the D.C. Metropolitan Area, a P.O. Box, a residence hall address or an address in care of another person, an encumbrance may be placed on further registration. If it is determined that a student has intentionally entered an inaccurate address, disciplinary action may be initiated.
Each semester, prior to on-line registration for the following semester, undergraduate students who are not living in University residence halls and not studying abroad will be required to provide a current local address. Students will be allowed to proceed with registration after they have provided a current local address. Students will be reminded of the penalty for failure to provide current and accurate information.
b. "D.C. Metropolitan Area Zip Codes": Only those zip codes within the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (approximately 75 miles from the Foggy Bottom Campus) will be accepted as current local address zip codes, unless specifically authorized by the University.
c. Audit of Addresses: The University will compare the current local address zip codes of all full-time undergraduate students not residing in University residence halls and not living abroad against the D.C. Metro Area Zip Codes to determine whether an address is outside the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.
Any full-time student who provides an address outside the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area will be notified and asked to provide a current and accurate address. Any full-time student who fails to comply with or respond to the request for a current and accurate address may have an encumbrance placed on his or her record, blocking further registration until such time as he or she provides correct information. Any student who intentionally provides a false current local address will be referred to Student Judicial Services.
4. Reporting of Addresses to the District and Others: In light of legal constraints and privacy concerns, specific student addresses will not be made available by the University to government or other non-University entities or individuals. Rather, to the extent permitted by law, the aggregate number of full-time students living in each zip code in the Foggy Bottom/West End Area will be provided as required by BZA Order dated March 29, 2001.
Notification of Policy/Other Efforts: The University will take reasonable steps to make students aware of this new policy. Such efforts may include notification on the GW Portal, informational e-mail messages, and inclusion in the Student Planner, Schedule of Classes, and other publications. The University may also elect to use other mechanisms to collect and/or verify addresses from time to time. This may include soliciting addresses in invoices sent to Billing or Permanent addresses and other efforts.
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Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Statement
Inquires concerning the application of this policy and federal laws and regulations concerning discrimination in education or employment programs and activities may be addressed to Val Monroe Berry, Chief Human Resources Officer, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, (202) 994-9600, to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, or to the Director of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission/Washington Field Office.
To request disability accommodations, students should contact the Office of Disability Support Services, (202) 994-8250 (TDD/voice), and employees should contact the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, (202) 994-9656 (voice) or (202) 994-9650 (TDD).
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FERPA and the Release of Student Information
(Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
The University may release the following directory information upon request: student's name; local address (including email); telephone numbers; likeness used in University publications including photographs; names and address of emergency contact; dates of attendance; school or division of enrollment; enrollment status; field of study; credit hours earned; degrees earned; honors received; participation in University recognized organizations and activities (including intercollegiate athletics); and height, weight, and age of members of athletic teams. Any student who does not wish directory information released must file written notice to this effect in the Office of the Registrar. (Click here for the Confidentiality Request Form.)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education record within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access. Students should submit to the University Registrar, Dean, Head of the academic department, or other appropriate official written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the University official to whom the request was submitted does not maintain the records, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want to be changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the University discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. Complaints should be filed in writing to the following address:
Family Policy Compliance Office
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Final Examination Conflicts
The administration has accepted a resolution of the Faculty Senate regarding final examination conflicts. The Senate recommended:- that there be written regulation affirming the University policy to have one final examination rescheduled if a student has three or more final examinations scheduled on the same day.
- that the rescheduling take place at least three weeks prior to the last day of classes and that, whenever possible, the make-up examination be rescheduled during the examination period.
- that the rescheduling be achieved in consultation with the instructors involved and that, whenever possible, the student selects which examination to reschedule.
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Graduation Retention Information
As required by the Student Right-to-Know Act, The George Washington University makes available to all students and prospective students the graduation rates of undergraduates who started as full-time freshmen at the University. Information regarding retention and graduation rates is available from the Office of Institutional Research. You may go online to view the information in the online Factbook, or you can contact the Office of Institutional Research at Rice Hall 809, - Back To Top -
Military Duty
Any student who is a member of a military reserve unit or the National Guard and is activated or called to active duty early in a semester or summer session will automatically be entitled to a full refund of all tuition and fees that he or she has paid toward the expenses of that academic term. If the notification of the call to active duty comes after the mid-term examinations or after other substantial graded work has been completed, the student will have the option of either taking a full refund of tuition and fees or taking an Incomplete in his or her courses with the privilege of returning to complete all required coursework at some future date without payment of any further tuition and fee charges. It is the responsibility of the student to present evidence of his or her activation to the Office of Student Accounts and to request the appropriate refund.Should a degree student called up for active duty find it necessary to interrupt active pursuit of the degree, he or she may petition the Dean for a leave of absence for a specific period of time, generally limited to one calendar year. Deans are encouraged to grant any request to extend the leave of absence for longer than the customary period should military service require an absence of more than one year.
All students on active duty will be exempted automatically from the request for a fifty dollar voluntary library contribution without requiring any communication from them or their initials on the bill.
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Police Statement
The If you would like to receive a booklet called “The Pride Brochure” which contains this information, you may stop by the University Police Department at
The web site and booklet contain information regarding campus security and personal safety including topics such as: crime prevention; University police law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; disciplinary procedures; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. They also contain information about crime statistics for the three previous calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by GW; and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.
This information is required by law and is provided by The George Washington University Police Department.
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Religious Holidays
- that students notify faculty during the first week of the semester of their intention to be absent from class on their day(s) of religious observance.
- that faculty continue to extend to these students the courtesy of absence without penalty on such occasions, including permission to make up examinations.
- that faculty who intend to observe a religious holiday arrange at the beginning of the semester to re-schedule missed classes or to make other provisions for their course-related activities.
- that the Administration continue to circulate to faculty by the last week of the previous semester a schedule of religious holidays most frequently observed by our students with a notation that student members of other religious groups are also entitled to the same courtesies and accommodations.
- that the Administration convey this policy to students by including it in the Schedule of Classes and other places deemed appropriate.
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Student Consent Form
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, seeks to guarantee both a student’s right of access to records and the confidentiality of student information. A student’s record may be released to parents only if one of the following conditions has been met:
1) Through the written consent of the student.
2) In compliance with a subpoena.
3) In connection with some health or safety issue.
4) By submission of evidence that the parents declare the student as a dependent on their most recent Federal Income Tax form, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Section 152.
A student may give his/her written consent for the parent /guardian to have access to their educational record, or the parent/guardian may certify that the student is a dependent as stated on the most recent federal income tax return.
Click here for the Student Consent form.
If you have any specific questions regarding this process, please call our office during normal business hours at (202) 994-4900, or email us at regweb@gwu.edu .
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Student Identification Number (GWid) and Social Security Number
The
Social security numbers must be collected for any student applying for financial assistance. Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service requires the University to file and report a student’s social security number and other information such as the amount paid for qualified tuition, related expenses, and interest on educational loans. This information is used to help determine whether a student, or a person claiming a student as a dependent, may take credit or deduction to reduce federal income taxes.
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