Navigating the George Washington University Registrar: A Comprehensive Guide

The Office of the Registrar at George Washington University (GWU) serves as a crucial hub for students and alumni, managing academic records, registration processes, and various certification services. Understanding the Registrar's functions and procedures is essential for a smooth academic journey. This guide provides a detailed overview of the Registrar's services, contact information, and key processes.

Checking for Holds on Your Record

Before registration, it is imperative to ensure that there are no holds on your student record that could prevent you from registering for classes, adding or dropping courses, receiving transcripts, obtaining grades, or even graduating. Holds are placed on student accounts for various reasons, such as outstanding advising appointments or unmet immunization requirements.

To check for holds:

Log in to GWeb.
Click on “Student Records & Registration”.
Select "Student Records Information".
Click “View Administrative Holds”.

The hold screen will display the office that placed the hold and often includes a contact phone number; the DC area code is (202). Contact the relevant office directly to resolve the hold.

Contacting the Registrar

For general Registrar-related inquiries, reach out to the Student Financial and Registration Services team. They are available by phone at 202-994-4900 during the following hours:

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Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

For transcript-related questions, contact Parchment Award. Their customer service department offers web support between 8:00 am - 8:00 pm (EST/EDT), Mondays through Fridays. You can log into your Parchment account and visit the Parchment Help Center for frequently asked questions and support articles.

Essential Forms

The Office of the Registrar provides various forms in PDF format to facilitate different academic processes. Some common forms include:

Registration Transaction Form Classic (RTF): This form must be submitted to your Advising Office.
Undergraduate Academic Forgiveness Request: This form must be submitted to your Advising Office.
Graduate Student Withdrawal: This form must be submitted to your Advising Office.
Undergraduate Student Withdrawal: This form must be submitted to your Advising Office.
Transfer Credit Approval: This form must be submitted to your Advising Office after obtaining department approval.
Internal Transfer Request

Transcripts and Certifications

The Registrar offers various transcript and certification services to current students and alumni.

Enrollment Verification

Current students can obtain an enrollment verification through GWeb. Select "Obtain an Enrollment Verification" from the Student Profile to print an instant verification. Enrollment verification for the current semester is available through the National Student Clearinghouse after the fourth week of classes.

Transcript Requests

Official transcripts must be ordered online through GWeb or Parchment Transcript Services. Unofficial transcripts are available at no cost on GWeb. Notarized transcripts are typically required for employment or universities outside the United States.

Ordering Instructions:

Transcripts may be requested through GWeb or through Parchment Transcript Services. Third-party PDF transcripts cannot be downloaded between the hours of 4-5:30 am (EST/EDT) daily. Parchment Transcript Services will be unavailable on the second Sunday of each month for maintenance from 1am - 5am.

Types of Certifications

The Office of the Registrar can certify enrollment, registration, graduation status, and academic standing for current students and alumni. They can also process deferments for school loans. Requests are generally completed within 4 business days but may take longer depending on the nature of the request.

Common types of certifications include:

Academic Standing: Letters of Academic Standing confirm a student's academic standing at the university.
Club/Team Eligibility Forms: These forms verify enrollment for club and team eligibility, requiring student authorization to release information. A Team Roster Authorization Form may be used if needed.
Enrollment/Registration: Letters of Enrollment certify the semesters in which a student is or has been enrolled, the dates of those semesters, and the student’s enrollment status. A Letter of Registration can be provided for a future term if the student is registered for classes. Self-service enrollment certificates are available from the National Student Clearinghouse via a GWeb link on the Student Profile menu after the add/drop period in each semester.
Graduation: Letters of Graduation confirm that an individual has completed a degree program and been awarded a degree from the university.
Half-Time/Full-Time Certification (Graduate students only): Graduate students can use this form to update their enrollment status if they meet certain criteria.
Invitation: Letters of Invitation can be used by current students to invite friends and/or family members to the United States.
Loan Deferment Forms: These forms allow students to defer repayment of a student loan by certifying enrollment dates, status, and anticipated graduation date.
Professional Certifications: These certifications verify professional education for past and present students, particularly for Medical School and Law School students.

Third-Party Authorization

If someone else is picking up your transcript or certification, or submitting the request for you, they must also have a completed and signed third-party authorization form. Additionally, if someone else is submitting your request they must also have a completed and signed Electronic Request Authorization.

GWid Number

In 2006, the university began using assigned GWid numbers to replace the use of social security numbers. All alumni who have attended since Fall 1982 have been assigned a GWid in the university records system.

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To learn your GWid number, you may use the GWid Retrieval Tool or contact the IT Support Center at (202) 994-4948 for assistance. Alumni who attended prior to Fall 1982 will not have a GWid. Please include whatever student ID number you used at the time with all requests. This may be your social security number, a six-digit ID number, or another alternate ID.

Non-Degree Students

If you are interested in taking courses for credit as a non-degree student, please contact the Office of Non-Degree Students at 202-994-1972 or ondsgwu [dot] edu (onds[at]gwu[dot]edu).

Understanding Registration Errors

When attempting to register for courses, students may encounter error messages. Some common errors include:

Instructor's Signature: Requires permission from the instructor.
Pre-requisites: Indicates that a prerequisite course or minimum test score has not been satisfied. (e.g. "Prerequisite Error: You have not satisfied a prerequisite course or minimum test score required for this course.")
Restriction: The course is restricted to students pursuing specific degrees. (e.g. "This course is restricted to students pursuing specific degrees.")
Course capacity: The course has reached the enrollment maximum when there is no waitlist. (e.g. "This course has reached the enrollment maximum.)

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