Academic Policies

The GW School of Business (GWSB) along with the George Washington University (GW) establishes the minimum requirements for the completion and awarding of graduate degrees. Students should familiarize themselves with, and are responsible for, adhering to all policies and procedures relevant to their pursuit of their graduate degree, including those published in the GW University Bulletin and the GW School of Business Bulletin. Other university polices must also be observed. If you have any questions about GWSB academic policies, please schedule an appointment with your academic advisor.

View the GWSB Academic Policy Handbook

Students wishing to postpone their start of classes must submit a request to defer through the Office of Graduate Admissions. Deferral requests must be submitted no later than the Sunday prior to the start of classes. Students enrolled in courses for the semester in which they would like to defer should reach out to their academic advisor via email to notify them of their request to defer. In addition, the student should drop themselves from all classes they are registered for via the GWeb system.

A student seeking an exception to a university or School of Business policy due to extenuating circumstances must submit a Policy Exception Request. A policy exception request must be accompanied by documentation of extenuating circumstances. Students should not assume that policy exception requests will be approved. Until a student receives written confirmation that an exception has been approved, the student should operate under the assumption that it will be denied (i.e., the student should continue to attend class, submit assignments, consider alternatives, etc.). Any student who is in doubt about how a policy or procedure applies to her or him should seek clarification from their academic advisor.

The GW School of Business reserves the right to change rules and regulations affecting students as necessary. Unawareness of policy changes will not be accepted as an excuse for failure to act in accordance with them.