Advising FAQs

FERPA

• FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, protects the privacy of student records.
• SAO will not provide any information to a parent or other third party without student authorization.
• The Student Consent form is listed on the SAO webpage under “FERPA Authorization (Registrar’s Office).”

Student eBill

• Student eBill is the online portal available to students via GWEB.
• From Student eBill, students can:
  • View their account activity and current statement
  • Set up an alternate email address or phone number for alerts
  • Make a payment
  • Set up an authorized user, such as a parent, to grant them access to their account
• Students or their authorized users can also sign up for a payment plan for the upcoming semester.
• Email Notifications: Student eBill sends email notifications to the @gwu.edu email for statements, payments, and other activity. If a student prefers a different email address, they should log into eBill to add it as a secondary point of contact.

Deposit Forfeits and Deferrals

• If a student does not register in the semester in which they paid a deposit, that deposit is eligible for forfeiture.
• SAO forfeits deposits after the end of the add/drop period each semester.
• If a student has deferred their admission, please email [email protected].

Billing

• Issue Dates:
  • Fall invoices are issued in July
  • Spring invoices are issued in November
  • Summer invoices are issued in April
  • If a student registers after initial invoices are issued, they will receive their invoice the following Monday.
• Payment Deadline: Students should coordinate their payment options to ensure the balance is paid in full by the first day of the semester unless they are enrolled in a payment plan. If the bill is not paid in full by the first day of the semester, the student will be eligible for a financial hold and late payment fees.
• How to Pay: GW accepts many forms of payment, which can be located on the SAO website.
• Payment Plan: Payment plan options can also be located on the SAO website.
• Financial Aid: Instructions on how to apply for financial aid are available on the OFSA website.

Tuition, Fees, and Other Charges

• Tuition Rates: All rates are published on the Student Accounts website.
  • A student’s tuition rate is tied to their primary curriculum.
  • A student cannot be charged more than one rate at a time.
• Common Fees and Charges:
  • Matriculation Fees: one-time charge for new students
  • Student Activity Fee: $50 per semester for undergraduates in residential colleges
  • Student Government Association Fee: $3 per credit (up to 15 credits) for main campus students to support the student government association
  • Registration Fee: $35 per semester for off-campus and online students
  • Course Fees: Some classes have extra fees (e.g., art, engineering, labs, languages). These are listed separately on the bill and in the Schedule of Classes.
  • Proctor Fees: Some off-campus courses may include a proctor fee. Contact your program for details.
• U-Pass:
  • All full-time residentiary undergraduate students will pay a $115 fee each semester as a mandatory fee.
  • Part-time undergraduate, graduate, law, and medical students with on-campus registration may opt into U-PASS using Student eBill. Payment is required at the time of enrollment.
  • Students studying off-campus, online, or abroad are not eligible.
• Student Health Insurance:
  • The university mandates that all on-campus students must have medical health insurance coverage while enrolled at GW.
  • GW offers a comprehensive Student Health Insurance Plan (GW SHIP) through Aetna Student Health.
  • If the student is covered by an equivalent health insurance plan and wants to opt out of GW SHIP, they must submit a form to waive GW SHIP each year they are enrolled.
  • Students can learn more by emailing [email protected] or calling 202-994-5300, option 5.

Tuition Refund Policy

• Course Drops: Courses dropped prior to the start of the semester will receive a 100% refund. Starting on the first day of classes, drops are subject to the university refund schedule below. For refunds calculated by week, the period is considered to be Monday to Sunday.
• Exceptions: Select programs are offered on a different schedule with different refund rates for dropped classes. Please visit the Law School, Public Health Online, and SEAS Online & Off-Campus Doctoral and Masters Programs to view the Withdrawal and Refund Policies specific to those programs.

12–16 Week Term

8–11 Week Term

4–7 Week Term

• Full-time undergraduate students are charged a flat tuition rate as long as they are enrolled within 12–18 credit hours (19 credits for UG SEAS students). If they drop a course and remain in that range, no tuition refund is owed.
• If a student withdraws after the applicable drop period ends, they are responsible for the whole tuition and fee amount.
• If for any reason the tuition recalculation is not accurate, please email [email protected] and SAO can review the account.
• If students are unable to drop a course through GWEB, an RTF form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
• All tuition refunds must align with the most up-to-date registration record in Banner. If an adjustment is needed, the registration record must be corrected through the Office of the Registrar first. Once it is updated, Banner will reassess tuition. If this does not resolve the issue, please reach out to [email protected].

Refunds

• Title IV: Students do not need to submit a refund request for credit balances due to excess Title IV funds; these are processed automatically after the start of the semester.
• GI Bill/Yellow Ribbon: Students do not need to submit a refund request for credit balances due to excess GI Bill® or Yellow Ribbon funds, as these are automatically reviewed by the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services.
• Overpayments: Students whose existing credit balance is the result of an overpayment can use GWEB to request a refund or to transfer their credit to a future term. Refund request instructions for students can be found on the SAO website. Refund requests are processed within 1–3 business days, but may take up to 5 business days during the first week of the semester.
• BankMobile: GW’s Student Accounts Office works with BankMobile Disbursements, a service powered by BMTX, Inc., to help students receive their refunds. Students can set their direct deposit preferences through the BankMobile portal.

Past Due Policy

• Failure to pay the bill in full by the first day of the semester, or to make all required monthly payment plan payments by their due dates, will result in the assessment of late fees, financial holds, and other collection activity.
• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that payment arrangements are made in a timely manner to avoid these penalties.

Holds

• 24 Holds: Used for active students with balances equal to or greater than $2,500 after 30 days; blocks registration and diplomas.
• GH Holds: Used for students who have applied for graduation and have a balance; does not block degree conferral, but does block diplomas.
• MB Holds: Used for inactive students with balances greater than $25; blocks registration and diplomas.
• 62 Holds: Used for inactive students with balances greater than $250 who are with a collection agency; blocks registration and diplomas.
• 65 Holds: Used for inactive students who are no longer with a collections agency; blocks registration and diplomas.
• If you need a hold override to allow a student to maintain enrollment under these circumstances, please contact [email protected].

Late Fees

• Late Fee Schedule: Accounts with outstanding balances are subject to a flat $75 late fee on the schedule below. If the account continues to have an outstanding balance, the account will be charged a 5% fee the following month. This cycle repeats each semester.

*Unless a lower amount is required by law.

• Disputes: Students can dispute late fees using the Late Payment Fee Appeal form. All requests must be received by SAO within 60 days of these fees being assessed. Appeal decisions are final and will not be subject to further review.

Collections

• Pre-collections: Students with financial holds are eligible for pre-collections through Compass for 90 days after the end of the semester.
  • They can enroll in a payment plan or pay in full with no penalty during those 90 days.
  • If they bring their balance under the hold threshold, they are eligible to register.
• Collections: Students who do not resolve their accounts during pre-collections will be placed with a collection agency.
  • This will appear on their credit report.
  • They must bring their balance to $0 to regain access to university services, including registration.