Student Policies
Glossary
- Refund and Cancellation Policy
- Transfer Policy
- Financial Good Standing
- Honor Code
- FERPA Notice
- Weather & Emergency Cancellations
- Student Complaint Policy
- Institutional Disclosures
- Change of Mailing Address
- Additional Policies
Refund and Cancellation Policy
We recognize you may occasionally need to cancel your registration. For course registrations, if you wish to receive a refund or credit toward a future course, we must receive your cancellation request in your student portal, no less than five business days prior to the course start date. All course registration cancellations are subject to a non-refundable $125.00 administrative fee. Cancellation requests received four or fewer business days before the published course start date, forfeit the entire course registration fee. For program or event registrations, all registration cancellations are subject to a non-refundable 15% administrative fee, which will be deducted from your refund. Cancellation requests received four or fewer business days before the program or event start date may forfeit the entire registration fee.
If you have requested a cancellation and are entitled to a refund, please note, refunds for check payments may take up to six weeks, or longer, as refunds are processed through the Commonwealth of Virginia. Payments will be refunded to the person or company that issued the original check to George Mason University. Refunds for credit card payments will be made only to the credit card used for the original payment. Processing time will vary based on your financial institution.
Please note that additional refund restrictions may apply based on the unique nature of certain seminars, courses, or certificate programs. Please see the individual seminar, course, and certificate program pages for information about additional refund elements.
Continuing and Professional Education reserves the right to cancel any program, in which case, a full refund of fees or a transfer will be offered.
Transfer Policy
Transfer requests must be made in your student portal, no less than five business days prior to the individual course start date. Each student’s first transfer request, if received five or more business days prior to the course start date, is at no charge to the student. Any subsequent transfer, for any course, will be assessed a $125 fee.
Please note, students will not receive a transfer, if a transfer request is received on or after the start date of a course. Transfer requests received on or after the start date of a course forfeit the entire course registration fee.
Please note that additional fees may apply based on the unique nature of certain seminars, courses, or certificate programs. Please see the individual seminar, course, and certificate program pages for information about additional transfer fees.
Registration fee credits must be used within one year.
Financial Good Standing
Financial good standing, and a university record clear of holds, are required for students to receive services. Services, including but not limited to, transcript issuance, certificate release, and course registration will not be provided to students with a financial balance due or a hold of any kind on their record. Holds are based on outstanding obligations and my be financial.
Honor Code
George Mason University shares the tradition of an honor system that has existed in Virginia since 1842. The Honor Code is an integral part of university life and it is the student's responsibility to understand the provisions of the code. Attempted cheating, plagiarism, lying and stealing constitute Honor Code violations. In the spirit of the code, students and faculty must report all violations to the Honor Committee. The complete Honor Code can be found in the University Catalog, or with the Office of Academic Integrity.
FERPA Notice
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that governs the educational records of eligible students. It grants students continuous access to their educational records upon request, allows students to amend their records if they feel they are inaccurate, and restricts how and when their educational records can be disclosed. All students at Mason control access to all of their educational records and must give consent before that information is disclosed to any third party (including parents, spouses, employers, etc). Please note that Mason does not disclose non-directory information unless the student has signed a consent form or the disclosure meets a qualified exception under FERPA.
Weather & Emergency Cancellations
George Mason University campus closures will generally not affect the delivery of online courses. In the event of inclement weather, students are encouraged to confirm in advance whether class will meet as scheduled. Please visit our website at cpe.gmu.edu to get up to date information regarding weather cancellations and delays. In the event of a cancellation due to inclement weather, your class will be re-scheduled and you will be notified of the rescheduled date(s) and time(s).
Student Complaint Policy
We want you to have the best educational experience possible during your time with Mason Continuing and Professional Education. If you have a concern about any course or program, please contact our office at cpeinfo@gmu.edu. If we determine that your inquiry should go to an instructor or another service unit on campus, we will let you know, and you will need to contact that office. Please see our Student Complaint Policy and Procedures page for additional information.
Institutional Disclosures
For institutional disclosures and state authorization information regarding online courses and programs, please see the University's State Authorization page.
Change of Mailing Address
Please contact Continuing and Professional Education if you move or change jobs, so you will receive mailings in a timely manner.
Additional Policies
Please refer to the University Catalog for other policies related to our programs, including academic and registration policies pertaining to for-credit courses and programs.