Freshman Students

All Mason students born after December 31, 1956, must provide proof of compliance with immunization requirements mandated by the Commonwealth of Virginia and George Mason University.  

All students must fill the Immunization Record Form and submit it to the Student Health Immunization Office by  Thursday, August 1, 2024. Students are encouraged to complete the five immunization requirements BEFORE they travel to the US. Students must submit a completed GMU Immunization Form signed by a health care provider. Students may upload the form to the patient portal along with any blood test reports and/or chest x-ray reports. 

The five requirements are listed below:
1. Hepatitis B (shots or blood test report)
2. Measles, Mumps & Rubella (shots or blood test report)
3. Meningococcal (shot)
4. Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis (shot)
5. Tuberculosis (skin test or Quantiferon blood test report) **If your home country is listed on p. 2 of the Immunization Record Form AND you have not lived in the US for the past five years, TB testing is required.  

Students can complete the five immunization requirements upon arrival at Mason, however, wait times for immunization appointments can be long. To learn more about the immunization requirements, proof of immunization, or to print the Immunization form go to the Student Health Website.  

The deadline to submit the Immunization Record Form and supporting documents (labs and chest x-ray reports if completed) is Thursday, August 1, 2024. We recommend you upload your completed form to the patient portal for review.   

For location and office hours, visit the Immunizations website.  

NOTE: Some students submit the Immunization Record form and supporting documents online to the patient portal and other students prefer to drop off their documents in person upon arrival at Mason. Once you have completed all the requirements, you will receive a secure message from the patient portal. The message will state if your records are complete or if more information is needed. 

• Freshman students are discouraged from registering for classes UNTIL they have contacted their Academic Advisor. 
• While completing your registration for Orientation, you will select 2 important dates. One is for your virtual advising and registration session to select your classes. You are expected to attend this session to get registered for your classes and make sure you are set on the correct academic path for your major.   
• If you wish to get advice for your academic path prior to your virtual advising & registration session, virtual pre-orientation academic advising is available to international students beginning on  Friday, April 26, 2024, through the major of your academic College/School. To confirm which College/School you are in, reference the full list of  majors at Mason. You will then need to reach out to the advisor directly to make an appointment, otherwise, you can come to your chosen virtual session.    
• Placement Exams – These are major-specific. Review information on how to complete a test at the math placement and foreign language placement websites. Placement testing can be completed virtually or on-campus in-person in advance of your Advising & Registration date. In-person math placement tests are encouraged, and are available daily as walk-in only. Limited virtual math placement test sessions will be available using this navigate link. Be sure to review the major-specific information to determine if you need a test or not for your course registration requirements.

Prior to orientation/course registration, we recommend you review the following information:

1. Review the Course Registration Guide

• The Course Registration Guide explains how to register and drop classes in Patriot Web (link: http://registrar.gmu.edu/topics/registration-guide/)
• You will log in to Patriot Web (link: http://patriotweb.gmu.edu) in order to register for classes

2. Review the rule "Full-Time Enrollment Requirement"

• Federal regulations require international students in F-1 status to take a full course of study in the Fall and Spring.  Undergraduate students MUST register for a minimum of 12 credits in Fall and Spring. 
• Federal regulations limit the number of online courses international students in F-1 status can count towards their full-time enrollment. The full-time enrollment requirement for undergraduates is 12 credits and at least 9 credits must be face-to-face or hybrid. If a student has met the requirement to take at least 9 face-to-face or hybrid credits, they can take 3 credits online or more credits online. Students should check with their department to make sure there is no academic restriction to taking online courses.  
• Online courses are marked as "distance education" in the Course Catalog and the venue of the course is marked as "Online/Internet NET" or "TBA." Please note that online courses are different from hybrid courses. In a hybrid course, the professor and students will meet both on-campus and online. International students can take as many hybrid courses as they wish. Students can also determine if a course is online or face-to-face/hybrid by checking the Instructional Method in Patriotweb. Student should register for at least 9 credits that are F2F: 76-100% or Hybrid, F2F 2-75%. After meeting this requirement, students can take 3 or more credits that are fully online: 
  
• • Fully online: F2F 0-1%   
  • Hybrid: F2F 2-75%  
  • F2F: F2F 76-100%
    
    See detailed information at Enrollment and Work Rules.

3.  Download the app Blackboard App for Students on your smartphone

• Blackboard App for Students is is a free mobile and tablet-optimized app for iOS, Android, and Microsoft. This app gives Mason students access to their Blackboard course content on a variety of mobile devices. The first release of the Blackboard App includes the ability to access courses, view the course content, take tests, participate in discussions, and join Collaborate sessions.
• Link: https://its.gmu.edu/knowledge-base/how-to-install-the-blackboard-mobile-learn-app/

If you decide to defer your admission, you must withdraw from courses during the drop/add period (Final day of Fall 2024: Tuesday, September 17, 2024, for a 50% refund).  If you fail to drop your classes, you are responsible for any fees incurred. In addition, contact the Student Health Insurance Office at insure@gmu.edu to cancel your health insurance.  If you fail to do so, you are responsible for any fees incurred (including late fees).  

1. Review your tuition, health insurance and fees bill online:

• Go to Patriot Web
• Click on “Student Services”
• Select “Student Accounts”

2. Review payment options:

• George Mason University offers a variety of payment options (online, cash, check, credit card, payment installment plans).  To learn more about the payment methods, visit http://studentaccounts.gmu.edu/payment-information/
• George Mason has partnered with Flywire to streamline the tuition payment process for our international students. Flywire allows students to pay from any country and any bank. They also offer excellent foreign exchange rates, allowing you to pay in your home currency (in most cases) and save a significant amount of money, compared to traditional banks. You will be able to track the progress of your payment throughout the transfer process via a student dashboard and you will also be notified via email when your payment is received by Mason. If you need to make an international payment, please visit Flywire.

3. Pay your tuition, health insurance, and fees by the deadline:

• The tuition deadline is Monday, August 26, 2024.  
• You do not need to wait to pay your bill until  Monday, August 26, 2024. You can pay in advance.  In case you paid too much, you can request a refund.  For more information, review the  FAQs.