Reserve Graduate Credit

Undergraduate students may request permission to take a graduate class and hold the credit earned in reserve, to apply later toward a graduate degree. Students can apply for "reserve graduate credit" only for courses numbered 500-699.

Please note that this request is not for students who are in an accelerated master's program.

Requesting Reserve Graduate Credit

1. Read policies below.
2. Obtain request form from the Office of the Registrar.
3. Obtain course instructor approval.
4. Obtain major academic advisor approval.
5. Submit to academic dean's office. 

Reserve Graduate Credit Policies

Requests for reserve graduate credit should be submitted to the Undergraduate Affairs Office at least two weeks prior to the start of the requested course to allow adequate time for review.

• Students must be seniors at Mason within 15 hours of graduation.
• Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher at Mason.
• Students must have completed at least 12 credits at Mason.
• Students can accumulate a maximum of *six* total credits of reserve graduate credit within their undergraduate career. This is a non-negotiable university limit, and we do not waive it.
• Students eligible to graduate cannot defer their graduation to take reserve graduate credit in a future semester.

If permission is granted to take a course for reserve graduate credit, it does not imply approval for admission into a graduate program at George Mason or elsewhere. If a student is later admitted to a graduate program, the course taken for reserve graduate may be able to be applied to the degree program, subject to the approval of the program director and the dean. Only courses with satisfactory graduate grades (A or B) may be applied to a graduate program.

Reserve Graduate Credit Form >>

Students have the right to appeal denial of a request. Information on submitting an appeal can be found at the bottom of the page