FAQs for Students
How many courses and credits do I need to graduate?
Each College degree candidate must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours and 38 to 40 semester courses. See the Undergraduate Bulletin for additional degree requirements.
What gpa do I need to graduate? To graduate with honors?
A minimum grade point average (gpa) of 2.0 is required for graduation. For a list of graduation honors, please see the Undergraduate Bulletin.
How is my gpa calculated?
See the Undergraduate Bulletin for a list of grades and quality points.
How do I get a transcript?
The University Registrar's web site provides instructions for requesting an official or unofficial transcript.
What are the General Education requirements?
For a complete description of the College's General Education requirements, please see the Undergraduate Bulletin.
How can I fulfill foreign language General Education Requirements?
Students in Georgetown College can fulfill the foreign language General Education requirement in one of the following ways:
- Complete course work at Georgetown through the Intermediate II level (e.g. FREN-022 Intermediate French II for French). (See the Language General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for a complete list.)
- Take a language placement test during New Student Orientation and place beyond the Intermediate II level (e.g. FREN-101 Advanced French for French).
- A non-native speaker of English may petition the College Dean's Office for completion of the requirement if the language of instruction in high school was a language other than English. Speakers of languages other than English should contact the Dean's Office for more information.
How many courses can I take in a single department?
In the spirit of a liberal education, each student is required to take 24 courses outside his or her primary major department.
Can I double count a course?
A course taken to fulfill a general education requirement may also be used toward the requirements of a major, minor or certicate because the general education courses serve as introductions to the academic disciplines of the College. However, a course that is used toward a major, minor or certificate cannot be used to fulfill the requirement of another major, minor or certificate: no double counting of courses is permitted.
How do I apply to study abroad?
Please see the study abroad procedures page for more information.
Can I transfer study abroad credit toward my major(s) or minor(s)?
Yes, however, this is subject to the College's overall cap on transfer credit and individual department limits. Please see the study abroad transfer credit page for complete information.
What is the Council on Studies?
The Council on Studies of Georgetown College consists of the Dean, the Associate Deans, the Assistant Deans, and the Academic Counselors. The Council on Studies meets weekly to consider special requests from students and at the end of each semester to review the grades of each student in the College.
I failed a course. What happens now?
The Council on Studies of Georgetown College convenes at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters to review the grades of each student in the College. See the Undergraduate Bulletin for complete information on academic warnings, probation, suspension and dismissal and for information on how to appeal the decision by the Council on Studies.
Can I take summer school courses? What do I need to do?
For summer courses and registration information at Georgetown University, please see the Summer School section of the School of Continuing Studies website.
For non-Georgetown summer school, please see the non-Georgetown summer school information and approval form.
Can I take a course Pass/Fail?
Beginning in sophomore year, students may take up to one course per semester pass/fail. The course must be an elective; courses that fulfill general education, major, minor or certificate requirements cannot be taken pass/fail. To receive a passing grade (S), you must earn the equivalent of a C or above. The grade of C- or below will result in a failing grade (U) and no credit will be awarded.
To apply to take a course pass/fail, please fill out the pass/fail application, and bring it to the Dean's Office for approval. See the Undergraduate Bulletin for more information on taking courses pass/fail.
Does advanced credit (AP, IB, etc.) count for courses as well as credits toward graduation?
Yes. See the Advanced Credit section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for specific credit award information.
Can I audit a course?
No. Georgetown College does not recognize courses for audit.
How do I register for a tutorial?
Registration for tutorials begins on the first day of the semester (through the end of Add/Drop); pre-registration for tutorials is not possible. Students are encouraged to begin the process well before the beginning of the semester. The student should pick up a Tutorial Request Form from the Dean's Office, fill out the form completely, and get the signature of the faculty member who will conduct the tutorial, as well as the signature of the department chair.
What is the consortium? How do I register for a course through the consortium?
Georgetown University belongs to the Consortium of Universities of Washington, D.C. Students who wish to take a course through the Consortium must seek approval from the Dean's Office before registering. Please see the Consortium Policies of the Undergraduate Bulletin for further information.
I can't complete the work for my course by the end of the semester. What should I do?
Students must complete all work in a course no later than the date of the final examination. In the case of illness or other grave reasons, you must request permission from the College Dean's Office to receive the provisional grade of N ("incomplete"). You must request an N grade no later than the last day of class for that semester. N grade forms are available in the Dean's Office and from the Forms for Students section of this web site. Instructions are printed on the forms.
Please note that students on academic probation are not eligible to receive N grades.
When an N grade is granted, the course must be completed and the final grade submitted by the professor no later than March 30 for the fall semester, September 30 for the spring semester, or November 30 for the summer sessions. Please see the Undergraduate Bulletin for more information on incomplete grades.
What's a Conflict Final Exam? Do I qualify?
The Conflict Final Exam, typically administered on the last day of final exams each semester, is available for students who have two final exams scheduled for the same time, three final exams scheduled for the same calendar day, or three final exams in successive time slots. To request that one of your final exams be administered by the Dean's Office during the Conflict Final Exam period, please fill out and return the Conflict Final Exam Form to the College Dean's Office.
I'm interested in going to law school. What should I study? Who should I see for advice?
Georgetown has a long tradition of preparing students to enter the legal profession. The Law Center itself, located near the U.S. Capitol, is nationally prominent. While there is no "pre-law" curriculum, students preparing for law school should concentrate on courses that require analytic thinking and clear written expression.
Most students who plan to go to law school major in one of the humanities or social sciences. However, the flexibility of the College curriculum gives students in any major ample opportunity to elect courses in areas that may serve as a background for law. Students who think they may be interested in a legal career can elect courses such as Constitutional Law, Accounting and Criminology. Courses emphasizing legal research, analysis and writing are regularly offered by the Government Department. Moreover, with the increasingly international and technological scope of legal practice today, students with backgrounds in language, cultural studies and science are uniquely well prepared for law school and legal careers.
Students interested in applying to law school should be sure to consult the web site of the MBNA Career Education Center for information on pre-law advising.
Students who achieve high honors should consider applying to the Georgetown University Law Center through the Early Assurance Program. This program allows exceptionally well-qualified students to submit an application to the Law Center during the junior year. The advantages of the program include not taking the LSAT and having a less stressful senior year. Students not admitted under the Early Assurance Program may apply again through regular admission during the senior year. Interested students should contact the Law Center Admissions Office or the pre-law adviser in the MBNA Career Education Center for applications and details at the beginning of their junior year.
I'm interested in medical school. Whom should I see?
The pre-med advisors are Dean Ali Whitmer and Dean Tad Howard. Please explore the Pre-Med website for lots of information about the undergraduate pre-med program and other resources and advice to prepare you to apply to medical school. Also, please make sure to notify the dean's office of your interest in pre-med coursework.
Can I get credit for an internship?
Academic credit is awarded for the academic product of an internship, such as a research paper or portfolio, not the work experience itself. See the internship information section of this web site.
What is the Community-Based Learning Credit program?
The Community-Based Learning Credit program allows students to receive an additional credit hour in one of their classes by integrating their work in the community with other course requirements. For complete information, please see the Community-Based Learning Credit Program web site.
What is Tropaia?
The Tropaia Exercises are the annual awards ceremony of Georgetown College. Tropaia is held during Commencement weekend. See the Undergraduate Bulletin for descriptions of the awards of the College, some of which are presented at Tropaia.
