FAQ

Advisement FAQ

Who is my academic advisor?

There are six advisement offices on campus.  The Student Advisement Center, 255 Sparks Hall, serves freshmen and sophomores who have earned less than 42 credit hours (including transfer credit).  If you have earned less than 42 credit hours, please call us at 404-413-2300.  If you have earned more than 42 hours, please contact the Georgia State University operator at 404-413-2000.  Tell the operator your intended major and you will be directed to your Office of Academic Assistance.

41 earned credits or less:

Student Advisement Center 

42 earned credits or more:

Arts and Sciences:

General Classroom Building, 4th Floor 404 413-5000

Robinson College of Business:

35 Broad Street, Suite 315  404 413-7115

College of Education:

College of Education Building, Rm. 300  404 413-8000

Health and Human Sciences:

Urban Life Building, Rm. 811 404 413-1000

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies:

14 Marietta Street, Suite G52  404 413-0021

How do I change or declare my major or minor?

If you are a current student, stop by your assigned Academic Advisor's office to complete a form. You may consider making an appointment to discuss any entrance or prerequisite requirements before entering into a specific major. Not every major requires a concentration, and not every major allows for a minor.

Remember: If you are a new freshman, you must declare your major within one calendar year after your first semester of enrollment at Georgia State, or a hold will be placed on your registration.

If you are new student beginning classes in an upcoming semester and wish to change your major, you must wait until after the first week of classes to make the change with your Advisement Office. If you have extenuating circumstances and need to make a change immediately, please contact the Office of Admissions in Sparks Hall, Rm. 200, or call 404-413-2500 for assistance.

 

I have an “SV/PROBATION” hold on my account. How do I get it removed?
You must meet with an Academic Advisor in the Student Advisement Center. Please call the office at 404-413-2300 to schedule an appointment. Please review the Academic Improvement Program policies.
I have a Regents’ hold on my account that states I must sign up for remedial coursework. Why can’t I just sign up to take the test and have the hold removed?
If you are a Georgia State student, or a student who has transferred into Georgia State from another institution in the University System of Georgia, you are required to take the Regents’ Reading and Writing Test prior to earning 45 credit hours. If you do not take and pass the test prior to that time, you are required to take one or both of the remedial courses in each subsequent semester until both portions of the test are taken and passed.

If you are a non-USG transfer student, you must take the Regents’ Test prior to your third semester of enrollment. For Regents’ purposes, a semester of enrollment is a semester during which you are eligible to enroll in Georgia State classes, even if you choose not to enroll, and includes summer semester. You may take the Regents’ test during a semester in which you are not enrolled in classes. If you do not take and pass the test prior to your third semester of enrollment, you are required to take one or both of the remedial courses in each subsequent semester until both portions of the test are taken and passed.

For more information, please visit the Regents’ Testing site at www.gsu.edu/testing, and click on “Regents.”
Can I exempt the Regents’ Test? How?
Yes, if you present certain AP, IB, SAT, or ACT scores, you can exempt one or both sections of the Regents’ Test. You can also use a combination of SAT/ACT scores and grades in English 1101 to exempt the test. For a full list of approved exemptions, please visit www.gsu.edu/testing, click on “Regents,” and then scroll down to “Approved Exemptions for Regents’ Requirements.”
My GPA, with my transfer credit included, is above the 2.0 requirement, but my academic standing went down to “Warning” this past semester. Why?
Only your Georgia State University grades are used to determine academic standing. You must earn a 2.0 Georgia State University GPA each semester to remain in good standing, and a cumulative 2.0 GPA to graduate. Some programs have GPA entrance requirements or GPA minimums to qualify to take specific courses. You can view your GPA in PAWS.

Check out our GPA Calculator.
If a class I want to register for is closed, or I get a “PREQ or TEST SCORE” message when I try to register, can my advisor help me with that?
First, check the course description to make sure you have met the prerequisite or appropriate test score. Then check the comment section to make sure the class does not have other restrictions. If you have met the prerequisites and are still receiving an error message, contact the department that teaches the course and let them know you are eligible to register for that course. If the course is closed, you can check with the department to find out about overflowing into the class. Call the Georgia State University Operator at 404-413-2000 for department phone numbers.
Why did I get dropped from all my classes?
Please contact the One Stop Shop to determine the reason for your classes being dropped. Typically, students are dropped due to non payment of tuition by deadline, failure to complete or accept all financial aid documents, or exclusion from the University. If you have been excluded, you may contact the Student Advisement Center to discuss procedures for reinstatement. To avoid being dropped, make sure you check your student email and GoSOLAR account before the drop/add periods end.
I’ve just been accepted as a new student. What are my next steps for advisement?
New Students admitted for fall and spring semesters should attend Incept Orientation – please register here. New Transfer students must complete an online pre-orientation that can be accessed from the Transfer Advisement page in addition to registering for Incept. During Incept, students meet with Academic Advisors to plan their schedules and register for classes, socialize with current and new students, and learn their way around campus. Orientation for international students is provided by International Student and Scholar Services.
How will I know when my transfer credit is accepted?
You can log onto your PAWS account to view your transfer credits. Look under the “Student Records” menu and select “View Transfer Credit.” You will be able to see what transfer credit has been reviewed and articulated to Georgia State University credit. If you have any questions about your transfer credit, please consult with your appropriate Academic Advisement office. AP, and/or IB credit should also show up in this section. You may also want to take a look at the transfer equivalency charts for your school.