At Mason, academic advising is delivered to all undergraduate students and student-athletes with declared majors through their academic departments either by teaching faculty or by professional advisors. All students, including student-athletes, who have not declared a major, are advised by the professional advising staff in the Academic Advising Center. Although students are not required by the university to seek out advising prior to course registration, student-athletes are required by ICA to meet with their faculty or professional Academic Advisors prior to each registration period. In addition, student-athletes must obtain written approval from their faculty or professional Academic Advisors ensuring that the courses selected for registration meet academic program requirements and their successful completion will further the student-athlete's progress toward degree completion.

For additional information about registration, contact Cheryl Hunte at 703-993-3250 or your academic coordinator.

Who is eligible to receive tutoring?
All student-athletes who are on an active roster are eligible to receive tutoring through the Office of Academic Services. When available, our tutoring services are free of charge for student-athletes and may be used during the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms while classes are in session.

Where does tutoring take place?
All tutoring takes place on campus in the West PE Module. Student-athletes receive tutoring in the Academic Services Building under the supervision of our full-time staff. Our building is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The module is designed with private tutoring rooms for use while our building is open. Our computer lab can also be used for tutoring sessions.

How student-athletes are assigned a tutor?
Student-athletes are assigned a tutor in one of two ways. Academic Coordinators can assign a student-athlete to work with a tutor during the semester. Tutoring is also available at the request of the student-athlete. Once a tutoring assignment is made the student-athlete will generally meet with his or her tutor on a weekly basis at the assigned time.

What takes place during a tutoring session?
Tutoring sessions typically last for one hour. They are one-on-one, or small group, sessions with a tutor and are meant to enhance student-athlete learning. Tutoring sessions are NOT a replacement of class lecture and other study time. Student-athletes are expected to come to each tutoring session on time and prepared with questions and course material. They should attempt all reading and course work prior to the tutoring session. Tutors can review concepts, work on study strategies, and help with the writing process. Academic Coordinators are provided with feedback from tutors after every session.

What subjects are available for tutoring?
Most subjects at the 100-200 level are available for tutoring purposes through Academic Services. We can also accommodate for certain courses at the 300-400 level. Subjects available for tutoring include Math, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Accounting, Economics, Spanish, English, History, IT, and Computer Science. Other subjects may be available.

Who are our Tutors?
Tutors working for Academic Services are typically GMU graduate students. We also have working professionals on staff to work as tutors. Our tutors are professional, responsible, and dedicated to helping all of their student-athletes succeed. All tutors working on staff are held to the same student-privacy laws and honor code rules followed by all GMU faculty and staff.

Student-athletes are encouraged to use all campus resources for help with course work. Most departments on campus offer tutoring services for GMU students. In certain situations our student-athletes will be referred to these locations for further help.

For more information about the tutoring program, contact Mike Ouellette at 703-993-3704 or mouelle2@gmu.edu.

Academic Priority Program

Embedded in the Academic Services Program is the "Academic Priority Program" (APP) that has both an individual (I-APP) and team (T-APP) component. The APP is an organized academic recovery program designed to ensure that those student-athletes or teams who have failed to meet minimally acceptable academic standards established by the NCAA, Mason, and/or ICA have the academic support and oversight necessary to make timely academic recoveries. Through the APP, individuals and teams that have demonstrated an inability to successfully manage their academic performances or progress are identified and mandated to comply with behavioral contracts. Failure to comply with their contracts imposes sanctions on the non-compliant student-athletes. Those sanctions may include suspensions from practices and competitions or may prohibit a student-athlete from missing any classes to attend competitions. Each Academic Coordinator implements and oversees the APP for the student-athletes on his/her assigned teams.