ADVANCE Co-Enrollment Policy

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be in good standing in ADVANCE (meeting ADVANCE program milestones)

  • Have completed at least 15 native NOVA credits

  • Have met with a Success Coach to ensure co-enrollment is in the curricular pathway and that the student meets the eligibility requirements of ADVANCE co-enrollment

  • Student will need to have satisfactorily completed any pre-requisite(s) to Mason courses at NOVA or via other external earned credit (if applicable)

Co-Enrollment Appointment:

  • Meeting with the Success Coach: An ADVANCE student’s first step towards co-enrollment at Mason is to meet with their assigned Success Coach to ensure co-enrollment is in their curricular pathway and that the student meets the eligibility requirements of ADVANCE co-enrollment

  • Complete the co-enrollment form: If the student’s Success Coach approves co-enrollment for a student in a given semester, the Success Coach will submit an initial NOVA e-form (125-388) request on behalf of the student to both institutions. Once this e-form is submitted indicating a student’s approval, a follow-up form will be sent IMMEDIATELY to the student’s VCCS e-mail account to complete the co-enrollment approval process

  • During their success coaching appointment, the student will then complete and submit this form indicating the course(s) they intend to take at Mason, which term, and whether or not they will be using financial aid/VA benefits with their Success Coach

  • Once this form is completed, it is electronically routed to various student services offices at NOVA and Mason (e.g. NOVA Financial Aid, College Records Office, Military Services, Mason Student Accounts)

After Co-Enrollment Appointment:

  • Registration: After the student’s co-enrollment form is completed, the student’s assigned Success Coach will send student a follow-up e-mail to confirm co-enrollment approval and to provide helpful information on how to register for a course via PatriotWeb, including information on a student’s time ticket/priority registration date in a given semester

  • Payment: This e-mail also includes information on how to pay for the course(s), providing guidance for students using NOVA financial aid or paying out of pocket for the course

  • Holds: Once student is approved for co-enrollment, the assigned Success Coach will temporarily remove a student’s registration hold at Mason. Please note all non-degree ADVANCE students have a hold on their Mason account preventing course registration unless approved. Students will also be reminded to rectify any outstanding holds (e.g. immunization record holds) on account prior to course registration, as these may block successful enrollment

  • Reclassification of Credit: Once a student has been successfully converted to degree-seeking status at Mason, the ADVANCE Team works in partnership with the Office of the Provost and the Office of the University Registrar to convert any pathway-specific co-enrollment credit taken in nondegree-seeking status to degree-seeking status on behalf of the student. Please note that this credit will count towards their degree-seeking requirements and cumulative grade point average at Mason (Added December 2020)

Important Tips to Remember:

  • When students are co-enrolling into Mason coursework, their ADVANCE non-degree status impacts their time ticket for priority registration. Please refer to Success Coach for time ticket date in a given semester

  • The maximum number of credit hours a student can co-enroll into in any given ADVANCE curricular pathway is 9 credits (exception: Cyber Engineering ADV pathway, 2018-2019, which has 12 credits)

  • Once Mason co-enrollment coursework is completed, ADVANCE works “behind the scenes” with NOVA and Mason to have credit awarded towards a student’s NOVA degree requirements on their behalf

  • If a student is using financial aid and has already fulfilled the NOVA degree requirement for which their co-enrollment course is attached to, this class may need to be deferred to Mason once the student is in degree seeking status.

  • Students are not only assessed Mason tuition for all co-enrollment classes, but unlike NOVA, are NOT dropped from Mason coursework due to non-payment

  • All other existing student holds (i.e. immunizations) must be rectified before able to register

  • Some co-enrollment courses (i.e. VSE courses) are not offered every semester; please help student plan for this accordingly given their academic plan

  • ADVANCE students who have completed Mason co-enrollment coursework will have this credit reclassified to undergraduate credit at time of ADVANCE matriculation and it will count towards their degree-seeking requirements and cumulative grade point average at Mason (Added December 2020)