Frequently Asked Questions

When is the schedule adjustment period for Spring 2021?

Students are able to adjust their schedules until the 10th day of classes, Friday, February 5th. Please note there may be implications if you are switching between full time and part time status. You can find complete information about the schedule adjustment period and relevant financial policies here: http://registrar.umd.edu/current/registration/ScheduleAdjustment.html

What should I do if I'm still waitlisted for a course on the first day of classes?

You MUST check into the waitlist each day during the schedule adjustment period if you wish to continue waiting for an open seat in a course. If you do not check into the waitlist each day, you will be removed from the waitlist. GVPT Advising cannot grant you back your spot on a waitlist. Keep in mind that if you are waitlisted for multiple sections of the same course, you must accept the first section that becomes open to you. Denying a seat in one section will remove you from the waitlist for the course entirely. Detailed information about waitlist policies can be found here: https://www.registrar.umd.edu/current/registration/waitlist.html

What is the difference between a waitlist and a holdfile?

Some courses have both waitlists and holdfiles. Some only have one or the other. If you are holdfiled for a GVPT course, it is likely the course does not have a waitlist. Please also note that holdfiles are tacked onto the end of waitlists on the first day of classes. You may find detailed information about the difference between the waitlist and the holdfile here: https://www.registrar.umd.edu/current/registration/waitlist.html

What does it mean to be part time and how will that impact me?

Students are considered ‘part time’ if they are registered for less than 12 credits. If you are registered for less than 12 credits, you should expect to pay by credit amount instead of paying the full tuition rate. You may find more information about tuition and fees here. Going part time may impact your ability to live on campus or your ability to receive scholarships and/or financial aid. You should contact the offices relevant for you if you have questions about your status. Part time students should review their payment and refund schedule under ‘Penalties for Drops Under Schedule Adjustment’ here. Please note that schedule adjustment refunds are different for part time students than they are for full time students.

Can I register for a GVPT course that I do not have the pre-requisites for?

No. GVPT enforces pre-requisites for all GVPT courses. If you register for a course and do not have the pre-requisite complete, you will be asked to drop or be administratively removed from the course.

Do I have any registration blocks and what do my blocks mean?

You can check your account for registration blocks by viewing your registration blocks via Appointment and Registration Status on Testudo. You may find more information about the meaning of certain blocks here. GVPT Advising cannot lift any blocks that do not come from our office. If you have a "Mandatory Advising" block on your account for GVPT, please email gvptadvising@umd.edu to address it.

What is experiential learning and what should I know about it?

Experiential learning credit within GVPT is considered to be any approved internship programs (GVPT388W/377 and Federal/Global Fellows Fall seminars), Independent Studies/Research (GVPT388), and Mock Trial (GVPT217 and GVPT317). GVPT students are able to apply 6 experiential learning credits towards GVPT major requirements. This means they may apply various combinations of the programs listed above. Programs that put a student beyond 6 credits can, in most circumstances, be taken for elective credit.

I am seeking exemption from the elementary foreign langauge requirement or the intermediate foreign language/additional skills requirement for GVPT. How do I do this?

Please visit our GVPT or GVPT-IR major requirements page and scroll to the bottom for complete instructions.

I need to update my supporting sequence.

Please email gvptadvising@umd.edu with your request and we will process it for you. Keep in mind that supporting sequence courses must be taken from one single department or program area. Courses from different departments or programs must be approved by a GVPT advisor.

Can I use my double major or minor courses for my GVPT supporting sequence?

Typically, yes. GVPT will count courses from most double majors and minors. However, you should be sure to check in with the advisor of your other program to make sure that program does not have a stricter policy on what may overlap. It is your responsibility to make sure you are aware of the policies for all programs you’re a part of.

We cannot count ANY GVPT courses in the supporting sequence (with the exception of certain IDCM courses. If you are in the MIDCM program please contact us as there are specific rules you’ll need to follow.)

We cannot count courses towards the GVPT supporting sequence if they are already counting for other GVPT major requirements. For example, if you are double majoring with ECON, we cannot count ECON200 towards the supporting sequence since that is counted towards the skills section of the GVPT major.

Keep in mind that GVPT counts courses by credits. The supporting sequence must be 15 total credits, and 6 of those credits must be at the 300/400 level.

Please contact us if you are dual DEGREEING before assuming courses can count towards the supporting sequence. If you are dual degreeing, there is a limit for how many credits can count between programs.

I think I'm enrolled in a crosslisted/substitute course that should be counting as a GVPT course of choice but it's not counting on Uachieve. How can I check this?

First, you should check our Departmental Policies page to see if the course is listed under the ‘Special Partner Programs’ section near the bottom. If you are taking a course that counts under these policies, please email GVPT Advising to let us know. If you are enrolled in a crosslisted course that has a GVPT equivalent offering, please also email us to let us know and we can make the necessary updates. If you have questions regarding whether another course can count, please contact us directly to inquire.

Something else is showing up incorrectly on my Uachieve account or missing entirely. What's going on?

Oftentimes we need to make adjustments to individual Uachieve records. Please email gvptadvising@umd.edu with the specific course in question and which requirement it should be counting towards.

I would like to enroll in a course at another institution. What do I do?

If your primary major falls under the BSOS college, you will need to follow the permission to enroll instructions outlined here: https://bsosundergrad.umd.edu/advising/online-pte. Please note the instances in which you need a scheduled appointment with BSOS Advising.

If your primary major falls outside BSOS, you will need to follow the permission to enroll process outlined by your primary college. Please contact your primary advising college for more information. If you are attempting to request permission for a course related to GVPT, you must still email a GVPT advisor to confirm in writing that the course you’re planning on taking is acceptable.

After your course is completed, you must request that your other institution send a copy of your final, graded transcript back to UMD. Many schools have a way to request this electronically. If your other institution must physically mail your transcript, please see the UMD address to direct this to about mid-way down the transfer credit website here: https://transfercredit.umd.edu/.

Are there any GVPT policies to know before requesting to take a course away?

Yes. All GVPT students must take 4 upper-level GVPT courses of choice (12 credits) in residence. You should not request permission for more than 2 upper-level GVPT courses (6 credits) away with the expectation that more will count towards the upper-level courses of choice section. Please think of this policy holistically, especially if you are planning to spend time away from campus in the future for study abroad. You should also keep in mind the following University policies:

(1) No upper-level credit may be transferred to UMD from 2-year institutions. This is true even if a course from a 2-year institution is listed as a direct equivalent to a 300/400-level course at UMD. The course will not be applied towards upper-level requirements.

(2) All courses must be evaluated. If you do not receive course evaluation and go through the permission to enroll process, there is no guarantee that the course you are taking away will successfully transfer back to UMD for credit. If you are thinking of enrolling in a course and are unsure if it has a current evaluation, you may contact transfercredit@umd.edu.

(3) There are two steps to the course evaluation process: determining acceptability and determining applicability. Acceptability means a course is acceptable to be transferred back to UMD for general credit. Applicability means a course may be applied towards a specific program. It is possible that some courses have been deemed acceptable by UMD but have not been evaluated by GVPT for applicability to our program. Please contact gvptadvising@umd.edu if you have concerns about a particular course in this regard.

I'm planning to take Spring 2021 off or enroll entirely at a different institution. What should I know?

Please contact GVPTAdvising to keep us informed of your plans and to discuss transfer coursework you're considering. We understand that Spring 2021 is difficult for most students to plan and we want to make sure you are making the most of your time, wherever you choose to spend it. We strongly encourage you to set up an appointment with an advisor to discuss GVPT coursework you're considering taking away and how that may impact your graduation plan.

If you are planning to enroll in a different institution, please complete the permission to enroll process outlined above. If you are not planning to attend UMD in Spring 2021 due to enrollment elsewhere or due to taking time off, please carefully review information about de-enrollment and re-enrollment.

Students who register and later decide not to attend UMD MUST cancel their registration before the first day of classes. Simply dropping your courses on Testudo DOES NOT indicate cancellation. Detailed information about the process for cancelling your Fall term can be found here: http://registrar.umd.edu/current/registration/cancelreg.html

Students who do not register for Spring 2021 but plan to re-enroll in a future term must apply for re-enrollment. We encourage you to complete this process with enough time to meet your Fall 2021 registration date. Information on how to apply for re-enrollment can be found here: https://studentsuccess.umd.edu/