Visiting Non-Degree Status

Registration Procedures

To request enrollment through this status, please complete the following steps by each semester deadline:

  • Spring semester deadline: December 1
  • Summer semester deadline: May 1
  • Fall semester deadline: August 1

Please note that most summer courses offered by the University are enrolled through Georgetown Summer Sessions, not the visiting non-degree program. Please see the Summer Sessions website for additional information.

  1. Review the courses numbered 5000 or higher in the Schedule of Classes maintained by the Registrar's Office. Not all graduate academic departments allow visiting, non-degree students to take courses within their discipline, so please email visitingndgd@georgetown.edu to inquire whether the department you are interested in taking courses with accepts visiting non-degree students.
  2. Complete your Registration Request Form. Only one course should appear on each request form. If you would like to request an additional course, please fill out an additional request form. This is important, as separate faculty and departmental approvals are required for each course.
  3. Obtain the required departmental signatures for the requested course(s). For example, to request a Government course, you would contact the Government department. Contact information for each department can be found online through the Online Directory. Electronic signatures will be accepted. Faculty members and Department Chairs can also send a note indicating their approval via email directly to visitingndgd@georgetown.edu.
  4. Request copies of official transcripts from any school where you have previously taken courses at the undergraduate and/or graduate level. Applicants who attended a U.S. institution must submit official transcripts from:
    • all undergraduate institutions where 16 or more credits were earned
    • all graduate institutions where any credit was earned
    Applicants who attended an institution outside of the U.S. must submit:
    • an official course-by-course evaluation of any undergraduate and/or graduate level coursework from ECE, SpanTran/TEC, or WES.
  5. Return your completed form(s) and official transcripts via email and have your institution(s) send official transcripts electronically to visitingndgd@georgetown.edu. You may also return your form to the address below by the deadline stated for each semester to allow adequate time for review.

Attn: Admissions/VND
Georgetown University
School of Continuing Studies
640 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001

Important Notes

  1. Even upon receiving all departmental approvals, we cannot guarantee placement in any course due to space limitations. Degree-seeking students get priority status to enroll in courses; therefore, official enrollment of visiting students can only take place following the add/drop period and on a first-come, space-available basis. If there is no space in the class or if the School enrollment limit has been reached for the semester, you will be notified and encouraged to seek a spot in the coming semester.
  2. All U.S. Institutions must be accredited through one of the bodies officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  3. Students cannot be registered in two Georgetown University programs in the same semester.
  4. Students approved to take courses in the visiting non-degree status must take them for credit and cannot audit or take classes pass/fail.
  5. The Visiting Non-Degree Status program does not offer visa support.

English Language Proficiency Exams

Graduate coursework at Georgetown University is reading- and writing-intensive and requires proficiency in written and spoken English.

All applicants, regardless of citizenship, whose first language is not English or did not earn a degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English are required to complete one of the following English proficiency examinations::

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

  • TOEFL: Recommended score of 100 (iBT), 600 (paper-based test), or 250 (computer-based test)
    • TOEFL iBT MyBest™ scores are accepted for admission to undergraduate and graduate programs.
  • TOEFL Essentials exam is not accepted.
  • School of Continuing Studies Institution Code: 5986

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

  • IELTS: Recommended score of 7.0.
  • School of Continuing Studies Institution Code: 5986

Students should plan well in advance to complete the necessary tests and allow time for the Georgetown SCS Office of Admissions (institution code 5986) to receive the results.

There are additional requirements for international applicants.