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Special Education Cohort Application Procedures
GMU Special Education Program ApplicationMore Less

Depending on county requirements, there may be two application procedures for cohort applicants.  Applicants must submit a graduate application (not non-degree) to George Mason University. They must also contact their county to determine if there is an application required by the county.  If so, the student must complete both the application to George Mason University and the application to the county. Cohort students are encouraged to print the step-by-step instructions for applying to Mason and follow them carefully to avoid delays in processing that can impede students' ability to continue with coursework.

GMU Special Education Program Application Deadlines:

  • Fall (Students accepted for fall are allowed to register for summer classes): Rolling Admissions, April 1st priority. For summer, students must be accepted prior to the start of their summer course. For fall, applications will not be reviewed after August 15th, provided space is still available.
  • Spring: Rolling admissions, November 1st priority. Complete applications will be reviewed until January 5th, provided space is available. No applications will be reviewed after this date
  • Summer: Rolling admissions, February 1st priority. Complete applications will be reviewed until May 1st, provided space is available. No applications will be reviewed after this date.

First-time Students: Quick Admission Requirements and Process

In certain circumstances George Mason University allows students taking Special Education contract or cohort courses to bypass the formal university admissions process and be admitted for one semester only to Quick Admit (QA) Non-Degree status. To be eligible for Quick Admit status students must not have been previously quick-admitted and must provide the necessary documentation for QA status to the Outreach Program Enrollment office prior to or on the first night of class. This QA process requires less documentation than the formal application process and the active student status that results is temporary.  Any student who is quick admitted must go through the formal admissions process  in its entirety and be accepted to the Special Education program in Graduate status in order to proceed with their Special Education coursework beyond that first semester.

Quick Admit Process vs. Formal Application ProcessMore Less
Quick Admit Process
Formal Application Process

Quick Admit Documents
*NOTE: Quick Admit/Non-Degree status is TEMPORARY and only valid for ONE semester. Students must apply formally to Mason in order to continue coursework beyond the initial QA semester.

QA Documents are submitted to the Special Education Outreach (Cohort) Program Office:
Email:spedreg@gmu.edu
Fax: 703-993-3681
Division of Special Education & disAbility Research
Registration Services
4400 University Dr., MS: 1F2
Fairfax,VA 22030

  1. Contract/Cohort Course Registration Form
  2. In State Tuition Application Form
  3. Unofficial Transcripts from an accredited university showing Bachelor's Degree and degree conferral date
  4. Course Tuition Payment
  5. International Students must also submit official TOEFL/IELTS scores AND an International Transcript Evaluation. (See https://www2.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/how-apply/international)

Formal Application Documents
Special Education Program

Formal Program Application is submitted online and supporting documentation is submitted directly to the GMU Graduate Admissions Office

  1. Completed Online Graduate Program Application and application fee
  2. In State Tuition Application Form
  3. Scanned, unofficial copies of your transcripts for application review.  Official transcripts are required after admission
  4. Two (2) Letters of Recommendation forms
  5. Goals Statement
  6. Resume
  7. For licensure programs:
  8. Applicants with International Credentials will also need to consult the Information for International Applicants website. (See https://www2.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/how-apply/international)
School District Cohort Information SessionsMore Less

Some local school districts partner with Mason to offer Special Education cohort programs. These school district have different participant eligibility guidelines. Some may have district-specific application processes in addition to Mason’s. To help share information about the cohort program to current school district employees, partner school districts typically hold at least one cohort program information session per semester. Each school district disseminates information about the date, time and location of any cohort information sessions internally through school district announcement systems. Currently, cohort information sessions are held in Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools.

Information session attendees receive the following handouts:

Additionally, for information session attendees from Fairfax County Public Schools or Loudoun, the following handouts include information on the Adapted Curriculum cohort program (note the Adapted Curriculum cohort program is not currently offered in Prince William):

New Cohort Student OrientationMore Less

New cohort students often have questions about registration, payment, internships, and other aspects before beginning their program. Our short (10 min.) Cohort Orientation Video will have all of this information and more. We encourage new cohort students to watch this video before they begin taking classes with their cohort, and to check their emails for an invitation to an orientation Q&A where they will have the opportunity to win some Special Education prizes!

Link for Cohort Orientation Video