Force Add

All force add requests for Costello College of Business courses must be submitted to busreqst@gmu.edu. Please note that College of Business instructors cannot issue course overrides. Force add requests for non-Business courses should be directed to the appropriate Mason department, as criteria vary across schools. 

Eligibility for Force Add Requests

Force adds are considered only for graduating seniors who meet all the following requirements: 

• Have an active graduation application on file for the term in which the force add is requested. 
• Be currently registered on the waitlist for the requested course. 
• The requested course must be the student’s first attempt at the course. Requests for second or third attempts will be automatically denied. 
• Meet all other graduation and eligibility requirements for their degree and concentration. 
• The specific course section must be closed, with no other course options available to fulfill the requirement (including both in-person and online/asynchronous sections). 

Important Notes

• Force add requests are not automatically approved. Even if all requirements are met, approval is not guaranteed. 
• Requests due to work, medical issues, preference in course format or instructor, or other personal conflicts are not acceptable reasons for a force add. 
• Students who have never repeated any Business course will be given priority consideration.  
• Force add requests are not reviewed until the first week of the requested course for both Fall and Spring semesters, as well as for the various Summer Session start dates (A, B, and C). Specific courses are not guaranteed to be offered every semester, especially during the summer term. 
• Due to the accelerated nature and limited course offerings in the Summer, force add requests are rarely approved. Students are responsible for meeting all deadlines and financial obligations. 
• As stated above, students must be registered on the waitlist of the course in the case that they are approved for an override; if approved, the student will have a limited amount of time (48 hours) to enroll before that override would be issued to the next student on the waitlist.   

For more information on how the waitlist system works and what to do if issued a waitlist override, please refer to the Office of the Registrar’s website: Waitlist Information.