Students apply to a degree program at one of these four institutions based upon course offerings and programs sponsored by an institution and the individual direction a student wishes to follow. Program requirements are the responsibility of the degree-granting institution and, subject to these requirements, courses may be taken from any of the five universities. These degree programs do not generally have a thesis or research component. GMU degree programs do require a research project or thesis component and are composed primarily of live classroom instruction with the possibility of transferring televised courses into these degree programs. Course registration is contingent upon admission to a degree program or acceptance for nondegree studies.
Students are responsible for learning about program requirements and obtaining course approval.
Students may register while application materials are being processed as space permits and with permission from their program advisers and instructors. In addition, courses may be transferred between institutions with written approval of the home institution before registering. This statewide network is also supported by the Virginia Department of Information Technology and State Council of Higher Education in Virginia and provides expanded academic resources to three major urban communities of the commonwealth.