Policy - Certificate Students

Regulations mandated by the federal government require all universities to evaluate their certificate offerings to determine if each program can be labeled as a professional development program, or a program leading to categorized employment. Each GW school reviews their certificate offerings, and in consultation with University administrators, decides if they would like to pursue Gainful Employment reporting requirements.

In order for a certificate program to be eligible for federal funding, these reporting requirements must be met on an annual basis by the school. Currently only the certificate programs listed below are approved for Federal Direct Loan funding. There are no grants or scholarships available for these programs through the Office of Student Financial Assistance. If a program is not listed here, students may borrow a private alternative loan with the lender of their choice to help alleviate costs associated with the certificate program.

Programs are subject to US Department of Education annual reporting requirements to re-establish their eligibility each year. This list is updated semi-annually and as such inclusion on this list may be a result of the prior year’s authorization.

College of Professional Studies

California Paralegal
Paralegal Studies
Public Relations
Publishing
Sustainable Urban Planning

Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Anatomical & Translational Sciences
Forensic Investigations
LGBT Health Policy and Practice
Museum Studies

Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Educational Leadership and Administration

School of Medicine

Medical Laboratory Sciences (Post-Baccalaureate Program; Undergraduate)
Medical Laboratory Sciences (Post-Baccalaureate; Pre-Medicine)

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Emergency Management and Public Health
Engineering & Technology
Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness & Response
Systems Engineering

School of Nursing

Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner