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University Writing Program

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

WID & UW1020 Exemptions

Eligible students may apply for an exemption for a First Year Writing (UW 1020) or Writing in the Disciplines (WID) course. This may include students who study abroad, transfer to GW or complete college-level credit at another institution while enrolled at GW. Please carefully follow the exemption request instructions. Incomplete requests or requests submitted using a Transfer Credit Approval Form will be rejected.

 

How to Request a UW 1020 Exemption

Most first year composition courses offered by other colleges will not satisfy UW 1020. If you took a writing course at another institution but GW Undergraduate Admissions did not transfer it in as satisfying UW 1020, compare the work you did in your previous writing course to UW 1020, paying particular attention to the requirements. If you believe your previous course had similarly stringent requirements — especially in regards to research and developing an original, scholarly thesis — then you may submit an exemption request so that UWP can determine whether or not the course is eligible.

Be sure to include all materials in the checklist order:

  1. A completed UWP Exemption Request Form (PDF), which will act as the cover page to your petition packet
  2. A written personal statement detailing the reasons behind your appeal. (In your statement, you must acknowledge your plans to enroll in and complete any outstanding GW degree requirements if your petition is denied.)
  3. A copy of your unofficial GW transcript or, if you are a transfer student, a copy of the Transfer Credit Worksheet available from the Transfer Credit Coordinator (CCAS)
  4. ​A copy of the syllabus that includes a calendar of assignments detailing how assignments are staged and prompted on the semester calendar
  5. A research-based writing sample from the petitioned course, which must include a works cited page

Incomplete applications will not be considered; all of the required documents must be present.

How to Submit Your UW 1020 Exemption Request

  • Name your PDF packet "LASTNAME FIRSTNAME - UW 1020 Exemption Request” 
  • Submit the form and all requested attachments combined into a single PDF file to [email protected] with the subject line "LASTNAME FIRSTNAME - UW 1020 Exemption Request”
     

WID Exemptions

  • Most writing-intensive courses offered by other colleges will not satisfy WID objectives, which:
     

    • Teach students to write in modes characteristic of the discipline or interdisciplinary field, attending to the discipline's genres, purposes and audiences;

    • Stage writing assignments that build upon each other throughout the course, providing scaffolding support as needed;

    • Ask students to draft and revise in response to substantive feedback from faculty and peers; each student should gain practice in providing meaningful peer response;

    • Value such disciplinary work by assigning graded writing (excluding timed exams) as at least 40 percent of the course grade.

  • There are no automatic WID exemptions. Departments, advisors and faculty do not grant WID exemptions.
  • File an exemption request as soon as you have successfully completed a course for which you would like WID credit. Exemption requests are considered only after successful completion of the course(s) in question. 
  • Once you have filed an exemption request, you must still plan to enroll in the required WIDs while awaiting a decision, in case the request is denied. 
  • All approved exemption requests will receive email confirmation from the WID Administrators.

 

How to Submit a WID Exemption

If you believe a course you took elsewhere satisfies GW’s stringent requirements (see above)— especially in regards to research and peer review —then you may submit an exemption request so that WID can determine whether or not the course is eligible.

Be sure to include all materials in the checklist order:

  1. A completed WID Exemption Request Form (PDF), which will act as the cover page to your petition packet
  2. A written personal statement detailing the reasons behind your appeal. (In your statement, you must acknowledge your plans to enroll in and complete any outstanding GW degree requirements if your petition is denied.)
  3. A copy of your unofficial GW transcript or, if you are a transfer student, a copy of the Transfer Credit Worksheet available from the Transfer Credit Coordinator (CCAS)
  4. ​A copy of the syllabus that includes a calendar of assignments detailing how assignments are staged and prompted on the semester calendar
  5. A research-based writing sample from the petitioned course, which must include a works cited page

Incomplete applications will not be considered; all of the required documents must be present.

  • Name your PDF packet "LASTNAME FIRSTNAME - WID Exemption Request” 
  • Submit the form and all requested attachments combined into a single PDF file to [email protected] with the subject line "LASTNAME FIRSTNAME - WID Exemption Request” 
Transfer Credit

You may apply for any writing-intensive course transferred in from elsewhere (except for first-year composition courses) to count towards the WID requirement, regardless of any WID or non-WID corresponding course at GW.

All transfer students have their transcripts evaluated by a transfer coordinator when they apply. Before you can petition the WID Program for an exemption, all pre- and post-matriculation transfer credits must first be accepted by GW as electives or department non-WID equivalents.

  • If the course is accepted as a GW-equivalent, it will count toward a specific GW Bulletin course (typically, a lower-level course that fulfills the general G-PAC requirements).
  • If accepted as an elective credit, the credit will count toward the total number of credits required to graduate.

You may only proceed with the WID exemption petition process after you have taken these steps with the transfer credit process. If GW has not accepted your credits, you will be referred back to your adviser and the transfer coordinator to complete the credit evaluation process.

Students may request a copy of their Statement of Transfer credit by emailing [email protected]. This document may be accepted in place of the GW Transcript in Exemption packets.

If the petition request is approved by WID, the course will then be slotted into your DegreeMAP worksheet under the WID requirement, but note that it will not be notated with a W for WID designation on your transcript.

Study Abroad Credit

A student wishing to count a study abroad course towards a writing requirement must submit a petition through the UWP exemption request process, the same as transfer students. Study abroad transfer credit requests submitted through the Course Approval Transfer System (CATS) will be rejected. As with other transfer credits, approved study abroad courses will fulfill the WID requirement but will not be notated as “WID” on your DegreeMAP worksheet.

Deadlines for Seniors Planning to Graduate

All WID exemption requests must be received by the deadline:

  • Spring and summer proposed graduation: November 15 of the previous fall term
  • Fall proposed graduation: March 15 of the previous spring term