Important ADVANCE Updates

We wanted to share several important updates regarding our ADVANCE transfer partnership with George Mason University.

Fall 2022 ADVANCE Declaration Now Open!
The Fall 2022 ADVANCE Declaration is now open and available on the ADVANCE website.

Changes in Declaration Process:
There have been some changes to the ADVANCE Declaration process and the way students are onboarded into the ADVANCE program. These revisions are due to changes in the ADVANCE pathway development process and a later Mason catalog release date. Admission into ADVANCE will now be a two-step process:

• Step 1 – Complete the ADVANCE Declaration Form: When students complete the ADVANCE Declaration form, they will no longer be asked to identify their ADVANCE pathway. Instead, once students are admitted, they will have the opportunity for career exploration through our new ADVANCE Orientation Canvas page and to discuss pathway options with our Pre-Pathway Exploratory Coach. Students have until August 1, 2022 to submit a Declaration for Fall 2022.
• Step 2 – Select an ADVANCE Pathway: In mid-June, newly admitted students will be notified when the 2022-2023 ADVANCE pathways are released. At this time, students will browse and select their pathway by August 15, 2022.

You may view a recording of the recent Transfer Tuesday webinar that discussed this new process (Passcode: RYH!epN4), or view our ADVANCE Fall 2022 Onboarding Guide here. If you or your students have any questions about the ADVANCE admissions process, please refer them to our ADVANCE Admissions Team at advance@gmu.edu.

Supporting Students Who Have Been Admitted to ADVANCE but Not Yet Selected a Pathway:
Until the new pathways are available, ADVANCE recommends that new ADVANCE students refer temporarily to the previous year’s pathways currently available on our website (www.nvcc.edu/advance). Students should consult with their ADVANCE pathway once they are released in mid-June to ensure classes they are registered for meet the requirements of their pathway. NOVA faculty and staff working with students who have submitted an ADVANCE Declaration but not yet selected their pathway should refer students to our Pre-Pathway Exploratory Coach: Amira Aly (aaly2@gmu.edu). ADVANCE staff will review new ADVANCE students’ records prior to the summer and fall terms to ensure students are registered for the appropriate courses for their pathways and will work closely with ADVANCE Success Coaches to contact students with assistance as needed.

ADVANCE Service Indicator and Updates to Student Group Codes:
ADVANCE now has a positive service indicator to denote students who are currently in the ADVANCE program (Service Indicator: GMU). As a reminder, there are also student group codes in SIS via the Student Inquiry screen (Adv/StdGrp tab) that articulate students’ status within ADVANCE:

• ADV 1 (ADVANCE Declaration) = student has submitted an ADVANCE Declaration.
• ADV 2 (ADVANCE Agreement) = student has been admitted into ADVANCE.
• ADV 3 (ADVANCE Ineligible) = student has been denied admission from ADVANCE due to ineligibility.
• ADV 4 (Voluntarily Withdrew) = student was admitted into ADVANCE but then voluntarily withdrew.
• ADV 5 (ADVANCE Termination) = student was terminated/removed from ADVANCE (new).

ADVANCE will be implementing a new student group code in SIS to identify students who have been terminated from ADVANCE (ADV 5). Students who are terminated from ADVANCE are either students who have not been enrolled at NOVA for a consecutive three semesters (excluding summer terms) or who graduated from NOVA in their pathway-aligned NOVA degree but never matriculated to Mason. Students who have questions regarding their ADVANCE termination status should reach out to advance@gmu.edu. Faculty and staff who have general questions regarding the ADVANCE Service Indicator or Student Group Codes should reach out to advops@gmu.edu.

Submitted by:
Casey Lukszo, Transfer Coord., CLukszo@nvcc.edu