Next Steps for New Graduate Students

Your campus ID will be your primary identification as a Georgia State Panther and will be included in your acceptance letter. First, look up your campus ID and then make sure you activate it as soon as possible by visiting campusid.gsu.edu. The campus ID is different from your nine-digit panther number.

Your student email account will be used for all official communications with the university. Check this account frequently.

You must verify lawful presence in the United States to receive in-state tuition.

If you have not already done so, you are required to submit your official and final degree conferred transcript showing your degree earned from your graduating institution (unless it is Georgia State). Registration for classes will not be allowed until your proof of an earned baccalaureate and/or master’s degree is submitted. Newly admitted students can submit using one of the following methods: submit electronically from your home institution to Georgia State at [email protected] or by mailing to Georgia State University | Office of Graduate Admissions | P.O. Box 4018 Atlanta, Georgia 30302.

Emergency contact information is required for all students. You can easily provide this information via your PAWS account. To ensure compliance, a registration hold has been placed on your student record and will be automatically released once you have provided this information. Be sure to include yourself as the first point of contact to reach you in an emergency.

Go to the Student Health Services Immunization Information page to learn how to submit your immunization records to our Student Health Center. Avoid registration delays by submitting your records as soon as possible. All students must submit their verification of immunization through the patient portal. For fully online students who do not intend to come to campus for any reason, should complete the waiver form and submit through the patient portal. Upload completed forms and, if applicable, lab results on the Upload Your Forms page of the Patient Portal. Please upload forms and lab results as a PDF file. There is a 4MB file size limit.

Connect for academic advisement and your home department for all your registration needs. Your faculty advisor is your first point of contact for advising as a graduate student. In addition, your home department will assist you with any registration issues you may encounter.

PAWS is the Georgia State student information portal that houses everything you need as an admitted student. Here you can see your class schedule, register for classes, view your student account balance and more. Log in to your PAWS account and get familiar with everything it has to offer.

The PantherCard is the official Georgia State identification card. It is used for library privileges, after-hours access and as a debit card for PantherMeals and PantherCash. To obtain a PantherCard and sign up for PantherMeals or PantherCash, please visit Auxiliary and Support Services in the University Bookstore Building upon your arrival.

Learn more about your college and the services available to you as a new graduate student by attending, which will be scheduled before the semester starts. The fall 2023 new graduate student orientation is being hosted by the Graduate School on August 10, 2023, from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm in the Georgia State Student Center East  | 55 Gilmer Street SE Atlanta, Georgia 30303. For an agenda of the orientation events, please click here.

Don’t waste any time filling out the FAFSA. Use the school code 001574 when you submit your information. The sooner you fill this out, the sooner your financial aid package can be determined and distributed.

• 2023-2024 FAFSA – includes fall 2023, spring 2024, & summer 2024

The Georgia State Scholarship Portal (GSSP) is available at this address: https://gsu.academicworks.com/. You can access the portal using your Georgia State University campus ID and password. You will need to fill out the general application, which covers details necessary for most of the scholarships and any supplementary application relating to your major or college. After completing these items, you are automatically placed in the applicant pool for any scholarship for which you are eligible. Upon award, those identified to receive a scholarship will be emailed and asked to accept the award. Scholarship award offers will be generated by the [email protected] address and sent to the student’s Georgia State email address.

Graduate assistantships are available in departments and colleges across campus including our departments, centers and clinics. Every assistantship differs according to the funding source; some may be for one semester only; others may be extended beyond one semester. The hours of employment, the amount of tuition paid, and any additional stipend offered vary. You can apply for assistantships any time after you have been admitted to a program.  Please contact our department to see what programs offer graduate research assistantships.

• Communication Sciences & Disorders
• Counseling & Psychological Services
• Early Childhood & Elementary Education
• Educational Policy Studies
• Kinesiology & Health
• Learning Sciences
• Middle & Secondary Education
• Centers and Clinics

Be sure to cast a wide net when seeking a GRA appointment on campus.  New admits who are looking for such opportunities are encouraged to reach out to specific departments, clinics, and centers around campus.  View the Graduate Assistantships page for some connections to get you started and to learn more about what a GRA appointment entails.

Students can take advantage of the university’s easy access to Atlanta’s rich creative environment, diversity of cultures and lifestyles and a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Schedule an in-person visit to campus through our Welcome Center or use the virtual tour to get a sense of what it is like to attend a university in the heart of a world-class city.

Go to the Student Health Services Immunization Information page to learn how to submit your immunization records to our Student Health Center. Avoid registration delays by submitting your records as soon as possible. All students must submit their verification of immunization through the patient portal. For fully online students who do not intend to come to campus for any reason, should complete the waiver form and submit through the patient portal. Upload completed forms and, if applicable, lab results on the Upload Your Forms page of the Patient Portal. Please upload forms and lab results as a PDF file. There is a 4MB file size limit.

Downtown Atlanta, the heart of metro Atlanta, is a fusion of arts, culture and history, dining, sports, major attractions and living. For more information on life in downtown Atlanta, please visit atlantadowntown.com, which also includes interactive maps and neighborhood profiles.