Student Services and Resources

NOVA provides several services designed to help with a student’s education, career, and personal development.

The NOVA Student Resources site provides additional information about the College, including student activities and organizations and the statement of student rights and responsibilities.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. For information, please go to the Student Records (FERPA) page and Federal FERPA page.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

NOVA strives to be a learning-centered institution that prioritizes student success, a vision reflected in the Student Code of Conduct, which fosters a safe and supportive learning environment. Grounded in the College’s Core Values-Care, Excellence, Inclusion, Integrity, and Respect-the Code of Conduct establishes clear expectations for student behavior that align with these principles. When a student’s conduct disrupts the College’s educational mission, the conduct process may be initiated to address the behavior while promoting accountability and growth.

NOVA’s approach to student conduct emphasizes both resolution and education, guiding students toward personal and academic development. The goal is that through engagement with the conduct process, students will become more informed learners, responsible members of the College community, and engaged global citizens. To learn more about expectations, rights, and responsibilities, view the Student Code of Conduct.

Academic Advising

Academic advising is a comprehensive program facilitated by counselors, advisors, teaching faculty, and student services personnel. The advising relationship is an ongoing, developmental process built on open communication, mutual respect, and honesty. Advising supports students as they transition to college and work toward their academic, career, and personal goals.

Through participation in a range of advising activities-including individual and group advising sessions, classes, and workshops-students gain an understanding of campus and College resources while developing the skills to make informed, independent decisions. Students may schedule an appointment or meet with an advisor virtually.

Counseling Services

Counseling services are available to support students by comprehensively addressing issues that may interfere with academic and personal responsibilities. Students can receive holistic support for complicated academic issues, as well as situations that may be particularly stressful and affect multiple aspects of their life. Counseling services staff have advanced skills to provide direct assistance to students inside and outside the classroom. They can connect students to resources beyond our services to get the needed support.

Students on academic probation can receive the necessary guidance and approval for registration through interaction with their Academic Success Counselor.

Wellness and Mental Health

The Office of Wellness and Mental Health (OWMH) promotes a culture of care to assist NOVA students and community in accessing wellness and mental health resources, support, and interventions to positively enhance their social and emotional development, educational and career success. The aim is to focus on the individual as a whole: mind, body, and spirit.
If you are in a mental health crisis, call 988 or 703.527.4077. For all other emergencies, call 911. View the 988-Crisis Lifeline Flyer for more information.

Accommodations and Accessibility Services

NOVA is committed to ensuring all students have an opportunity to pursue a college education regardless of the presence or absence of a disability.  NOVA makes reasonable accommodations in providing course, program, and building modification, and/or auxiliary aids and services in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. Students who require services should contact Accommodations and Accessibility Services at least four weeks prior to the beginning of classes for support.

Accessible parking spaces are available on each campus. A disabled parking placard or license plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles is required. The College does not issue disabled parking placards or license plates.

International Student Services

The Office of International Student Services (OISS) supports the outreach and admission of qualified students from outside the United States to study at NOVA on an F1 international student status. OISS manages the onboarding process by providing international students with the resources they need to be academically successful and compliant with their immigration requirements. The office provides services related to travel, employment authorization, reduced course load and transfer out among other status related requests for the international student population on all NOVA campuses.

Military and Veteran Services Office

NOVA’s Office of Military and Veteran Services helps all members of the military community-active duty, veterans, and family members-achieve their education and career goals. Military members can receive assistance with navigating the admissions process, troubleshooting payment issues, understanding Tuition Assistance (TA) and VA benefits, and provide connections with College representatives and community resources.

The office coordinates all veterans’ educational benefits from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs for the College. Information, counseling, and certification of enrollment for veterans are available from each campus veteran’s advisor. See also “Admission ” and “Financial Information ” for further information relative to veterans.

Library and Learning Supports

Library

Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community may access the combined College collection of more than 200,000 units of print and nonprint materials that is available at all of the campuses or remotely.  Books, periodicals, and media are loaned among the campuses by intercampus mail couriers.

Open stacks and immediate access to materials are common to all campuses. Books, periodicals, online databases, and media are selected primarily for support of the campus instructional programs, for personal intellectual growth, and the development of a cultural environment. Extensive access to online materials adds breadth and depth to the resources. Students may also access copies of course materials at no cost. All patrons may use networked workstations on campus to search a variety of online resources and the Internet. Access to electronic resources and campus library information is available at www.nvcc edu/library. 
Staff members provide research assistance and instruction in the use of resources both on-site and virtually. Through a reciprocal agreement, NOVA students, faculty, and staff have access to the library collections at George Mason University.

Testing Centers

Testing services for placement purposes, for classes, and in support of NOVA Online are available in the Testing Centers.

Tutoring Services

NOVA’s Tutoring Centers offer two types of services: in-person at the campus centers and virtual tutoring via Zoom.  In addition to appointments, the centers also provide walk-in services. Learn more or book at an appointment at https://www.nvcc.edu/student-resources/advising/tutoring/index.html. 

Assistive Technology Services

Accommodations and Accessibility Services provides support to College personnel in the use of assistive technology used to serve students with disabilities. Assistive Technology may include software programs to help enhance academic skills in reading and writing, text-to speech programs, dictation software programs, as well as hardware such as alternate keyboards, text magnifiers, and smart pens. Accommodations and Accessibility Services also provides instruction in the conversion of alternate format for texts and course materials when needed to support the specific needs of students with disabilities.

Career Development Services

Career Planning Services

The Career Services Centers provide resources to support students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Services include career assessments, occupational information, salary trends, goal setting, career planning, and employment resources to help individuals navigate their professional journey.

For more information on available career resources and support, visit the Career Services Center.

Employment Resources

Area employers cooperate with the College to provide part-time and full-time employment for students. Career Connection is an online listing for students and local employers. This site also includes additional online job search engines and resources with information on public and private sector employment.

Student Life

To encourage students to make the most of their educational experience at NOVA, the College offers diverse educational, cultural, and social activities and programs. These unique opportunities are offered to complement and enhance the student’s learning process both in and out of the classroom environment. Student activities include student government, student publications, intercollegiate and intramural sports, performing arts, political organizations, professional and community service organizations, cultural and religious organizations, and many other interest groups. All students are welcome to participate and get involved by visiting the Office of Student Life.

Safety Information

The College has a professionally trained police force on each campus. These officers provide protection for the campus community. The College publishes the Annual Security Report, which can be found on the Police section of NOVA’s website. The document details the College’s safety programs, crime statistics, and crime prevention. Furthermore, it includes the College’s policies and procedures to address alcohol and drug use, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters.

Copies of the Annual Security Report are available from the campus Police Offices and Enrollment Services Office. 

Sexual Misconduct

As a recipient of federal funds, Northern Virginia Community College is required to comply with Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. (“Title IX”), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities, admission, and employment. Under certain circumstances, sexual harassment constitutes sexual discrimination prohibited by Title IX. See Policy 110 (110-Sexual-Misconduct.pdf ) for more information. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX may be referred to the College’s Title IX Coordinator or to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. NOVA’s Title IX Coordinator can be contacted at TitleIX@nvcc.edu.

Threat Assessment Team

Campus safety at NOVA is a shared responsibility, relying on referrals from students, employees, and visitors to ensure a secure and enriching environment. NOVA’s multi-disciplinary Threat Assessment Team, formed in compliance with Virginia Code 23.1-805, includes representatives from student affairs, law enforcement, human resources, and counseling services.

The Threat Assessment Team’s mission is to assess whether an individual may pose a threat of violence to themselves, others, or the NOVA community. The team provides guidance, recommends interventions, and promotes coordinated communication throughout the review process.

By identifying and assessing concerning behaviors from students, employees, visitors, and others, the team makes informed recommendations to help prevent incidents. Through their guidance and coordination, they support NOVA’s commitment to maintaining a safe, secure, and productive learning environment across all campuses.

Contacting the Threat Assessment Team: If you are encountering an emergency, call 911 or the NOVA Police Department immediately. For non-emergency concerns about threatening behavior or a disturbing situation, submit a report. If you have questions about submitting a report or an incident, email the team at TATReferral@nvcc.edu.

Technology Support and Guidelines

NOVA students will have access to and use of information technology applications, services, and resources as part of their enrollment. Enrolled students are provided with a student account to access their student email, the Student Information System (myNOVA), and online Canvas courses. MyNOVA allows students to enroll and pay for courses online.

Students are responsible for checking their email often for College announcements on student services or messages from instructors and classmates. To ensure student privacy, the College will use a student’s official College email address.

The Virginia Community College System has established a student ethics agreement for the use of College computer information technology. Student use of this technology is limited to his or her role as a student at the College, and there are certain security procedures that all students are expected to observe. The Information Technology Student/Patron Ethics Agreement is available in the Student Resources site and posted in computer laboratories, libraries, and other areas where access to College computer services is available.

Technology Expectations

To attend NOVA, students are expected to have a laptop (or a desktop with webcam and microphone) that meets the minimum requirements for their major and internet access at home or through a mobile device hot spot. (NOTE: Chromebooks and iPads are useful but insufficient to replace a laptop. They will not run all the software typically needed at NOVA). Students can find the required specifications for their computers in the Student Computer Specifications document.

Voter Registration

NOVA encourages all eligible students to register to vote. Campus libraries and Student Services Centers can provide students with voter registration information, or students may register at the Virginia Department of Elections.

Oversight of Student Grievance and Complaint Procedures

Northern Virginia Community College provides fair and orderly procedures to resolve student grievances. Policy 608 Student Grievances and its accompanying procedures specify the timeline and process to follow to initiate the grievance process. The procedures for Policy 608 are subject to oversight of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). If an issue cannot be resolved by NOVA’s internal processes, students may file a formal complaint directly with SCHEV.

Additionally, the Virginia State Approving Agency (SAA) validates and approves education and training courses and programs to be pursued by veterans and eligible persons. The SAA oversees Virginia’s educational and training institutions and ensures compliance with federal and state guidelines. The SAA protects veterans and schools from fraud, waste, and abuse and investigates complaints of GI Bill® beneficiaries and others. Complaints should follow NOVA’s grievance policy. If the situation cannot be resolved at NOVA, military-affiliated students may contact SAA at saa@dvs.virginia.gov.

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) includes consumer protection provisions for online students that require an institution’s home state, in this case SCHEV, to investigate and resolve allegations of dishonest or fraudulent activity. Student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of SARA must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution (Note: grade or student conduct appeals are not included). If the situation cannot be resolved at NOVA, online students may contact SCHEV.

Refer to “Course Grade Appeals/Student Grievances” under “ Academic Policies and Information ” for internal procedures.

Student Consumer Information

The College is obligated under the 1998 Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 to disclose annually where the following student consumer information may be found.