Before enrolling in classes, an individual must be admitted to the College. Refer to the Schedule of Classes at www.nvcc.edu/schedule for specific instructions on how and when to register.
Students may register by using myNOVA, the online Student Information System, at https://portal.my.vccs.edu. The Enrollment Services Office at each campus also has staff members who can assist with registration.
Registering, Dropping, or Withdrawing from Courses
Schedule changes are effective at the time they are processed.
Drop Initiated by Student
Students who change their mind about taking a course must drop the course through myNOVA. Otherwise, the student will be charged for the course and may receive a failing grade. Students may drop a course and receive a refund up until the census date, which is the last day to drop with a tuition refund, as noted on the academic calendar.
Cancellation of a Course by the College
If the college needs to cancel a course, students enrolled will receive a tuition refund unless they transfer to another course. All students in a cancelled course will be notified of the cancellation through their NOVA email. The number of credits for the replacement course will determine whether a student owes the College additional tuition or is entitled to an adjusted refund.
Drop due to Administrative Deletion
Students who enroll in a course are expected to attend every class. Students who do not attend at least one class meeting or participate in an online learning class by the census date, which is the last day to drop with a tuition refund will be administratively deleted from the class. This means that there will be no record of the class or any letter grade on the student’s transcript. In this situation, the student’s class load will be reduced by the course credits, and this may affect his or her full-time or part-time student status. This, in turn, can impact financial aid, veteran’s benefits, and F-1/M-1 status. The student’s tuition will not be refunded.
Course Schedule Changes
Schedule adjustments are allowed during the add drop period only. Any credit hours that are added will result in additional tuition. If the schedule adjustment results in fewer credit hours, the student qualifies for a tuition refund only if the transaction occurs on or before the census date, which is the last day to drop with a tuition refund, for the session. Dropping a course changes a student’s course load and may also impact financial aid benefits, veterans’ benefits, F-1 status, etc. In some limited circumstances, students may be able to enroll in a class after the add drop period using the Late Enrollment with Permission form (125-070). This form may also be used prior to the census date if an enrolled student is dropped in error.
Withdrawal from a Course
Students may withdraw from a course within the first sixty percent (60%) of a session without academic penalty and will receive a grade of W. Students may withdraw from a course through myNOVA.
Late Withdrawal for Mitigating Circumstances
Withdrawal after the first 60% of the session will result in a grade of F, except under mitigating circumstances. To request a withdrawal after 60% of the course is completed, a student must submit Form 125-047 Late Withdrawal for Mitigating Circumstances with documentation of mitigating circumstances. The mitigating circumstances must have been severe, not foreseeable and/or could not have been reasonably prevented during the time period in question. Examples include:
- a major medical emergency or severe, extended illness occurring during the semester the student is registered which requires hospitalization, is life threatening, prevents the student from attending classes or is contagious and a danger to the remainder of the College community.
- death of the student or a member of the student’s immediate family (mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, child, or grandparent). An obituary or death certificate is required.
- mobilization or call to active duty for military students. A copy of the military orders is required.
Late withdrawal requests must be submitted by the end of the following semester:
- last day of spring semester for the previous fall semester
- last day of summer sessions for the previous spring semester
- last day of fall semester for the previous summer session
See the procedures here: https://www.nvcc.edu/dist/files/sites/policies/pdfs/210P-Late-Withdrawal-for-Mitigating-Circumstances.pdf. If the withdrawal is approved by the OSSR and the Academic Dean, a grade of W will be assigned to the student’s records. In most cases, Late Withdrawal for Mitigating Circumstances applies to all courses in which the student is currently enrolled. Withdrawal from fewer than all courses will be considered in extenuating circumstances. The student will not receive a refund, though they may request consideration for a tuition refund by following the Business Office procedures.
Withdrawal as a Result of Military Service
Should a student be called to active duty (for National Guard or reservists) or be mobilized (active military) as described in the Code of Virginia (§ 23-9.6:2) and the State Council’s Virginia Tuition Relief, Refund and Reinstatement Guidelines, NOVA will provide tuition relief, refund, and reinstatement to students whose service has required their sudden withdrawal or prolonged absence from their enrollment. If the student requests to be withdrawn from the College after the last day to drop classes with tuition refund for the term or semester in which he/she is enrolled, the student may elect either to be deleted from the registration file and be awarded a full refund of tuition and fees or to be administratively withdrawn with no refund and assigned a grade of “W”. Except in cases of third-party payment arrangements, the College shall provide, at the option of the student, for such refunds to be retained and to be applicable to tuition and fees charged in the semester or term in which the student returns to study.
Withdrawal by Students Receiving Veterans Benefits
Veteran students who are using veterans’ education benefits must contact the College veteran’s office before withdrawing or dropping classes. If veteran students need guidance through this process, contact the Office of Military and Veteran Services at veteranmilitaryservices@nvcc.edu.
Withdrawal as an International Student
International students sponsored on an F1 immigration status must be enrolled each semester in a minimum of 12 credit hours as a degree student or 25 CEUs as an Intensive English program student to be considered full time. Students who find that they must withdraw from a course should talk to their assigned international student advisor before they withdraw. F-1 regulations give the College the authority to authorize exceptions to the full course of study requirement for limited and specific reasons. These requests must go through the Office of International Student Services. Students who withdraw from a course and fall below full time courseload risk termination of the F-1 status.
Withdrawal Policy for Students with Federal Financial Aid
Students who have received federal financial aid (Title IV) funds and have withdrawn from all their courses within the first 60 percent of their period of enrollment, or who drop, withdraw, or stop attending a course while not simultaneously attending another are subject to the mandatory refund policy for federal student financial aid (Return to Title IV or R2T4). To withdraw after the published withdrawal deadline due to mitigating circumstances, students must complete an official withdrawal (Form 125-047) and submit it to the Student Services Center. Students must include their last date of attendance in the course. Financial aid recipients who stopped attending all courses and did not complete the “official” withdrawal process but who can produce an instructor-documented last date of class attendance (i.e., last exam, last paper, etc.) will have R2T4 calculated based upon their last reported date of attendance.
For financial aid recipients who stopped attending all their courses and their last date of attendance is unknown, the calculation of federal refunds returned will be based upon the midpoint (50 percent) of the period of enrollment. Students who did not attend beyond the census date of a course will have their financial aid recalculated based upon the enrollment level of courses in which attendance beyond the census date was established. Such students may be liable for repayment of federal funds. For more information, review the Return of Title IV Financial Aid Funds Policy and the information provided on the impact of dropping, withdrawing, auditing, or not attending a course that is provided on the financial aid website, https://www.nvcc.edu/financialaid/policies/impacts-FA.html.
Financial aid applicants who withdraw from courses may have difficulty subsequently in achieving the satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid (see Satisfactory Academic Progress on the financial aid website or in the Student Services Financial Aid Handbook). Failure to follow established procedures could affect a student’s future eligibility for financial aid benefits.
NOVA Online Enrollment
Students may enroll in NOVA Online courses through myNOVA. Most courses have multiple sections starting throughout the semester. Details are available by visiting https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/online. Please note that NOVA Online courses have different critical course deadlines than campus-based courses. When registering for sequential courses, such as ENG 111 and ENG 112 , students should sign up for only one course at a time.
Students taking their first online course at NOVA should also complete NOVA Online’s on-demand virtual orientation: https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/online/admissions/orientation/index.html. Part 1 of the Orientation will cover Student Services information, focusing on getting started in courses, accessing the Canvas course site, identifying tips for success, and student support services. Part 2 will show a sample Canvas course and demonstrate the course navigation.
Check the NOVA Online website or contact the NOVA Online Hotline at 703-323-3347 or onlinereg@nvcc.edu for registration information.
Auditing a Course
Students may audit a course and attend without taking examinations. Audited courses carry no credit and do not count as a part of one’s course load, which will affect a student’s status if he or she receives financial aid or veterans benefits or holds an F-1/M-1 visa.
Students who wish to change status in a course from credit to audit or from audit to credit must complete the Auditing a Class Form (125-012) and have it signed by the instructor and the academic dean within the add/drop period for the course (no later than the census date). The instructor may require a certain level of attendance or completion of some assignments; students should follow the guidelines on the course syllabus or negotiate expectations with the instructor early in the semester.
The regular tuition rate is charged. However, senior citizens auditing a course do not need to pay tuition so long as they follow the process outlined under Admission Information for Senior Citizens.
Students who wish to earn credit for a previously audited course must retake the course by reenrolling in the course for credit and paying normal tuition to earn a grade other than “X.” Advanced standing credit will not be awarded for a previously audited course.
Complete instructions for auditing a class can be found on Form 125-012, available on the College website.
A hold or service indicator will be placed on a student’s official record under certain conditions. Nonpayment of financial obligations, such as tuition, College fines, and other debts will result in a hold on the student’s record. Disciplinary action, academic suspension, or dismissal may also result in a hold on one’s enrollment. A hold will restrict a student from enrolling, having transcripts or grade reports issued, or receiving other College services.
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