Latest News

Financial Aid Support Center Awareness Month
05.02.12
Avoid lines and save gas, financial aid support is right at your fingertips! NOVA financial aid has designated May as Financial Aid Support Center Awareness Month. Our goal is to make a college-wide push to promote the services available to our students via the Financial Aid Support Center. We are encouraging all NOVA students and financial aid staff to visit the support center, ask questions and complete a survey to tell us about your experience. The Financial Aid Support Center is available 24-hours, 7 days a week and 365 days a year for your financial aid questions or concerns. Log on to the Support Center and chat with a representative or call 855.323.3199. 

Financial Aid Newsletter – “Greenback”
03.22.12
Check out the latest issue of 'The Financial Aid Greenback,' NOVA's quarterly newsletter that helps students stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest in the world of financial aid. This issue will be available in electronic form with some limited copies at your campus financial aid office. Check it out and share your feedback on our Facebook page!

Student Information System Outage
03.20.12
REMINDER - On Friday, March 23 at 7:00 a.m. through Monday, March 26 at 7:00 a.m., the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) will be upgrading PeopleSoft software. SIS (Student Information System) and financial aid information will be unavailable during this three-day outage. The outage will affect the information available via the Financial Aid Support Center. The Financial Aid Support Center will remain in operation, but will not be able to access the Student Information System. Other services such as MyNOVA (My VCCS), including Blackboard and student email will still be available during the above outage.

Virginia Wizard FAFSA Tutorial
02.29.12
Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form can seem difficult. By using the Virginia Wizard FAFSA Tutorial, and by following the directions we provide, you'll be on your way to possibly receiving funds for college. In this tutorial, learn how to fill out the FAFSA worksheet which will later assist you in the completion of your online FAFSA application. 

Filing Tax Returns Prior to Filing the FAFSA
02.28.12
It is that time of the year again! If you have not already submitted your 2011 tax returns to the IRS and your 2012-2013 FAFSA, please do so immediately! It is more important than ever that you file and submit your tax returns for 2011 prior to filing the FAFSA. Students and parents are encouraged to use IRS data retrieval when completing the FAFSA. If both do, the student’s file is much less likely to be selected for verification. If selected for verification, the student and parent must submit tax transcripts and cannot submit copies of tax returns as you have in the past.

Our priority file completion date for fall is May 1. This means we will need a correct FAFSA and all requested documentation required for file verification. We will continue awarding aid for files completed after May 1, but we cannot guarantee that your award will be in place by the July 29 tuition due date if your file is not completed early. In addition, supplemental funds run out quite early. The sooner your file is complete, the better the opportunity to be considered for all possible types of aid.

For additional FAFSA Information, click here.

Super Saturday at Alexandria and Annandale Campuses
02.02.12
Get assistance with completing the 2012-2013 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASA) on February 4 at the 2012 NOVA Super Saturday workshops at the Alexandria and Annandale Campuses. Representatives will be on hand to give one-on-one assistance to help students complete and file the FAFSA. This event is free to the public, students and parents.

Alexandria Campus: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Annandale Campus: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click here to view the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (VASFAA) Super Saturday Presentation.

Disbursements
02.02.12
Adjustments and disbursements have begun. If you are not enrolled and attending at least 12 credits for any term, your awards will likely be reduced prior to disbursement. Check the financial aid brochure or NOVA website for the requirements of different aid types. If you drop or fail to attend a later-starting class, your Pell Grant and potentially other aid will be further reduced. For more information, please visit the Financial Aid website.

Excess Aid Checks
02.02.12
Excess aid checks for students with aid on September 8 will be mailed by the Commonwealth of Virginia 1-2 weeks after disbursement. Go to NOVAConnect to verify that your correct mailing address is on file. If you are enrolled part-time, but do not begin attending until later in the term, your refund check will not be released until after your part-time enrollment census date.

Financial Aid Support Center
02.02.12
The NOVA Financial Aid Office has launched the brand new Financial Aid Support Center that includes a single support telephone number for all campuses (1-855-323-3199), self-help knowledge base, live chat and much more available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information and to visit the support center, click here.

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Who Is Eligible?

To qualify for financial aid, you must:

• Be enrolled in an eligible program of study.
• Maintain satisfactory academic standing.
• Not be in default on a federal educational loan or owe a repayment to a federal grant.

State and federally funded aid programs require:

• U.S. citizenship
• Permanent residency or refugee status
• Virginia residency (state funds only)
• Federal school code for NOVA 003727

Credits for audited courses do not count in any financial aid eligibility calculation. Most courses taken through the Extended Learning Institute may qualify for financial aid eligibility. All financial aid programs require placement in an eligible degree or certificate curriculum.