NOVA is the largest public institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America's largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls nearly 80,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield (Medical Education Campus) and Woodbridge through NOVA Online and high school dual enrollment. We offer more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs to help our students reach their academic and professional goals through university transfers and access to the most in-demand careers. At NOVA, we strive to ensure that every student succeeds, every program achieves, and every community prospers.
When you enroll at NOVA through Amazon's Career Choice program, you can choose from any of our associate degrees, Career Study Certificates (CSC), Certificate programs and a handful of non-credit programs. The associate degree programs require 60+ credits for completion, and the CSC’s and Certificate programs can range from as low as 12 to as much as 30+ credits to complete. As an additional benefit to our students, many of our CSC’s are stackable credentials within the corresponding degree. This gives you the ability to transition into your career when you choose, knowing that your hard work applies directly into the program's associate degree if you choose to continue.
NOVA’s Career Choice programs allow you to enhance your professional journey by building your credentials and degrees at your pace. Many of the courses available to you are designed to help prepare you to take exams to earn valuable industry certifications. If you already have industry certifications, you may be eligible to earn credit for prior learning (CPL) and receive course equivalents and complete your program even faster. Present any of your industry certifications to your Advisor or Career Coach who can determine if they can be applied for credit.
How do I know if I am eligible?
You may be eligible to participate in the program if you have been employed as a regular full-time (40+ hours per week), reduced time (30+ hours per week), or part-time (20-29 hours per week) hourly L1-L4 blue badge employee for 90 continuous days. This includes all hourly non-exempt FC, CS, corporate, AWS, Amazon Fresh Stores, Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Pop Up, Amazon Go and certain retail and eligible subsidiary associates. Eligible subsidiaries include A9, A100, A2Z, Audible, Brilliance, ComiXology, CreateSpace, Fabric.com, Goodreads, Amazon Pharmacy, Shopbop, Ring, and Woot.
Eligibility is confirmed through the application process on the Amazon A to Z portal, not through Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Once eligible, you must still apply and be accepted at NOVA to take courses.
How do I get started?
You will be required to Apply to NOVA and be accepted prior to selecting your program of study and your courses. You will also have to login into Amazon A to Z and complete the required steps to be enrolled in the Career Choice program.
When you log into Amazon A to Z and begin your Career Choice program process, you will see steps that encourage you to research your school and program prior to starting the Career Choice process. Once you're finished with planning, you can get started. You will be asked in the pre-application checklist to confirm that you have a) reviewed the Career Choice Program Guidelines and understand the policies and your responsibilities as a participant, and b) researched and selected a Career Choice approved school and program.
Who should I contact if I have questions about the Career Choice program?
If you have general Career Choice questions you should contact NOVA’s Career Choice Coordinator, Sedrick Settle at ssettle@nvcc.edu or 703-878-6140. If you have billing questions you should contact the Office of Third Party Billing at thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu.
How will I receive information about NOVA and my courses?
NOVA uses multiple modalities to communicate to our students. You will receive emails to your student email account (e.g., joh12345@email.vccs.edu) as well as any other email accounts you may have provided to the college. You may also receive push notifications to your phone, especially during emergency situations at the college or at a campus. You can also receive communications through the NOVA Engage app.
What is the NOVA Engage app?
The NOVA Engage app brings the campus to your fingertips and enables you to connect with the NOVA community. Stay on top of your events, classes, and assignments with the built in calendar function, and get notified of important dates, deadlines, and security announcements. Make friends, ask questions, and access campus resources at any time!
We recommend that all Career Choice students download the NOVA Engage app through the Apple Store or Google Play Store (Android).
The NOVA Career Choice Coordinator will use the Career Choice channel on the NOVA Engage app to share program information and connect with Career Choice students. You can use it to share you’re experiences, meet other Amazon employees, find out about other programs, etc. It’s your own Career Choice community.
How do I access my Amazon Career Choice tuition benefits?
To request payment from Amazon Career Choice:
i. Visit Amazon A to Z and submit a payment request for Northern Virginia Community College and your program of study.
ii. The request will be sent to NOVA to confirm course level details, and either approve or deny the request.
iii. If approved, Amazon pays the school directly!
How do I pay for the American Culture & Language Institute (ACLI) ESL courses?
Career Choice participants must create payment requests through the Foundations on Amazon A to Z. If you go through the College payment request process, you must cancel that payment request and create a new one by going through Foundations. These are non-credit courses and are processed differently.
Do I need to submit payment requests every semester?
Yes. You will have to make requests from Amazon A to Z every semester you are taking classes. The Office of Third Party Billing (thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu ) manages the payments between the college and Amazon. Depending on when your courses start and stop, you may have to make more than one request during the same semester. It is very important that you monitor your email(s) for communications from Third Party Billing and work with them on billing issues.
Can I take multiple courses within the same semester?
Yes. You may be required to submit additional payment requests if you take additional courses. This is dependent on when the courses start and stop within the semester (i.e., 7 week, 10 week, 15 week, etc.).
How many credits can I take each year?
This is dependent on if you are an In-State or Out-of-State student. In-State students could take 25+ credit hours each year. Out-of-State could take about half of that amount each year due to the difference in tuition costs. Note, if you exceed your Career Choice benefits in any given year, you will be responsible to pay the difference.
How do I get reimbursed for books and other fees?
Career Choice will reimburse you for books and associated class fees as long as it does not exceed your annual maximum budget. You can submit book and fee reimbursements after the course start date and up to 60 days after the course ends. Educational expenses that can be reimbursed by Career Choice include:
Please note: Career Choice will not reimburse any fee that is not directly related to completing the education (e.g., any transportation costs, hotel stay, parking, late fees or meal costs).
A paid invoice or receipt is required to serve as a proof of payment. To upload receipts go to Amazon A to Z.
How much will I have to pay and when will I be billed?
Once you submit your voucher to Third Party Billing you will be sent a bill, if applicable, with the balance you owe. Your tuition rate will be determined by your domicile (In-state/Out-of-State) and the number of courses you plan to take. In addition, increases to tuition rates as determined by the Virginia Community College System could also impact your balance owed. If you exhaust all of your annual benefits and continue to take courses, you will be personally responsible for any outstanding balances and will be billed accordingly. For questions contact Third Party Billing at thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu.
I have received an email about a past due bill at NOVA.
NOVA bills for courses to comply with our audit rules. You will likely receive automated messages about an account balance several times throughout the program. You should not make payment directly to NOVA if the bill is for the current academic term (e.g., messages for the semester you’re in right now, Summer in June/July, and so on). If you have a message about a past due bill for a completed course, please check with the Office of Third Party Billing (thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu) on the payment status.
Will I ever have to pay out-of-pocket?
There are only three reasons you would ever have to pay out-of-pocket, (1) if you did not submit a payment request on time in Amazon A to Z when asked by NOVA’s Office of Third Party Billing, (2) you have used all of your Career Choice benefits for that year and you continued to take courses, or (3) if you are notified that you are not eligible for Career Choice and choose to stay in the program instead of dropping.
Is my tuition different if I am not a resident of Virginia?
Yes. If you are not domiciled (resident) in Virginia for at least one year prior to enrolling at NOVA you will be charged Out-Of-State tuition rates. This rate is approximately twice as much as In-State tuition rates, which means you will use up your Career Choice benefits faster due to costs. Residency is determined through the NOVA application. If there is an error, please contact your Career Choice Coordinator immediately, because this will take time to resolve. You may be required to provide documentation to prove domicile.
I have used my Career Choice benefits in the past. How will that affect my program at NOVA?
Your eligibility to participate in the Career Choice program should be confirmed through Amazon A to Z before enrolling in any courses. If you are not eligible, Amazon will not pay for any of your courses.
How can I maximize my Career Choice benefit?
To complete an associate degree at Northern Virginia Community College, you should take as many credits as you can each year that are covered 100% by your benefits. You should take the courses as mapped in your degree plan provided by your advisor. This will allow you to maximize your Amazon Career Choice benefits. You do not have to spread out your credits and could take them all in one, two or over all three semesters in a given year. Most students take classes during the fall and spring semesters and take a break for summer, but to balance the course load a consistent 2-3 (3 credit courses) courses each semester may work best. Bear in mind that the approach is different for everyone.
Can I use my Career Choice benefit toward any program at NOVA?
Yes, any credit program. Amazon recently changed the allowable programs at NOVA. You can now take any degree, career study certificate (CSC) or certification program. Currently the only authorized non-credit courses are American Culture and Language Institute (ACLI) ESL Programs.
What is a Career Studies Certificate?
A career studies certificate (CSC) is a shorter program designed to provide core program courses that give students industry knowledge, skills and abilities to prepare them for an internship or entry level position. Typically designed to be a one year program, this is a pathway that many individuals take to change careers quickly. At NOVA many of our CSC’s are stackable, meaning that the courses you complete for a CSC will also stack into the program associate degree. This saves you time and money if you chose to pursue the program associate degree.
Can I transfer credits into this program?
NOVA accepts transfer credits from a variety of sources. For example, if you already have industry certifications, you may be eligible to earn credit for prior learning (CPL) and receive course equivalents and complete your program even faster. Speak with an advisor to determine how many of your credits may transfer to your selected program.
Can I switch my program track?
Yes, you can switch your program track. However, not all courses apply to each program track. You may have to take additional courses and they may not be covered by Career Choice, so speak to an advisor before switching programs. If you change to a program that is not part of Career Choice, you will be subject to standard tuition and fee charges for all courses.
Do I need to have an ACT or SAT exam score to attend?
No. ACT and SAT are not required to attend NOVA. If you have taken one of these exams, you can provide the scores to your advisor to assist with your program plan.
Do I need to take any placement tests to determine the course I can take?
No. NOVA strongly urges new students to take the math, English and ESL assessments provided to ensure your courses can be best aligned for academic success, but placement tests are not required to attend NOVA.
The Math Placement Guidance for Students will help you determine which mathematics course you should take. Contact MATHplacement@nvcc.edu if you need assistance.
Assess your English readiness by taking the VPT-English Practice Test. Take the VPT-English Practice Test and be sure to download and share your score with your advisor.
If English is your second language you should Contact the ESL Department for questions about your placement and class registration information or any other follow up questions.
Will I lose my Career Choice benefit or be required to repay Career Choice if I fail a course?
No, you will not be required to repay Career Choice for any failed courses. However, you are subject to the Career Choice guidelines you agreed to when joining the program. Failing multiple courses could result negatively on your Career Choice benefits.
What kind of resources will be available to me through NOVA’s Career Services?
Please visit NOVA ‘s Career Services for more information about tools and resources we offer to help you advance your career outside of Amazon. You can also contact your career coach for program specific assistance.
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