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Amazon Career Choice Program

Amazon’s Career Choice program is an education benefit that empowers Amazon employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. By partnering with Northern Virginia Community College, Amazon provides a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including full college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency.

4 Easy Steps to Get Started

Apply to NOVA. Make sure to select Northern Virginia Community College as your college. We recommend that you DO NOT select a program of study and complete this step later with your advisor.
Follow the steps for getting started in the Amazon Career Choice employee portal. Select "Northern Virginia Community College" as your institution. Select an approved program and complete process. Submit your voucher with student ID number and your intended starting semester to Third Party Billing at thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu.
Speak with a NOVA admissions advisor through chat, email or by calling our 24-Hour Student Support Center at 1.855.323.3199. While NOVA offers over a hundred programs, you must remain in one of the approved Career Choice programs to receive the voucher benefits.
Speak with your career coach to ensure you are enrolled in approved courses from your degree plan and review your plan for future courses. Courses will be verified each semester to monitor compliance with Career Choice policies.

Program Data

  • In the U.S., Amazon is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 Amazon employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs.
  • Amazon’s Career Choice program launched in 2012.
  • Career Choice is live in 14 countries (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom., Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, South Africa, Costa Rica, Slovakia and Australia).
  • More than 50,000 Amazon employees have participated globally since inception (more than 35,000 in the U.S.).
  • Healthcare, transportation, and information technology are the Career Choice program’s most popular fields of study globally.
  • More than half of Amazon Career Choice participants identify as Black, Hispanic or Native American.
  • Amazon has more than 110 on-site Career Choice classrooms in FCs across the US, and more than 20 in Europe.

Degree and Certificate Programs Available

When you enroll at NOVA through Amazon's Career Choice program, you can choose from multiple associate degrees and Career Study Certificates (CSC). The associate degree programs range from 60 to 65 credits to complete, and the CSC’s range from as low as 14 to 27 credits to complete. As an additional benefit, many of the CSC’s are completely stackable into the corresponding degree. This gives you the ability to transition into your career faster, knowing that your hard work applies directly into the program associate’s degree if you chose to continue.

NOVA Career Choice Programs

NOVA’s Career Choice programs allow you to enhance your professional value by building up your industry credentials as you go. Many of the courses available to you in this program are designed to help prepare you to take the exams to earn these valuable industry certifications. If you already have some of these 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.

APPLICATION PROCESS

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 Career Choice homepage, 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?

All tracks require you to submit TWO applications - one with the school you select and one for your Career Choice tuition voucher separately at Amazon Career Choice.

When you log into Amazon Career Choice and begin your tuition voucher application process, you will be directed to choose an education track. From each education track landing page, you will see steps that encourage you to research your school and program prior to starting the application process. Once you're finished with planning, you can start your application. 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.

TUITION

How do I access my Amazon Career Choice voucher?

You must apply for your voucher through the Amazon Career Choice employee portal. For your college choice select Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). You will then be able to select from the approved programs that NOVA offers. You must select a program from this list to receive your voucher.

Do I need to submit a voucher every semester?

Yes. You will request your voucher from Amazon and submit it to Northern Virginia Community College Third Party Billing at thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu as soon as you receive it. You will get a confirmation email back from the Third Party Billing Office with the amount being covered by Career Choice and what you will owe that isn’t covered. Other payment issues may also be resolved through this office.

Can I take multiple session courses within the same semester with my Career Choice voucher?

No. You must select courses within your program that have the same start and end date in order for them to be covered by your Career Choice voucher. For example: if you take an 8 week course for the first part of fall semester, you cannot take another 8 week course for the second part of the semester.

How many credits can I take each year?

For example, full-time Amazon associates can take as many as 28 credits in one subscription year (three consecutive semesters), while part-time associates can take as many as 14. The number of credits covered is subject to change due to tuition and fee cost increases. Your subscription year begins with your first semester at NOVA and ends 12 months after the start date of the semester. If your tuition is greater than your available voucher budget you will be responsible for the difference, standard tuition and fees apply.

Will I use my entire annual Career Choice benefit?

Yes. Regardless of how many credits you end up taking in a subscription year, you will use your entire annual benefit. They do not rollover or accumulate year-to-year. Amazon pays 100% of your tuition, fees, and books up to an annual maximum limit. The annual maximum is $5,250 (for full-time associates) or $2,625 (for part-time associates) per calendar year. The Career Choice benefit is available each year for as long as you are employed with Amazon, with no lifetime maximum. You can find a personalized view of your annual budget by navigating to the Career Choice homepage.

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:

  • Books required for your classes
  • Fees required to attend the school, such as a student ID fee or lab fees
  • School exam fees or certification exam fees related to your academic program

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, navigate to the Career Choice homepage -> Your Account -> Upload receipt -> Select application type (book or tuition) -> Select application number -> Attach files -> Submit.

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 used my Career Choice benefits in the past. How will that affect my program at NOVA?

To participate in NOVA programs, you must have your full annual benefit available. If you previously used your Career Choice funds during the year at another institution, you will have to wait until the next year (12 months from voucher issue date) to participate at NOVA. The Career Choice benefit is available each year for as long as you are employed with Amazon, with no lifetime maximum. You can find a personalized view of your annual budget by navigating to the Career Choice homepage.

How can I maximize my Career Choice benefit?

To complete an associate's 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.

What if I don’t live in the state of Virginia?

Tuition is based on your domicile (In-state/Out-of-State) or where you live. Full-time Amazon associates who are Virginia residents, would be covered through Career Choice for up to 28 credits each year based on current in-state tuition and fee rates. Students that live outside of Virginia would pay out-of-state tuition and fee rates, effectively cutting the number of credits that would be covered by Career Choice in half.

COURSES AND PROGRAMS

Can I use my Career Choice benefit toward any program at NOVA?

No. The only NOVA programs covered by the Career Choice benefits are those listed in the Amazon Career Choice employee portal. Please work with your NOVA advisor or career coach to select the right track for you. Any other NOVA programs or courses not within the designated programs are subject to standard tuition and fee charges and will be billed to you.

Which courses should I take to earn my associate degree or certificate?

The programs listed in the Amazon Career Choice employee portal all have degree or certificate program plans. NOVA has created these degree and certificate plans to assist students in selecting the correct courses required to achieve the desired credential. One major benefit to students is that many of the career studies certificates (CSC) are stackable into the program associate’s degree. Please work with your advisor to create a plan for your selected track prior to enrolling in courses.

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’s degree. This save you time and money if you chose to pursue the program associate’s 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 voucher, 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 will lose access to your tuition benefit if you accumulate three applications with failed or missing grades. You are required to upload your grades for each application and will be blocked from submitting a new application if you have three applications with failed or missing grades.

CAREER SERVICES

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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