SIS Guides for Financial Aid

Financial Aid Tutorials

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click on SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click on My Student Information.
  4. Scroll down to the Finances section and under the Financial Aid click on the Accept/Decline Awards.
  5. Select the correct Aid Year.
  6. Enter a check mark in the box to Accept or Decline loans or work-study.
    • Awards are for the entire year or for your period of enrollment if aid is received for only one term.
    • To decrease your loan amount, change the accepted amount field and update the total.
    • Accepted loan amount must be at least $200. 
    • Loan fees are subtracted from the total loan amount before disbursement. 
    • Full subsidized loan amounts should be accepted before taking any unsubsidized loan.

  7. Click on Submit.

For Direct Loan Borrowers

If you accept a student loan at NOVA, you will be borrowing through the Direct Loan Program.

Why Should I Review My Anticipated Financial Aid?

If you are awarded financial aid before the semester begins, your award will be based on anticipated full-time enrollment in at least 12 eligible credits. If you choose to enroll in less than 12 eligible credits, your financial aid award may be adjusted. Please follow the steps below to learn how to view your financial aid based on your current enrollment.

How to View the Anticipated Financial Aid

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click on SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click on My Student Information.
  4. Scroll down to the Finances tab and click on Account Inquiry.
  5. Click the yellow button, CLICK HERE to see Pending Financial Aid Based on Actual Enrollment.

Important Notes

  • If your pending financial aid is less than your total charges, please pay the remaining balance by the payment deadline. 
  • Classes that do not apply to your degree or certificate are not eligible for financial aid and are not included in the pending financial aid calculation. 
  • Pending financial aid will not be credited to your account and actually reduce the Total Due shown on your account until it is disbursed. This typically occurs approximately 2-3 weeks after the term census date if you have attended at least 6 eligible credits past the session census date and assuming you do not have any holds or incomplete To Do List items on your myNOVA account that prevent disbursement.

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click on SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click on My Student Information.
  4. Under the To Do List, click on the outstanding item. Note: The outstanding item is shown in bold until submitted.

  5. To upload the file, click Upload File. File names with special characters such as '?*&@!' will not be processed.
  6. Choose a file that you would like to upload. Then, click Upload. Depending on the requirements of the To Do List item, you may need to submit multiple documents to documents to complete one item. You will NOT be able to upload additional documents or make any adjustments to the submitted documents once you click Please review all uploaded documents carefully before submitting.
  7. When you are finished uploading the file, click View to review all documents. 

  8. After reviewing, click Submit. The To Do List item will no longer be shown in bold type.
  9. The To Do List item will also be marked as Received with the date and time the document was submitted. Note: Please continue to check your To Do List. If documents are rejected, the To Do List item will be set back to “Initiated”, which requires you to resubmit the correct/complete documents.

If you experience difficulty uploading documents through the To Do List, another option is to submit the documents to the Student Support Center by creating a case and securely uploading the documents as explained in the tutorial at https://www.nvcc.edu/forms/pdf/125-396.pdf.

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click My Student Information.
  4. Scroll down to the Finances section.
  5. Click View Financial Aid.
  6. Click on an Aid Year to view your financial aid for that year.

    Note that financial aid offered prior to the term census (the last day to drop with a tuition refund for the longest session of fall, spring or summer term as shown on the Academic Calendar) is based on anticipated full-time enrollment in at least 12 eligible credits.

    If you enrolled in less than 12 eligible credits, view your pending financial aid based on your current enrollment and determine if your financial aid is enough to cover your balance.

    Consider the following options if your financial aid is not enough to cover your balance:

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click on SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click on My Student Information.
  4. Scroll down to the Finances tab and click on View Financial Aid.
  5. Click on the desired Aid Year to view your financial aid awards. 
  6. Scroll down to the involved Term and click on View Course Eligibility.
  7. The FA Course Eligibility page displays as demonstrated below. Eligible courses will be marked with a check. Ineligible courses will be marked with an X. Courses that have not yet been evaluated by the Financial Aid Course Audit process (which is generally run nightly) will be marked with a question mark. 


Review Your Anticipated Financial Aid Based on your Current Enrollment

If you are enrolled in less than 12 eligible credits, the financial aid you see offered on your myNOVA account may be reduced after the term census date (the last day to drop with a tuition refund for the longest session of the fall, spring, or summer term as shown on the Academic Calendar). Follow the steps below to view the amount of aid you qualify for based on your current enrollment and to determine if it is enough to cover your charges.

View Anticipated Financial Aid and Total Charges

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click on SIS: Student Information System and then click My Student Information.
  3. Scroll down to the Finances and click on Select College. Select Northern Virginia Community College as your institution. Select appropriate term and Aid Year to view respective anticipated financial aid and total charges. Save your selection.
     
  4. Scroll down to the Finances and click Account Inquiry.
  5. Click the yellow button that reads CLICK HERE to see Pending Financial Aid Based on Actual Enrollment.

    Important Notes:
    1. Courses that do not apply to your degree or certificate are not eligible for financial aid and are not included in the Pending Financial Aid calculation.
    2. If you accepted a federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loan, you must enroll in at least six eligible credits and complete the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling at https://studentaid.gov before the loan is counted as Pending Financial Aid. A tutorial for accepting loans is provided on the financial aid blog. 

  6. View the total amount due under Account Inquiry.


If your pending financial aid is MORE than the total cost of your tuition & fees, no amount will be shown in the Total Due section. It will be left blank as shown below.

If your pending financial aid is LESS than the total cost of your tuition & fees, the remaining balance that you owe will be displayed in the Total Due section as shown below.

Be sure to pay the Total Due by the payment deadline.

If your Pending Financial Aid Based on Actual Enrollment is more than your Outstanding Charges then you do not need to make a payment.

Important Notes About Financial Aid Disbursements:

  • Most federal and institutional aid is disbursed 2-3 weeks after you have attended at least 6 eligible credits past the course census date if you do not have any holds or incomplete To Do List items on your NOVAConnect account that prevent disbursement.
  • State aid is disbursed after you have attended the minimum number of eligible credits required for the respective state program past the course census date.
  • Aid for students enrolled in only 1-5 eligible credits is disbursed after they have attended past the course census date.
  • No aid is disbursed before the term census (the last day to drop with a tuition refund for the longest session of the fall, spring, or summer term).
  • At the time of loan disbursement, students must be currently attending at least 6 eligible credits past the course census date or they must have already successfully completed at least 6 eligible credits during the term.

Payment Options

If your Pending Financial Aid Based on Actual Enrollment is less than your Outstanding Charges, please pay the Total Due by the payment deadline. Options to consider include:

  • Make a Payment online through your NOVAConnect account for the remaining balance.
  • Enroll in NOVA’s Payment Plan to cover the remaining balance.
  • Visit the Payment Methods website for additional information.

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click My Student Information.
  4. Scroll down to Finances section.
  5. Click View Financial Aid.
  6. Click the Aid Year you wish to view.
  7. Click Estimated Costs and Need.
  8. Click the amount listed next to Estimated Financial Aid Budget.
  9. View a break down of your Estimated Cost of Attendance. These figures are only estimates (not actual costs) and are based on anticipated full-time enrollment prior to the term census.

  1. Log in to  myNOVA.
  2. Click  SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click  My Student Information.
  4. Your  To Do List will be listed on the right side of the window.

    Click on each To Do List item to view the full description of what is being requested.

    Financial aid eligibility is typically reviewed within 7-10 business days after all financial aid items on your To Do List are submitted and accepted by the Financial Aid Office. 

    Check your To Do List on a regular basis, even after you are awarded financial aid, since additional items may be requested at any time. 

  1. Log in to myNOVA.
  2. Click SIS: Student Information System.
  3. Click My Student Information.
  4. Click on Message Center.
  5. Click on the message link to view the message.