Potential graduates must submit an online application for graduation for the semester they will complete their program requirements. Please go to https://www.nvcc.edu/graduation/ for more detailed information.

• At midnight, the application date automatically changes to the next semester. The application will be processed for the semester that is listed in SIS.

Students no longer have the option of withdrawing a graduation application. If all requirements are satisfied, the degree/certificate will be awarded.

Summer, Fall, and the next Spring term applicants, are eligible to participate.

No. Students who completed program requirements the prior summer, fall and the current spring graduation applicants are eligible to participate in the Spring Commencement.

Posthumous Degree Award Proposal

A change was made to section 5.1.7 of the VCCS Policy Manual that authorizes colleges to award posthumous degrees, with the criteria determined by individual institutions. The following guidelines were proposed for NOVA:

• Posthumous degrees may be awarded to students who are in their last semester of study and/or within 15 credits of degree completion at the time of death.
• The degree award must be approved by the Vice President of Student Services.
• If possible, the student’s name will appear in the commencement program with an appropriate notation.
• The student’s family will receive an invitation to the commencement ceremony from the President’s office; if they choose to attend, they will be provided with an escort.
• At the appropriate point in the ceremony, the degree will be announced and the family will be asked to stand and be recognized.
• Unless alternative arrangements are made by the student’s campus, the diploma will be mailed to the family with a letter of condolence from the President. The diploma will bear the notation. “Awarded Posthumously.”

You receive an immediate confirmation message listing the information that is extracted directly from your permanent record. If you discover an error, you need to contact one of the Student Services Centers promptly for assistance to make corrections to your record. The following status letters are emailed to your VCCS email accounts:

1. All requirements completed.
2. Requirements completed pending successful completion of current enrollment.
3. Ineligible:
   • Missing requirements.
   • Low GPA (plan/cum GPA less than 2.00).
   • Did not satisfy residency requirements.

All communication includes the following information: time and location of commencement (if it has been determined); The Annandale Campus holds a Graduation Fair each spring in the month of March, where regalia, class rings and invitations can be purchased. The Graduation Information Brochure is produced by the Marketing Department that normally posts the brochure online after April 15. The brochure provides the dates and location where the commencement ceremony will be held, the name of the commencement speaker and line-up information for graduates.

Final grades must be posted before degrees/certificates are awarded. The manual process of awarding degrees/certificates always begins the last of day the semester. This process may take up to three months to complete; diplomas cannot be ordered until degree awarded is completed.

You should check your degree audits periodically for the degree award just as you do for the posting of your final grades, only then should transcript requests be submitted.

• Diplomas and certificates are ordered after all degrees awarding have been awarded. Diplomas should arrive within three months after degree awarding is completed. 
• Diplomas will be mailed to your address that is listed in the Student Information System (SIS).
• Requests for lost/destroyed diploma requests should be sent to AsktheCRO@nvcc.edu, per the policy listed in the College catalog, names will only be changed in cases of gender reassignment not change of name due to marriage, divorce or other reasons. If the diploma is damaged, the damaged diploma must be returned to the CRO before a re-order is submitted to the vendor.
• International students’ diplomas will be mailed to their international addresses if one is provided or to a designated embassy.
• Returned/undeliverable diplomas are eventually returned to the CRO via mail. A copy of the mailing envelop can be found in ImageNow linked to your ID.

If you are in this situation, you need to contact the transfer school to determine their course of action. The transfer school’s policy is normally listed on their website.

Submit the College Records Office Request for Degree Verification form 125-340. Graduation verification status letters will only be mailed directly to the school or the employer. You must provide the name of the supervisor/department and a complete mailing address of the company; copies of the letter will not be provided to you or your parents.

Commencement is held in May (location to be announced). The doors close once the ceremony begins, no graduates are admitted after that time. You and your guests are asked to conduct yourselves as is appropriate for this most important occasion and to remain in your seats until the conclusion of the ceremony. Please note, tickets may be required for all attendees; check the NOVA website.

Diploma covers are issued to all students who participate in Commencement. Students who do not attend Commencement can order the diploma cover online using the eform 125-403e.

The Commencement Information Brochure is created by the Marketing Department and usually available on the NOVA website (after April 15). You are instructed to bring the brochure to Commencement.

• Do not send a NOVA transcript before applying for admission to MASON.
• MASON does not accept NOVA paper transcripts or emailed transcripts.
• Transcripts are not processed by both institutions in real-time.  Allow 3 business days for Mason to receive and add your transcript to your application. A “hold” status is a normal step in the MASON transcript process and does not indicate a financial hold on your record.
• The MASON Office of Admissions receives all Parchment transcripts.  All academic advisors at Mason have access to your NOVA transcript.  Do not send transcripts to any office other than the Office of Admissions.

• The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) does not accept electronic transcripts.
• Hard copy paper official transcript requests are processed via the Parchment eService at a cost of $15.00. Request to have a sealed official transcript from the college sent to you, and include that sealed transcript with the application for licensure. Include official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
• Official student transcripts (bearing the registrar’s signature and embossed seal) that have been issued to students are acceptable.
• Do not have transcripts sent separately to the VDOE.
• Further information is provided on the VDOE website.

Student records with multiple ID numbers will need to have their ID numbers merged so that all course work completed at NOVA will be included one official transcript.  A hold will be placed until the records are merged; expect a processing delay.

Archived students (no recent enrollment) records from the quarter credit system (pre-5-1-88) will need to be restored to current status. A conversion hold will be placed on the record until it is restored; expect a processing delay.

The standard response is “We have not received your transcript.” Once an official transcript is processed and sent, your credit/debit card will be charged. That is an indication that your request has been sent to the school. Please allow ample time (at least 5 days) for the school to evaluate your transcript and process your record.

First determine why the hold was placed, usually the hold is placed for monies owed to the College. In rare cases, the hold must to be handled by the AVP for Student Services and Enrollment Management.

Per the College catalog: Graduation Honors – Students attending NOVA for a minimum of 30 credit hours in degree programs are eligible for graduation honors. Those attending NOVA for a minimum of 50 percent of the credit hours in their certificate program are eligible for graduation honors. Student must apply online for graduation to be eligible for graduation honors. Graduation honors are determined by the student’s cumulative grade point average at the completion of the semester for which he/she is certified for graduation.

The request forms are available on the NOVA website for students to download complete and sign.  Students requesting a Degree Verification letter must have submitted a current application for graduation. The letter is mailed directly to the third party, never to the student/parent nor are copies of the provided to students/parents.  Apostille forms are available online for students to download.  Completed and signed forms must be submitted with their original diploma and official transcript to the OISS along with course descriptions for every course the student completed.  Once notarized, the forms will be returned to the Office of International Student Services (OISS) for pick up by the student.  The student is responsible for mailing the Apostille to the Commonwealth’s Attorney with the required fee.  International Authentication requests consist of course descriptions for all courses completed by the student, the College Certification/Accreditation as well as the student’s program of study. 

It is the student’s responsibility to:

1. Prepare the College Course Descriptions and submit with the request
2. Prepare the College Certification and Accreditation information sheet and submit with request.    
3. Prepare the College Program of Studies information information and submit with request.

1. Repeat codes (report run at the end of the semester by IT; can be corrected by campus registrars). 
2. Grade postings/changes (handled by campus registrars). 
3. Schedule changes (handled at the campus level). 
4. Admissions/Registration/Enrollment/Matters (handled at the campus level).
5. Phi Theta Kappa honors (handled by designated sponsors on select campuses responsible for providing names to the editor for the commencement book). 
6. Presidential Scholars nor any Scholars or Honor Societies (These designations are done automatically by CIS. It's only run once per semester per VCCS policy. If you are left off, it's probably because a grade wasn't posted until after it was run. Your campus registrar can run academic standing for you.).
7. Calculation of Grade Point Averages (GPA – handled by campus registrars).
8. Domicile issues (handled at the campus level ).
9. Honors Course Designations (handled in the Division by the instructor).
10. Unofficial Transcripts (can be downloaded by you).
11. Holds (handled at the campus level).
12. CEU (Continuing Education Units)
13. Commencement Ceremony arrangements. Graduation Information Brochure (arranged by the Commencement Events Manager Geri Dolan).
14. Commencement regalia (bookstore).
15. Historic/Statistical Graduation Data (contact the Office of Institutional Research; there is also a link on the home page).     
16. Registration/Enrollment/Courses Missing from Transcript Issues (handled at the campus level).
17. Requests for medical records (Do not exist at NOVA.).

Currently, the Commencement Day Marshalls do not have a list eligible of graduates, so no one is checking. Anyone in regalia is allowed in the line, handed a card on which to print their name and hand to the announcer when they walk on the stage. However, names of the students who did not submit an application for graduation will not be included the Commencement program nor will a supplement insert be produced.

You can find this information on your unofficial transcript. Unofficial transcripts can be downloaded by you. The CRO does not process or produce unofficial transcripts.

You can go to the NOVA website and search for the Academic Calendar or official Catalog for the desired year.

No.

Yes, NOVA has contracted with Parchment to manage all official transcript requests. Parchment provides official electric transcripts which is the only option for obtaining an official transcript.

Northern Virginia Community College
College Records Office
Annandale, VA 22003

No; Parchment is the only option.

No; Parchment is the only option.

No; the CRO is a virtual operation and can only be contacted via AsktheCRO@nvcc.edu.

The CRO is a virtual operation, inquiries you have regarding any of the subjects previously addressed or any CRO matters should be submitted to AsktheCRO@nvcc.edu. This is the only method of contacting the CRO; there are persons assigned to respond to inquiries within 24 to 48 hours. The CRO is a processing department and can be contacted via AsktheCRO@nvcc.edu or NOVA's Call Center at 703.323.3000.