Policies
Satisfactory Academic Progress, while receiving VA Education Benefits, students must be making satisfactory academic progress per federal guidelines in the categories of GPA (grade point average) and CR (completion rate). This means students must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all credits attempted and maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better. Progress information is available from the Veterans' Affairs Office, or the Financial Aid Office.
We honor those who serve. To help ensure that NCC takes care of our service members we have a Call-to Action Policy that helps military students who get called to action. If a student who must withdraw from Northampton Community College due to an involuntary call to active military duty the student may apply for credit or refund of tuition and fees paid. Request for a refund will be reviewed on an individual basis. Students who received financial aid or a financial aid refund may or may not be eligible for a tuition refund but would be eligible to receive a tuition credit. Students must provide a copy of their military orders to the Records Office at the time of withdrawal to be considered for the credit or refund.
The military tuition credit must be used within a (1) year period after release from active duty. Tuition credit will not be granted if a student received academic credit for courses in which he/she was enrolled. If a student received financial aid during the semester for which credit is approved, the student must use the tuition credit for a subsequent semester before establishing eligibility for financial aid.
Contact veterans@northampton.edu for instructions.
As required by PA Act 11 of 2015, Veterans and Military Personnel, their spouses, and/or dependent children, may be eligible for reduced tuition rates as outlined below.
- Veterans, their spouses, and/or dependent children, who reside in the Commonwealth of PA will be granted a tuition rate equivalent to the local sponsorship rate. For purposes of this policy, a veteran student is defined as an individual who: (a) Served in the United States Armed Forces, including a reserve component and National Guard, and was discharged/released from service under conditions other than dishonorable; or one who is an active-duty service member; and (b) Resides in Pennsylvania while enrolled at Northampton Community College.
- Active military personnel, their spouses, and/or dependent children, who are enrolled online (distance) and who reside outside of the Commonwealth, will be granted a tuition rate equivalent to the Commonwealth of PA rate.
- Any individual who receives VA education benefits under chapters 1606, 1607, 30, 31, and 33, and who resides outside of the Commonwealth, will be granted a tuition rate equivalent the to Commonwealth of PA rate.
- Civilian personnel who work at a Department of Defense facility in the Commonwealth of PA, their spouses, and/or dependent children, will be granted a tuition rate equivalent the to local sponsorship rate.
As outlined above, those who qualify for reduced rates are exempt from the 90-day residency-waiting period. Student must provide proof of service, which may include one of the following: DD214, current military ID, and/or VA Certificate of Eligibility. In addition to providing proof of service, students must provide two proofs of the following: proof of residency before the start of the semester for which reduced rates are to be granted and showing the local/PA address. PA address verification may be proven with any of the following: PA Driver's License/PA Dept. of Transportation ID card, per capita (school district) tax receipt, local EIT or Pennsylvania tax return, lease, utility bill, deed, bank statement, pay stub, credit card bill, or phone bill.
Important note: Students who qualify for residency after the beginning of a semester will be granted the appropriate tuition rates for the following semester. The college will not make retroactive changes to residency status.
Act 46 of 2014 requires public institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania to provide veteran students, as defined in the Act, with preference in course scheduling. Non-compliance may be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by submitting the Higher Education Student Complaint form found at www.education.state.pa.us.
[Note: Act 46 applies to veteran students admitted to credit courses and programs offered at the institution.]
For purposes of this policy, a veteran student is defined as an individual who:
- Served in the United States Armed Forces, including a reserve component and National Guard and was discharged/released from service under conditions other than dishonorable; or one who is an active-duty service member
- Resides in Pennsylvania while enrolled at Northampton Community College
Student veterans who have met all other registration requirements will be given course scheduling preference and will be permitted to register for classes prior to the regular registration periods as published in the Academic Calendar. The eligibility of veteran students for course scheduling preference will be identified through college database records. Continuing veteran students who are eligible for course scheduling preference will be assigned to the earlier registration time through the Workday student portal; no additional action must be taken by the student.
This policy will appear on the College website, and be included in the College Catalog, and be available in the Adult & Military-Affiliated Student Services Office. Questions can be directed to the veterans@northampton.edu.
Processing Note: A student who did not indicate veteran or active-duty status at the time of application may provide documentation (DD214 etc.) on Workday or to the Office of Adult & Military-Affiliated Student Services Office to have the College database record updated.
Please review the NCC VA Certification Policy (PDF).
All disability-related records are maintained in the Accessibility Resource Center, separate from the Adult & Military Affiliated Student Services Office. All documents relating to a military-affiliated student disability should be mailed or faxed to:
Accessibility Resources
Northampton Community College
3835 Green Pond Road Bethlehem, PA 18020
FAX: (610) 861-5351
NCC recognizes students' service and commitment while serving in the military. Soldiers have gone through a substantial amount of training, and we want to maximize the students' time at Northampton Community College. Please request an official Joint Services Transcript and/or Community College of the Air Force and have it sent to Northampton Community College. All other institutional transcripts that the students has should be requested through Parchment.
