Veterans'
Veterans are welcome at NFC
Registered Students: Request Certification Here (log in using your MyNFC credentials)
NFC is approved for training of veterans by the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Veterans and dependents of veterans eligible for educational benefits must be approved by the VA Regional Office. Upon approval, benefits may take up to 90 days to be received. For VA application forms, certification of attendance, and assistance with problems, students may contact the Veterans' Affairs Coordinator in the Office of Enrollment Services. Veterans and those eligible for VA benefits must contact a Veteran's Affairs Specialist each term during the academic advisement period to review their status. Veterans with disabilities are encouraged to work with a Veterans' Affairs Specialist and the Disability Resource Center to coordinate accommodations.
- For information, contact a Veterans' Affairs Specialist by telephone at (850) 973-1622 or (850) 973-9469 or email Veterans' Affairs. The office is located in the Administration Building (Bldg. 3). Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. during fall and spring terms and Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. during summer term.
- New applicants should complete the required procedures at least six weeks prior to their first term at the college.
- Veterans and those eligible for VA benefits must meet with the Veterans' Affairs Specialist each term during the academic advisement period to review their status.
- Only courses that satisfy requirements outlines by a degree or certificate program graduation worksheet can be certified for VA purposes. Students should refer to their graduation worksheet and consult with an Academic Advisor or a Veteran's Affairs Specialist when they register each term. If a student takes a course that does not fulfill a program requirement, it cannot be certified for VA purposes. Excess free electives, for example, cannot be certified.
- Students cannot be certified to take courses on an audit basis.
- Classes that are successfully completed may not be certified again for VA purposes if they are repeated.
- Remedial or developmental courses, if required, must be taken face-to-face. Online developmental courses cannot be certified to VA.
Regular and consistent attendance facilitates student success. Students are responsible for material covered during their absence. Students should refer to their course syllabi for specific policies for missed work. If there is no verifiable participation within the first week of the term, a student will be dropped from class for nonattendance. This includes classes delivered in face-to-face, online or hybrid formats See instructor policy in the relevant course syllabus.
Veterans and other persons eligible for VA educational benefits must have all previous post-secondary education evaluated and the equivalency credits recorded in the student's College file maintained in the Office of the Registrar and in the VA file.Veterans desiring to articulate military experience credits should request their military transcript (i.e. Joint Services Transcript) so that it can be evaluated by the Registrar.
Standards of Progress
Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress and conduct to receive or continue to receive VA educational benefits.
A student will be placed on academic probation at the end of any term in which the cumulative GPA falls below a "C" (2.0) once seven college credit hours have been attempted.
Continued probation will occur when the student earns a minimum 2.0 term GPA and the cumulative GPA remains below 2.0.
A student placed on academic probation or continued academic probation is restricted to enrolling in no more than thirteen semester hours during any term. It is recommended that the student meet with an academic advisor to develop success strategies.
A student placed on academic probation will be placed on academic suspension when the term GPA and the cumulative GPA fall below 2.0. VA educational benefits will terminate the semester the student is suspended. If this is the student's first academic suspension, the student may appeal suspension. See an Academic Advisor to discuss the academic appeal request process.
A veteran student terminated from benefits due to unsatisfactory progress may be re-certified to the VA only after obtaining a 2.0 cumulative GPA and returning to good academic standing. Students must meet with the Veteran's Affairs Specialist to discuss the conditions for the student's continued certification to VA. These conditions will prescribe the minimum performance standards to be achieve by the student during the next enrollment period.
To initiate action by VA to determine whether further payments of VA educational assistance allowance should be authorized, the student must submit a specific request for resumption of VA benefits following an interruption due to unsatisfactory progress or conduct. Requests may be submitted on VA Form 22-1995 or VA Form 22-5495.
A college credit student who has been suspended may change to a clock hour career and technical certificate program and register for those classes in good standing.
See also Academic Probation and Academic Suspensions in the Academic Regulations section fo the NFC College Catalog.
Rate of Pursuit and Training Time
VA calculates rate of pursuit (RoP) by dividing credit hours (or credit hour equivalencies) being pursued by the number of credit hours considered to be full-time by the school. The resulting percentage is the student's RoP. The Chapter 33 housing allowance is paid if RoP is more than 50%. NFC defines full-time as 12 credit hours or more.
VA benefits are paid based on training time certified by the school. In a standard semester (fall and spring), VA measures training time as follows.
Standard Terms I and II (Fall and Spring)
Full-time ...............12 + credit hours
3/4 time.............9 to 11 credit hours
1/2 time...............6 to 8 credit hours
Tuition Only..........1 to 5 credit hours
When a session or course doesn't follow the standard terms in fall or spring, and in summer terms, students are certified for their actual begin date, end date, and credits for the session or course. VA converts credit earned during nonstandard semesters to equivalent credit hours. VA makes the conversion, not NFC.
If a program is measured in clock hours, benefits are paid based on clock hours of attendance per week. The beginning date, ending date, and number of clock hours a student is scheduled to attend each week are reported to VA. For students receiving benefits under Chapter 33, VA will convert clock hours to credit hours and then calculate rate of pursuit. The Monthly Housing Allowance is paid if rate of pursuit is more than 50%.
Deferment of Tuition and Fees
Veterans and dependents of veterans eligible for VA educational benefits may have their tuition and fees deferred during their first term of attendance. Students with VA benefits who desire a deferred payment plan may make request to the Office of Financial Aid prior to the published deadline to pay tuition and fees during the first term of attendance. To be eligible for deferment, students may also be required to provide their Certificate of Eligibility, submit a written request to use their entitlement, and provide additional identifying information needed to properly certify their enrollment to VA.
Students receiving VA education benefit may defer their tuition and fees for up to 90 days during which time they will have access to campus resources (classes, library, other college facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills. They will also not be charged late fees or penalties during the deferment.
Should the tuition and fees not be paid after the term of the deferment, it is understood that no grades will be issued to the student nor will those grades be placed in the student's permanent record.
For Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Ch 33) students and VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch 31) students, our tuition policy complies with 38 USC 3679(e) which means Post 9/11 and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment students will not be charged or otherwise penalized due to a delay in VA tuition and fee payments. For eligibility consideration, a Post 9/11 GI Bill® student must submit a VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and a Vocational Rehabilitation Student must provide a VAF 28-1905 form. Please see 38 USC 3679(e) for complete details.
Academic Advising
Academic and program advisors are available to assist Veterans and dependents of Veterans with academic and career guidance, course planning, registration and referrals to academic support services. All new students will meet with an academic or program advisor before they register and throughout their enrollment to ensure they are on track for their degree or certificate program. Advisors are available for guidance at any point in a student’s academic pursuit. For more information, call (850) 973-1737 or email advising@nfc.edu.
Student Counseling Services (SCS)
The Student Counseling Service is a FREE, confidential service offered to current NFC students. SCS provides assessment and short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and referrals on the NFC campus through Suwannee River Counseling Services (SRCS) of White Springs, Florida.
A counselor is available on the NFC campus from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month except when those times fall on holidays or campus closure dates. The counselor’s office in located in the NFC Fine Arts Building (Bldg. 10, Rm. 14). Appointments are recommended to ensure that the counselor is available at a specific date and time. To schedule an appointment, a student should call (386) 867-1511 and identify as a North Florida College student. SRCS will schedule the appointment.
Confidentiality is essential to the success of the SCS. Student SCS records are not included in any college records. The student’s confidentiality is protected within the confines of applicable state and federal statutes.
A toll-free crisis counseling hotline is available to NFC students 24 hours a day at 1-800-330-5615. This hotline is offered through Meridian, not SRCS, and is available to all NFC students.
For further information, contact Jennifer Page, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, at 850-9731603 or pagej@nfc.edu.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill