Tuition and Fees

Virginia In-State Tuition Guidelines

The following guidelines outline eligibility information for obtaining in-state tuition rates in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The information is not comprehensive and should only be used as a general reference. Comprehensive Virginia State Code 23.1-502 information can be found at Virginia Law.

Domicile

To be eligible for in-state tuition rates, students must be domiciled in Virginia for a minimum of one year preceding the first official day of classes. Domicile is defined as the student's "present, fixed home to where the student returns following temporary absences and to where he or she intends to stay indefinitely." In order to qualify for Virginia in-state tuition, therefore, the student must meet two criteria:

he or she must currently reside in Virginia, and
intends to reside in Virginia indefinitely.

As a minor, a student carries his or her parents’ domiciliary status. Once the student reaches the age of 24, he or she is eligible to establish his or her own domicile. However, if a student is over 24 years of age and is financially dependent on his or her parents, the parents must be domiciled in Virginia before the student becomes eligible for in-state tuition benefits.

Factors Used to Determine Domicile

The University reviews several factors when determining domicile including:

Residence during the past year prior to the first official day of classes
State to which income taxes are filed or paid
Driver’s license
Motor vehicle registration
Voter registration
Employment
Property ownership
Sources of financial support
Location of checking or passbook savings account
Other social or economic ties with Virginia and other states

The presence of any or all of these factors does not unquestionably determine Virginia domicile. These factors, used to support a case for in-state tuition benefits, must have been present for one year prior to the first official day of classes.

Residence or physical presence in Virginia attained primarily to attend a college or university does not entitle a student to in-state tuition rates. If a student is classified as an out-of-state student, that student will be required to provide clear and convincing evidence to refute the presumption that he or she is residing in the state primarily to attend an institution and does not intend to stay indefinitely. Applications for change of domicile are available through the Office of Admissions website.

All applications and supporting documents must be received in the Office of Admissions prior to the start of the semester for which a change of domicile is sought. Domicile review and appeal procedures may take up to six weeks. If a student’s application is pending a decision, the student will be expected to pay out-of-state charges until written approval has been granted by the Domicile Committee.

Copies of pertinent Virginia statute and guidelines issued by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia are on reserve in the University Library. For additional information, contact the Office of Admissions at (757) 823-8396 or 1-800-274-1821.

Tuition and fees are established annually by the University’s governing board, the Board of Visitors. Considerable effort is made to keep tuition affordable. For fee information, students should obtain a current “Schedule of Tuition and Fees” or “Registration Information Booklet” booklet from the Registrar’s or Admissions Office located in the Student Services Center or online at http://www.nsu.edu the Student Services Center.

Students who register during late registration will be assessed a late registration fee of $75.

Books, uniforms, supplies, professional dues, and examination expenses are paid separately from University charges. Students should consult their academic department for an estimate of these costs.

The current listing of tuition and fees is located at: https://www.nsu.edu/tuitionandfees.aspx.

Senior Citizens’ Tuition and Fees

Persons 60 years of age or older who are residents of Virginia and whose taxable income is less than $23,850 (http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+sum+HB2068) may:

To register for and enroll in courses as a full-time or part-time student for academic credit if such senior citizen had a taxable individual income not exceeding $15,000 $23,850 for Virginia income tax purposes for the year preceding the year in which enrollment is sought;
To register for and audit courses offered for academic credit; and
To register for and enroll in courses not offered for academic credit in any state institution of higher education in this Commonwealth.

Such senior citizen shall pay no tuition or fees except fees established for the purpose of paying for course materials, such as laboratory fees, but shall be subject to the admission requirements of the institution and a determination by the institution of its ability to offer the course or courses for which the senior citizen registers. The State Council of Higher Education shall establish procedures to ensure that tuition-paying students are accommodated in courses before senior citizens participating in this program are enrolled. However, the state institutions of higher education may make individual exceptions to these procedures when the senior citizen has completed seventy-five percent of the requirements for a degree.

According to the Code of Virginia (chapter cited as the “Senior Citizens Higher Education Act of 1974”), “Senior Citizen” shall mean any person who, before the beginning of any term, semester or quarter in which such person claims entitlement to the benefits of this chapter.

has reached sixty years of age and
has had his or her legal domicile in this state for one year.

“Course” shall mean any course of study offered in any state institution of higher education, including the regular curriculum of any department, school, or subdivision of any such institution or any special course, given for any purpose, including, but not limited to, adult education.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to exclude any other rules and requirements now or hereafter made applicable for all other persons with respect to residency in this state by a state institution of higher learning.

New Student Orientation Fee

All first-time freshman and transfer students must pay a one-time orientation fee of $100. For additional information about the enrollment fee, contact the Office of Admissions at (757) 823-2607.

Housing Department

All students who plan to live on campus must pay a non- refundable housing deposit of $300.00 by the deadline date, (May 31st for fall entry, November 1st for spring entry) to reserve on-campus housing. Only applications accompanied by deposits will be considered. Applications can be completed online at http://www.nsu.edu/residentiallife. Housing is not guaranteed after the deadline dates.

Other Charges

Students enrolled in certain music, physical education, nursing, on-line or other such courses may be assessed an additional fee to cover the cost of materials, individual instruction, clothing and equipment required for the course. The amount of the supplementary fee for a specific course is listed in the Registration Information Booklet (http://www.nsu.edu/registrar/).

Books/Supplies

Books and supplies are not included in the cost of tuition and fees. Students should be prepared for this expense on the first day of class. Textbooks and supplies may be purchased in the University Bookstore located in the Student Center.

Bookstore Authorization

Students receiving financial aid may be eligible to receive a bookstore authorization to purchase books and supplies.

If awarded financial aid exceeds the total tuition, fees, room, and board, funds may be placed on the Spartan Card for books and supplies. Students must be registered and have a current Spartan Card.

To obtain a book authorization, student should log on to http://www.nsu.edu/mynsu/.

Registration Payment Due Dates

All students are expected to pay prior balances and satisfy current tuition, fee, room and board at the time of registration unless payment arrangements are made and/or financial aid is awarded and other scholarships are sufficient to cover the costs.

In the event a student does not satisfy a semester’s charges per agreed upon terms, the student will be prevented from registering for future semesters.

Class Cancellation

If satisfactory payment arrangements are not made by established due dates, a student’s registration will be cancelled. Students may re-register during the registration period and may be subject to late registration fees.

Note: Students run the risk of not being able to re-register for the same class schedule because the class(es) may have filled and, as a result, may be closed.

Payment of Tuition and Fees

Students should be prepared to satisfy current tuition, fees, room, and meal costs through direct payment, financial aid, and one of the approved payment plans.

Financial aid is the amount indicated on the Financial Aid award letter.

Current academic year Title IV financial aid funds will not be used to cover a prior academic year balance.

Non-University scholarships and work-study are not credited toward tuition and fees until funds are received; however, these awards may be used to establish a payment plan.

Students who register during late registration are expected to pay a late registration fee of $75. Payment may be made by cash, certified check, cashier’s check, personal check, money order, MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover Card. Checks and money orders should be payable to Norfolk State University and must include student’s name or student ID number.

Payment Options

The University offers several options for paying tuition, fee, room and meal costs. Regardless of the option chosen, make certain payment or satisfactory arrangements are made by the scheduled class cancellation dates published for each semester.

Option 1

Make payments via Spartan Self Service on MyNSU using your checking account or debit/credit cards with VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover logos.

Option 2

Pay balances at the Cashier’s Office (Cash, Personal Check, Money Order, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Card). Credit card payments can also be made by calling (757) 823-8545. Checks should be made payable to Norfolk State University and must include the student’s name and I.D. number. A $50 returned check fee will be assessed on all non-negotiable checks. Payments may be mailed

(No cash please). If mailing payments, please allow one week for delivery time. Mail payments to the following address:

Cashier’s Office
Student Services Center, Suite 209
Norfolk State University
700 Park Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia 23504

Option 3

Pay with a combination of financial aid grants and Ford Direct Loans, Parent Plus Loans, alternative/private loans and cash. Non-university scholarships are not credited toward tuition, fees, room and board charges until funds are received. However, these awards may be counted as expected financial aid when establishing payment plans (see below) and included in the total amount of aid that will be used toward payment of University expenses. A copy of non-university scholarship notification should be sent to the Financial Aid office.

NOTE: Parent Plus and alternative/private loans must be approved by the lender and the loan application and approval must be received in Student Accounts before credit can be given for the loan amount.

Apply for financial aid dollars early. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be completed on-line at studentaid.gov. Processing may take up to six weeks.

Option 4

Pay monthly through a TuitionPay (a processing fee will be charged by TuitionPay) semester or annual payment plan. Benefits of this plan include:

No burden of a lump sum payment if started early
Manageable, interest-free installment payments
Reduced need to borrow
Tuition Insurance at no extra cost

Plan combined with Financial Aid

TuitionPay payment plan is available to all students who owe a balance. There are two easy ways to enroll in the TuitionPay plan:

By phone: Call a TuitionPay Education Payment Counselor at (800) 635-0120.
By Internet: Go to the TuitionPay website and follow instructions to set up a monthly payment plan.

Tuition pay option is available during Fall and Spring semesters only. No tuition pay plans are available for Summer School.

Option 5

Special payment arrangements can be made for those students receiving tuition and fee assistance from non-University sources (third party sponsorships and scholarships). In such cases, the outside agency must make the payment directly to Norfolk State University within 30 days of the billing date. In order to receive the special arrangements, the student must bring or send a letter of authorization from the granting agency to the Office of Student Accounts, Student Services Center, Suite 209, prior to or at the time of registration.

Services at (757) 823-8381 for an application and more information.
Prior balances cannot be put on the CP or NSU Payment Plans.

Billing

The University sends e-mail statements each semester to students who have an outstanding balance or have had activity on their accounts during the statement period. The statement will show the balance brought forward and detail the activity for the period covered. Statement information is available at MyNSU.

Questions pertaining to billing should be directed to the Student Services Center or at http://www.nsu.edu

Delinquent Accounts

Students who fail to honor payment arrangements or have balances resulting from incomplete or canceled financial aid will have grades, transcripts, diplomas, certifications, and non-mandatory verifications withheld. Payment in full will be required to release the financial hold.

Delinquent accounts are referred to collection agencies and/or attorneys and are reported to the credit bureau. The University is permitted under Virginia Law to attach Virginia State income tax refunds and lottery winnings in repayment of any debt which is owed to the University. In the event an account becomes delinquent, the student is responsible for all reasonable administrative costs, collection fees, and attorneys’ fees incurred in the collection of funds owed to the University.