529 Prepaid Plans

In this section, you will find information on the two types of 529 prepaid plans -- the 529 Savings Plans and the 529 Tuition Plans.

529 Savings Plans - NOVA will receive a check or ACH

These plans pay for any qualified higher education expenses including tuition, room & board, textbooks, computers, required supplies and equipment.  Some common savings plan vendors are Virginia 529 Invest, College America, American Funds, Geico, USAA, Vanguard and Trusts. 

PLEASE NOTE: If you are planning to use your 529 Saving Plan, please make certain you are familiar with the payment deadline dates on the Academic Calendar for the semester to allow enough time for the following steps 1-4 to be taken to ensure the protection of your classes.

If a current or future NOVA student would like to use 529 Savings Plan benefits to pay for their qualified higher education expenses incurred at NOVA, the student needs to complete the following steps for each semester:

  1. Enroll in classes.  This will provide the student with the tuition and fees total amount due.
  2. Once the student obtains the total dollar amount of the tuition and fees, the 529 Savings Plan account holder should be able to request a distribution from their plan with this information. The account holder should request the “Memo” line to reflect the NOVA student ID #.  Payments from the 529 Saving Plan vendor should be mailed to the following address:
    NVCC
    8333 Little River Turnpike
    Building CA, Room 104
    Annandale, VA 22003
  3. The 529 Savings Plan account holder will need to provide the student with the following information: 
    • 529 Savings Plan Institution Name
    • Semester for which the payment will be applicable.
    • Requested tuition and fee amount.
    • Student Name
    • Student’s NOVA ID # (seven numeric digits)
    • 529 Saving Plan Account Holder’s Name
    • Confirmation # - When the 529 Savings Plan account holder makes a request for the distribution of funds, the vendor should provide a confirmation number.
  4. The student will provide the information obtained in step 3 via an email to thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu.  This will enable the Third Party Billing office to protect the student’s classes from dropping due to non-payment. The Third Party Billing office will send a confirmation email to the student’s VCCS account notifying them of their enrollment protection. Once NOVA receives the 529 Savings Plan payment and applies it to the student’s account, the protection of classes will cease.  The protection will no longer be required because the account balance is zero.

PLEASE NOTE:  The addition of any classes after the initial 529 Savings Plan disbursement request for the semester would require another request for disbursement.  Therefore, the completion of steps 2-4 would be required.

529 Tuition Plan - NOVA will invoice the plan

These plans only pay for tuition and mandatory fees.  Some common Tuition plan vendors are Virginia 529 Prepaid, Florida Prepaid, Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan, Alabama PACT, Maryland Prepaid MPCT and College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Program. 

PLEASE NOTE: If you are planning to use your 529 Tuition Plan, please make certain you are familiar with the payment deadline dates on the Academic Calendar for the semester to allow enough time for the following steps 1-5 to be taken to ensure the protection of your classes.

Virginia 529 Prepaid will not pay for out-of-state tuition.

If a current or future NOVA student would like to use 529 Tuition Plan benefits to pay for their tuition and mandatory fees incurred at NOVA, the student and the Tuition Plan account holder need to complete the following steps for each semester:

  1. The Tuition Plan account holder must complete the “Intent to Enroll” form with the appropriate tuition plan vendor.
  2. Student enrolls in classes. 
  3. The student/Tuition Plan Account Holder will need to gather the following information: 
    • 529 Tuition Plan Institution Name
    • Semester for which the payment will be applicable.
    • Student Name
    • Student’s NOVA ID # (seven numeric digits)
    • Letter of Authorization/Third Party Billing form (if provided by the vendor)
  4. The student will provide the information obtained in step 3 via an email to thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu as confirmation of their wanting to use the benefits for the semester.  This will enable the Third Party Billing office to protect the student’s classes from dropping due to non-payment. The Third Party Billing office will send a confirmation email to the student’s VCCS account notifying them of their enrollment protection.
  5. The Third Party Billing Office will invoice the prepaid vendor after the final enrollment census date (Last day to drop with a tuition refund or change to audit (census date)) of the term. (See Academic Calendar)  For example, if student A is enrolled in a 1st 8 week class, a 2nd 8 week class and 2 - 16 week classes, the invoice will not be generated until the 2nd 8 week census date. Therefore, the student will continue to see a balance on their account until the invoicing is completed. The student’s enrollment will remain protected. 

If you have any questions not covered on this page, please contact the Third Party Billing office at (703) 323-4390 or thirdpartybilling@nvcc.edu.