Essential Info for New Students

Visit our New Student Orientation (NSO) and SOAR website!

Within this website, you’ll find lots of valuable new information on everything you need to know before you register for classes -- broken down into easy to find and read sections.

At New Student Orientation, you’ll be provided with an opportunity to meet fellow students, faculty and staff. You’ll learn more about our resources for academic success, career/transfer information and our First Year Experience program. You can now sign up for orientation directly online. Click on the NOVA campus of your choice to view session dates and times, then click on the Sign Up link, fill out the form and press submit.


SOAR sessions are designed for student participants who are first-time college students. You can now view online SOAR sessions by clicking on the NOVA campus location convenient to you. The panel will expand revealing detailed steps along with a button leading you to session dates and times. With this information, you can then go to the Student Services Center closest to you to register in person for a session.

Career Services Web Renovations

Check out our greatly improved Career Services website!

The main page is divided into four block sections tailored to our target audiences – students, employer/community, faculty and staff and alumni. Simply click on the image for the category you wish to access.

On the student page there is a dynamic color-coded looping graphic that leads you through the four easy steps of the Career Development Process. The four steps include Understanding Self, Exploring Careers, Making Decisions and Finding Employment. When you click on one of these steps you are taken to a matching section that reveals informative and valuable content organized in tab format.

There are links to many internal and external resources such as NACElink, a national recruiting network that provides Web based recruiting and career services automation tools serving the needs of colleges, employers and job candidates. There are also links to a variety of helpful assessment tools for students and faculty.

Blackboard Update

Blackboard Web pages have been added to the NOVA website for students and faculty.

The new student page reveals how to obtain information and instructions on using Blackboard for online, hybrid or classroom courses.

The new faculty page explains how Blackboard can improve communication, make important information easier to share and support student learning for online and classroom courses. There is also a list of Blackboard resource links:

• Bb 9 Intro Video
• What's New in Bb 9 Quick Guide
• Bb Quick Guide
• VCCS Bb Tutorials (video and print)
• VCCS Bb 9 Tutorials (print)
• Bb Quick Tutorials Library
• USC Bb 9 How to Movies
• UT Bb Support Page

Watch faTV

faTV is Financial Aid’s new video channel. You can access the faTV button from the Financial Aid page or you connect to the faTV page directly.

A welcome segment in the center of the page will appear explaining how to find dynamic short videos with answers to your common questions. You can search by topic or playlist. If you have a question that isn’t covered by one of the videos, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Some of the many topics asked about by your fellow students include: scholarships, paying for college, qualifying for financial aid, loans, Pell Grants and much more. If you click on one of the videos listed on the far left it will appear and play in the center of the page with a list of additional questions and answers on the right. There are even videos En Español and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin). Under More Options if you click on Ask a Question a pop-up box will appear that you can fill out and submit or you can select Share (information) With a Friend.

Get on the Right Path

Visit our new Pathway to the Baccalaureate partnership site. The Pathway Program offers high school students a successful transition, retention, graduation and transfer through Northern Virginia Community College and on to a university of the student’s choice.

The Pathway to the Baccalaureate site was designed using informative copy and inspiring images to entice students to enroll in the program. On the home page you’ll find intro details, news and a video overview. On the Program page you’ll find easy to follow steps that will guide you through the process along with links on the side leading you to other informative details. Click on the My Pathway page to connect with other students through social media sites Facebook and Twitter and access helpful resources such as Blackboard. Select the Information Center and find details about the Partner Schools, Awards & Recognition, Fact Sheet, Data, Contacts and much more.

Gain insight from video testimonials of four students who are part of the Pathway to the Baccalaureate program at NOVA.

WSDM Makes Their Debut

Web Services & Digital Media (WSDM), a new division of NOVA's Marketing and Communications Department, recently launched their website.

WSDM is dedicated to promoting the positive image of NOVA by providing a rich Web environment for their many audiences who need access to NOVA information and services. WSDM is responsible for NOVA’s website, mobile site and social media.

On the WSDM website you'll find the following features:

• screenshots linking to WSDM's Web work including the college calendar, news and events, students resources and more;
• an About Us page with details on how you can reach members of the WSDM staff who are ready to assist you with any of your Web needs;
• a variety of tutorials covering how to create blogs, Web page design, podcasting and more;
• approved procedures and guidelines for the college identity, social media and digital signage;
• a vast array of resources including buttons to fun NOVA postcards you can customize and send to your friends and/or colleagues, six different PowerPoint templates and a gallery of NOVA images for use. There are also Web publishing tools, social networking tools and workshop and conference presentation materials;
• a button to a Request Services form for any projects you have for the WSDM team; and
• a Contact Us page with WSDM's hours of operation, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.

As always, we want to hear from you! Send us your feedback and suggestions through the comments link below. We will personally reply to all entries submitted.

Financial Aid Site Updated

Our Financial Aid site has been reorganized to be more user-friendly! We've added extra functionality to make it easier for you to navigate the site, new tabs, a Latest News box and video clip. There are two new buttons -- one leads you to the online application and the other goes to a resource page where you can get an estimate on how much aid you will receive. The FAQ page has been cleaned up and the staff contacts page has been updated. The scholarship page is now streamlined; it includes content organized by tabs and useful links to all the available scholarships on one page.