Affordability
NOVA’s Transfer partnership, ADVANCE, a collaboration with four-year college George Mason University—addresses the historically complex transfer process between community colleges and four-year institutions. More than 90% of ADVANCE students complete their bachelor’s degree within two years of transferring to George Mason. The program eliminates transfer credit guesswork by offering 87 academic pathways that map to NOVA and George Mason curricula. The Transfer Playbook presents key strategies that community colleges and four-year institutions can adopt to eliminate obstacles faced by students, such as credit loss and low bachelor’s degree completion rates.
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) makes higher education more affordable through lower-cost associate degrees and coordinated university transfer pathways. Serving Northern Virginia through six campuses, NOVA Online and dual enrollment, the College helps students reduce the total cost of earning a degree. Through ADVANCE, its partnership with George Mason University, NOVA combines aligned academic pathways and personalized coaching to help students preserve the value of their credits and complete a bachelor’s degree with fewer unnecessary courses and delays.
Joined October 2026
nvcc.edu
Affordability
NOVA’s affordability commitment focuses on the total cost of completing a degree. Through ADVANCE, NOVA and George Mason University align courses with students’ selected majors and provide personalized coaching across both institutions. Students begin with NOVA’s lower tuition rates, complete an associate degree and follow a planned route to a bachelor’s degree. This approach is designed to reduce lost credits, unnecessary coursework and delays that can increase costs and borrowing. The State Council on Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) 2025–26 Tuition and Fees Report highlights the value of this approach: completing an associate degree before transfer can save an average of $21,968 on the cost of a bachelor’s degree in Virginia.
The programs below are the ones the institution put forward against this commitment, with the outcomes it reports against each.
- average ADVANCE cost savings reported in NOVA’s submitted profile.
- $16,000average ADVANCE cost savings reported in NOVA’s submitted profile.
- average potential savings through Virginia’s associate-to-bachelor’s transfer pathway (SCHEV, 2025–26; statewide estimate).
- $21,968average potential savings through Virginia’s associate-to-bachelor’s transfer pathway (SCHEV, 2025–26; statewide estimate).
- first-year persistence at George Mason for ADVANCE students.
- 92.6%first-year persistence at George Mason for ADVANCE students.
- first-year retention at NOVA for ADVANCE students.
- 76.8%first-year retention at NOVA for ADVANCE students.
Career Pathways
Career PathwaysCareer preparation runs through the institution's advising, its employer relationships and its funding for work-based learning.
The programs below are the ones the institution put forward against this commitment, with the outcomes it reports against each.
Connecting Students with Real-World Work Experience
Coordinated Internships are an extension of Academic Services at NOVA, providing work-based experiential learning opportunities through collaboration between academic departments and community employers. These opportunities enhance the programs of study at the College and enrich academic learning and career development for students. Internship and co-op opportunities are an extension of student’s programs of study and are opportunities to acquire practical job training and valuable resume-building experiences.