Helpful Resources

What is an Alternate PIN?
The purpose of the Alternate PIN requirement is to encourage students to meet with their assigned Certified Advisor to ensure that students are taking the right courses for their degree plan.

Students will be prompted to enter an "Alternate PIN" into ACES after they have completed a certain number of credit hours, traditionally 15, 30, and 45 credit hours.

How do I receive my Alternate PIN?
New transfer students and returning students who have not been enrolled for more than a year will need to visit Vista Central to meet with a Certified Advisor. For security purposes, and due to peak registration times, Alternate PINs cannot be given out over the phone.

What is a prerequisite override?
Some courses may require prerequisite courses that must be verified by a Certified Advisor prior to registering.

Example: Students must complete ENGL 1301 prior to registering for ENGL 1302.

How do I get a prerequisite override?
New transfer students to NVC and returning students who have not been enrolled for more than a year will receive their first semester prerequisite overrides from the Vista Central: Welcome & Admissions Center Certified Advisors.

To receive your overrides, please visit Vista Central in person, or email a Certified Advisor. For security purposes, and due to peak registration times, overrides cannot be given out over the phone. If you are not sure which Certified Advisor to contact, you may call Vista Central to receive their email address.

Which transcripts do I need to submit in order to receive a prerequisite override?
In order to receive a prerequisite override, students must have submitted official transcripts for the institution where the course was originally completed. Overrides cannot be given for coursework listed as transfer credit on another institution's transcript.

Example: If ENGL 1301 was taken at Texas A&M but listed as transfer credit on a transcript at UTSA, the original Texas A&M transcript must be submitted. An override cannot be given for ENGL 1301 with only the UTSA transcript.

What is the difference between Academic Probation and Academic Dismissal (Suspension)?
Students are traditionally placed on academic probation or warning when their end-of-semester GPA is a 2.0 or below. If a student's GPA remains below a 2.0 for two consecutive semesters, the student is placed on academic dismissal, or suspension. Academic Dismissal may also be referred to as Enforced Scholastic Withdrawal.

If I have never taken classes at NVC before, why am I on Academic Dismissal at NVC?
NVC honors the student's standing at their prior institution. Each institution determines their own standards for academic standing, and NVC must abide by that standing. However, this does not mean that students cannot take classes at NVC. They must just complete the Academic Dismissal Petition Process first. 

When are Academic Dismissal petitions accepted?
Academic Dismissal petitions are accepted for the 16-week terms during the Fall and Spring semester. Petitions are not offered during the Flex or Summer terms.

How do I complete the Academic Dismissal petition process?
Visit the Academic Dismissal website at www.alamo.edu/nvc/dismissal to learn more about the petition process and complete your petition packet.

What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a federal requirement that you must meet and maintain in order to receive both federal and state aid. Students who do not maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress will be placed on Financial Aid suspension and must petition to have their financial aid reinstated.

There are three (3) components of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP):

1. Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA)
   • 2.0 GPA
2. Completion Rate
   • 67% cumulative completion rate between hours attempted and hours completed
3. Maximum Hours
   • No more than 99 attempted hours of college-level coursework (excluding 30 hours of remedial courses)

The Alamo Colleges District checks SAP every year after spring grades are posted. Once the process is run, students not meeting SAP will be placed on financial aid suspension and will no longer qualify for financial aid.

What is a Financial Aid Appeal?
If you are placed on financial aid suspension, you have the option to submit an appeal. You can check your Satisfactory Academic Progress in the ACES portal. There will be a Financial Aid Checklist in the upper right corner of the ‘My Page’ tab.

Former NVC students returning after an absence of more than one year, or new incoming transfer students, will submit their Financial Aid appeals with a Certified Advisor in the Vista Central: Welcome & Admissions Centers.

Click here to view the Alamo Colleges District policy on SAP and view the appeal submission dates and deadlines.

What is an SDEV hold or Student Development course?
All First Time in College students are required to take a Student Development course during their first semester at NVC. Transfer students with fewer than 15 credit hours will also be required to complete a Student Development course, unless they have already completed an equivalent course (sometimes referred to as Freshman Seminar) at their prior college.

Students who are required to complete the Student Development course will have an "SDEV" hold on their account.

How to I remove the SDEV hold if I have already taken more than 15 credit hours, or if I believe I have completed an equivalent course already?
To determine if a course you've already taken satisfies this requirement, contact the Student Development Office directly at 210-486-4289, or visit the Vista Central: Welcome & Admissions Center to meet with a Certified Advisor and register for a Student Development course.

Students who have taken classes at NVC or any of the other four Alamo Colleges District campuses within the last year are considered current students and do not need to reapply.

Former students who have not been enrolled for more than one year will need to submit a new application and complete any applicable enrollment steps listed here.

Current students who are actively attending classes at SAC, PAC, SPC, or NLC will not need to submit a new application to NVC.

Instead, these students will visit the Main Advising Office, located in CCC 108, to complete a Change of Primary Institution form to be assigned to an advisor at NVC.

Advising walk-in hours are held on Mondays from 8a.m. - 12 p.m. and Thursdays from 1p.m. - 6 p.m.

Click here for more information on walk-in advising services for current students.

No, students do not require a parking permit or decal at NVC. This includes parking in the Prickly Pear Parking Garage. The cost for parking is already built into the tuition and fees.

Please note that if you are taking classes at another Alamo Colleges District Campus (SAC, PAC, NLC, or SPC), other campuses may require a parking permit. Contact the college you are taking classes at for more information.

What does "Residency" mean?
Under state law, an individual's residency classification is based on information from his/her ApplyTexas application. Students will be classified as:

• Residents of Texas
• Non-residents
• International students

How does Residency affect my tuition? 
The amount of tuition you are charged is based on your residency classification, which is determined according to the information you submit on the application.

How do I change my Residency status?
To learn more about the qualifications for each residency status, or to learn more about Residency requirements, visit the Records & Residency webpage here or contact the Records department.

Phone: 210-212-5266
Email: nvc-records@alamo.edu