Tuition Exemptions

Tuition for Senior Citizens (credit)

The Code of Virginia (Virginia State Code section 23.1) permits senior citizens to take college-level classes free of charge on a space-available basis after all tuition-paying students have been accommodated. 

To be eligible for academic credit as a full- or part-time student, you must:

  1. enroll on the first day of class if space is available,
  2. be 60 years of age or older prior to the semester of enrollment,
  3. have been legally domiciled in Virginia for the last 12 months,
  4. had a taxable individual income that did not exceed $23,850 for Virginia income tax purposes for the year preceding the semester you wish to enroll, (documentation of taxable income is required),
  5. be admitted to the College as a student, and
  6. pay course specific material and lab fees if applicable.

To be eligible to audit up to a maximum of three courses per semester, you must: 

  1. enroll on the first day of class if space is available,
  2. be 60 years of age or older prior to the semester of enrollment,
  3. have been legally domiciled in Virginia for the last 12 months,
  4. be admitted to the College as a student, and
  5. pay course specific material and lab fees if applicable.

Please note: Consistent with VA Code (23.1-640.D), competitive programs with waiting lists of tuition-paying students, i.e. Nursing and Veterinary Technology, are not eligible for this benefit.

Interested senior citizens should contact the Admissions and Records Office for information and registration materials.

Tuition for Senior Citizens (non-credit) 

The Code of Virginia (Section 23.1) permits senior citizens who meet the qualifying criteria listed below to take up to three non-credit courses per semester without having to pay course tuition on a space-available basis after all tuition-paying students have been accommodated.

To be eligible for non-credit enrollment you must:

  1. register the first day of class,
  2. be 60 years of age or older prior to the semester of enrollment,
  3. have been legally domiciled in Virginia for the last 12 months,
  4. admitted as a non-credit student, and
  5. students who receive a tuition waiver under this policy must pay course specific material and lab fees when applicable.  

Tuition Free Education for Eligible Children

Section 23-7.1:01 of the Code of Virginia provides free tuition and required fees for eligible children of law-enforcement officers, fire fighters, and members of a rescue squad. Any child between the ages of 16 and 25 whose parent has been killed in the line of duty while employed or serving as a law-enforcement officer, fire fighter, or member of a rescue squad in Virginia is entitled to receive free tuition and fees. Contact Student Financial Services at 540-453-2301.

Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program

Section 23-7.1 of the Code of Virginia provides for free tuition and fees to attend state-supported institutions of higher education for children of persons deceased, disabled, prisoners of war, or missing in action as a result of any armed conflict involving the Armed Forces of the United States. For more information and an application, visit the web at www.dvs.virginia.gov/education-employment/virginia-military-survivors-and-dependents-education-program/.