Payment Information and Business Services

Nashville State Community College is a state-supported college and, therefore, maintains modest matriculation and incidental fees. Expenses are charged and payable by the semester. Registration is not complete until all required fees have been paid (which means all checks have cleared the bank). Students who have not met their financial obligations will not be admitted to classes. All payments are to be made by cash, check, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) to the Bursar’s Office. If the student’s employer pays the fees, the employer should mail an authorization letter on company letterhead to the Bursar’s Office at least two weeks prior to the beginning of each semester indicating which fees will be paid and dollar limit (if applicable). Any fee waiver or fee discount forms must be submitted to the Bursar’s Office prior to or at the time of registration. Please refer to the NSCC Bursar’s Web site for Bursar’s Office hours of operation and a listing of current tuition rates and fees.

For additional information, please call 615-353-3310 or email bursar@nscc.edu.

Tuition and fees are subject to change at any time by policy of the Tennessee Board of Regents. Fee schedules are published as changes occur. Fee increases are enacted by the governing board and are normally implemented for the fall term.

Registration, maintenance, and tuition fees for the summer term will be the same as for the other two semesters except fees are charged per credit hour for all credit hours in which student is enrolled (no discount rate for over ‘full time’). Fees for auditing a course will be the same as the fees paid if taking the course for credit. Enrollment as an audit will be subject to the availability of space in the class being requested. Students are classified as residents or non-residents for the purpose of assessing maintenance and tuition charges. The definition of residency as determined by the Tennessee Board of Regents will apply. Information about residency classification may be obtained from the Admissions or Records Offices.

Senior Citizens and Students with Disabilities

For audit courses, no fee is required for persons who are permanently, totally disabled or who are 60 years of age or older. Enrollment will be subject to the availability of space in the class requested. Registration is permitted only during the late registration process.

Persons 65 years of age or older who live in Tennessee or permanently, totally disabled persons may enroll for credit as special students for a fee of $70 per semester. Enrollment will be subject to the availability of space in the class requested. Registration is permitted only during the late registration process.

An applicant who wishes to be admitted in one of these categories must submit the following:

1. A completed application for admission.
2. Proof of age or Physician’s Statement of Permanent, Total Disability.

NOTE: Fees for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are not waived or reduced.

State Employee Fee Waivers

Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 1 in Public Chapter 1047 of the 1990 Public Acts enables full-time employees of the State of Tennessee to be eligible for enrollment in one course per term at any state-supported college or university without the payment of tuition charges, maintenance fees, debt service fees, student activity fees, or registration fees.

The following are rules that govern the use of this fee waiver type:

1. Fees are not waived for non-credit, CEU, or correspondence courses, application fees, or parking permits.
2. Enrollment is subject to space availability in the class selected. Registration is permitted only during the late registration process. The course must be taken for college credit; the course cannot be audited.
3. At the time of enrollment, the employee must have a completed state employee fee waiver form signed by his or her employer certifying that the applicant is a full-time employee with at least six months of continuous service.

QuikPAY Payment Program

All students owing a balance greater than $250 who are in good financial standing and with no outstanding balances from previous terms are eligible to participate in the deferred payment program. This program allows the student to defer payment of up to 50% of the maintenance fee, out-of-state tuition, campus access fee and technology access fee into two or three monthly payments during the term. Fees can be deferred during fall and spring semester only.

Nashville State Community College is pleased to offer Nelnet Business Solutions QuikPAY Payment Plan as a convenient, affordable, and interest-free way to pay for college. Please refer to www.nscc.edu/deferred-payment for more detailed information.

Fee Assessments and Refunds

The current fee assessment and refund policy is as follows:

Two changes in a student’s status which may require a fee adjustment are: (1) changes in a full-time student’s schedule which result in reclassification to part-time student status; and (2) A change in a part-time student’s schedule which results in a class load of fewer hours. Other situations that may require a fee adjustment are dropping a course or courses, withdrawing from school, cancellation of a class by the college, or death of the student.

The following procedures will be followed in regard to the calculation of maintenance fees:

All refund periods will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole day if necessary.

* A 100% fee adjustment and/or refund will be provided on behalf of a student whose death occurs during the semester.

* A 100% fee adjustment and/or refund will be provided to students who are compelled by the college to withdraw when it is determined that through institutional error they were academically ineligible for enrollment or were not properly admitted to enroll for the course(s) being dropped.

* A 100% fee adjustment and/or refund will be provided, upon submission of required forms, to students absent from the college in excess of 30 days while on active military duty.

Digital Course Materials (DCM) are non-refundable after the 25% refund period ends. 

Under the current fee assessment and refund policy guidelines, undergraduate students who register for more than 12 hours and subsequently drop to less than 12 hours or withdraw from the college during a fee adjustment period will be assessed a prorated fee for the dropped hours. Please refer to the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Guideline B-060 - Fees, Charges, Refunds and Fee Adjustments for more detailed information.

All refunds will be in the form of a check or direct deposit no earlier than the second week of classes and, after that, no later than three to four weeks after the course has been dropped. If a student initially pays by credit card any refund will be processed to his/her credit card account. Fee adjustments and/or refunds involving third-party payments will be prorated based on the percentage paid by the student and third party involved, including discounts, waivers, or grants. Fee adjustment and refund dates will be established for each semester and published on the Payment and Refunds pages. Fee adjustments for summer terms and short courses, such as 7-week courses, will be based on the above procedures with concentrated terms being prorated as a percentage of a regular term. No fee adjustments or refunds will be made for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) unless the class is cancelled.

Please refer to the Bursar’s Office Web site for a list of current fees and refund information. The Bursar’s Office may also be contacted by calling 615-353-3310 or by emailing bursar@nscc.edu for updated information.

Returned Checks

There is a $30 charge for any check or electronic transaction accepted by the college that is returned. When a stop payment is issued or a check is written on a closed account, it may result in the administrative dismissal of the student. Returned checks that represent 50% deposit on deferred payment contracts may result in termination of contract and administrative dismissal if not redeemed within 10 days. A late fee of $25 will also be assessed for any returned check for registration fees, unless the student registered late initially. This also applies to transactions processed electronically by the college. Students who have two or more returned checks or have stopped payment on checks and/or written checks on closed accounts will not be allowed to pay by check. In addition, if checks are not redeemed promptly, a registration hold may be placed on the account until the balance is paid. No grades or transcripts will be issued and the account is subject to being sent to a collection agency.

Business Services

Vehicle Registration and Parking

All privately owned and/or operated vehicles used on campus by students and staff must be registered in the Police/Security Office (Room E-14 or at the Police/Security Station in the lobby of the Student Services Center) and must bear an official registration decal. For faculty and staff decals there is a charge of $15. The decal charge for attending students is included in their tuition and fees. Decals are valid from each Fall semester through the end of the following Summer semester. The vehicle registration decal must be displayed on a vehicle by the owner or driver in such a manner that it will be clearly visible from the rear of the vehicle. The entire vehicle registration decal must be adhered to the exterior lower corner of the rear window on the driver’s side of the vehicle or on the rear bumper on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Vehicles so registered must be parked as directed. Students should park in the designated lot and park each vehicle so that it is headed into the parking place with the decal exposed to the traffic lanes. No vehicles are to be parked in the road or on the shoulders of the road. Any vehicle improperly parked may be towed away at the owner’s expense. The speed limit on campus is 15 m.p.h. Pedestrians are entitled to the right of way but should exercise caution and courtesy so as not to impede the orderly flow of traffic. Special parking areas are provided for students with disabilities. Disabled parking is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee. Parking for students enrolled in special courses will be regulated as specified in the course announcement.

Appeal Process

1. Traffic fines:
   1. Traffic fines may be appealed to the Director of Police Services.
   2. Appeal forms may be obtained from Police/Security in Room E-14 or at the Police/Security Station in the lobby of the Student Services Center.
   3. For detailed information, refer to the Traffic & Parking Regulations brochure.
2. Other fees, charges, refunds:
   1. Appeals must be in written form and addressed to the Refund Appeals Committee.
   2. Forms are available in the Office of the Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services, room W-28 or on the website (Student Request for Fee Adjustment).
   3. The Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services will prepare a written response to the appeal. If the response is negative, the reason will be so stated.

Littering Policy

The college is committed to protecting the environment and maintaining the appearance of campus grounds and buildings. Any student, faculty, or staff member who litters campus property will be issued a citation. Please refer to the current Student Handbook for a listing of the applicable fines. Littering includes the improper disposal of small items such as cigarette butts, bottle caps, and candy wrappers, etc. Littering also encompasses larger items of trash such as newspapers, tissues/ napkins, food wrappers, cans/bottles, etc.

The purpose of the policy is to promote a safe, healthy and clean campus. Ideally, smoking, eating, and drinking would be confined to designated areas. However, inadequate facilities do not allow a universal policy for the behaviors. Therefore, the following guidelines will regulate the three functions on the property of the college:

• Smoking: The campus is a smoke-free facility. Smoking is not permitted on campus except in personally owned vehicles.
• Eating is not permitted in classrooms or labs.
• Drinking is not permitted in labs and not encouraged in classrooms.

NSCC Bookstore

The Nashville State Community College Bookstore is located in S-126 and is operated under the auspices of the college for the convenience of the students. The Bookstore carries all required textbooks and an assortment of student supplies, health and beauty aids, clothing, general reading materials, and emblematic items.

Textbooks are selected and approved by the teaching staff. Since the cost of books and supplies varies from one program of study to another and from semester to semester, only the average costs can be included in this catalog. The average purchase or rental cost of books and supplies is approximately $400 per semester, depending upon the program of study. The majority of book and supply costs will be incurred during the fall semester. In courses requiring special equipment and supplies, additional costs must be added.

The Bookstore accepts cash or personal checks (accompanied with the driver’s license number, date of birth, expiration date of the license, and phone number of the signer) made payable to Nashville State Bookstore, American Express, VISA, MasterCard, and Discover. Some students will be eligible to charge their books against excess Financial Aid funds (students should contact financial aid to determine eligibility). There is a $35 charge for any check accepted by the Bookstore that is returned, in addition to the face value of the check. Students with returned checks will not be permitted to make additional purchases.

If a class is cancelled, the full new purchase price of a book is refundable through the first fourteen days of classes provided: (1) no markings have been made in the book; and (2) the cancel slip and sales receipt are presented when the refund is requested. (See “Return Policy” below.)

Changes in Bookstore hours will be posted on its door and Web site.

Bookstore Return Policy

The Bookstore’s policy on returns includes the following:

1. Textbooks must be in original pre-purchase condition, un-opened if sealed, with the original register receipt. The final return date is printed at the bottom of the receipt and the bookstore will adhere to that date. The Bookstore Manager is the final judge on the condition of a book.
2. Books may be returned for any reason during the academic year for the first fourteen days of class upon presentation of the Bookstore cash register receipt. After the first fourteen days of classes, all books returned to the Bookstore will be purchased at the Follett Higher Education Group’s catalog price. During the summer term, because of the shortened term length, books can be returned during the first seven days of classes upon the presentation of the Bookstore cash register receipt. The Bookstore Manager will be the final judge on any special cases. Refunds are made in cash for returned items originally purchased in cash or by check. Items purchased by credit card are credited to the credit card account. Items NOT accompanied by a Bookstore cash register receipt are not eligible for refunds.
3. Books that have markings in them, or which show signs of wear or damage, are classified as USED books and will be purchased according to the “Textbook Buy-Back” policy below.
4. Defective textbooks and supplies may be returned for REPLACEMENT upon presentation of the defective item and the cash register receipt.

Textbook Buy-Back Policy

During final exam week of each semester, the Bookstore conducts a textbook buy-back. The Bookstore will pay 50 percent of the retail price of a book if it has been adopted for the following semester, and the Bookstore is not over-stocked on the title. If the book is NOT scheduled for use the following semester, the purchase price will be limited to the wholesale value of the book as listed in the “Follett Higher Education Group’s Wholesale Buying Guide” from Follett Higher Education Group (FHEG). Books are bought back throughout the year, but at a price considerably lower than the semester’s end price cited above, as set by the FHEG “Used Book Wholesaler’s Buying Guide.”

Technology Services Help Desk – Main Campus Nashville

The Technology Services Help Desk offers technical support, answers technical questions, and resolves problems related to accessing NSCC network (wired and wireless) systems and computing equipment. The Technology Services Help Desk can assist with basic troubleshooting regarding access to NSCC’s various academic-related systems, computing equipment on campus, and, when necessary, uses remote Web tools to provide help with off-campus systems. Visit the Technology Services Help Desk online for more information such as hours of operation and specific instructions and troubleshooting help.

Hours of operation vary and are posted online and on the Open Computer Lab / Technology Services Help Desk door (Room C-219). To contact the Technology Services Help Desk, students may call 615-353-3678, or 800-272-7363 Ext. 3678, or email helpdesk@nscc.edu.

Open Computer Lab – Main Campus Nashville

The Clement Building Open Computer Lab in Room C-219 was established as an independent study lab in 1984. The Open Computer Lab provides student access to PC and Mac computers, classroom software, Internet access, and academic course-related activities. Current equipment includes twenty-four stations connected to two laser printers: one multi-functional printer (MFP) with optional color, copy, and duplex print functions; and one single-sided black and white printer. In addition there are four flatbed scanners: two attached to Mac computers, and two attached to Windows computers.

Hours of operation vary and are posted online and on the C-219 Open Computer Lab / Technology Services Help Desk door. To contact the Open Computer Lab, students may call 615-353-3678 or 800-272-7363 Ext. 3678, or email helpdesk@nscc.edu. The Open Computer Lab is managed by the Technology Services Help Desk.