Welcome, Veterans!

Veteran Students at North Country Community College

North Country Community College provides service members, veterans, and military families with the flexibility and convenience needed to achieve their educational goals. Our dedicated team will help you navigate admissions, leverage your benefits, identify and access college and local resources, and more.

The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 requires educational institutions to make certain disclosures to students using federal military and/or VA educational benefits. You can access a personalized data sheet by visiting the SUNY Net Price Cost Calculator and selecting North Country when prompted. Additional financial information can be found at the NCES College Navigator site.

Guido Penafiel talks about his experience at NCCC

Visit

Our Admissions Office welcomes prospective students and their families to tour our campuses and learn more about all that North Country has to offer. Please schedule your tour today!

Apply

Veteran and military students wishing to enroll in a program of study will find that our admissions process is very easy. Just follow these two simple steps.

Submit an application for admission
Have your official high school or GED transcripts sent to the following address:

Office of Admissions

North Country Community College

23 Santanoni Avenue

Saranac Lake, NY 12983

Or via email - admissions@nccc.edu

Additional documents will be needed to complete your file. Please be sure to submit the following so that we may apply any applicable transfer credit:

Your official Joint Services Transcript (Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy) or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF)
Official Transcripts from any colleges attended

For any questions or assistance, please contact Amy Tuthill at atuthill@nccc.edu or 518-891-2915, Ext. 1282

Academics

North Country Community College offers a variety of Associate and Certificate Programs designed to prepare you for your chosen career. With three campus locations and online options, we can offer you an education that best suits your needs.

Financial Aid and Veterans Benefits

We understand that financing an education is one of the most important aspects of any student’s decision to attend college. North Country Community College’s personnel are here to help.

To get started, you will want to apply for federal and state aid. Here’s how:

Step 1 – Apply for the FSA ID https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch

Step 2 – Apply for Federal Aid https://www.studentaid.gov – Federal School Code – 007111

Step 3 – Apply for State Aid https://www.hesc.ny.gov – NYS TAP Code ......

(For New York State Residents only). Note: This is a tuition only award. Students using VA benefits that cover 100% of their tuition may not receive this award in the same semester.

Certifying Your Benefits

If you qualify for additional VA education or Vocational Rehabilitation benefits, it’s important to start the benefit application process as soon as possible. Once you’ve received your Certificate of Eligibility (COE), Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) or VA 28-1905 (Veteran Readiness and Employment), please forward that to the Certifying Official, along with your DD-214 (Member 4 copy) and a completed Certification Request Form.

Note: If you used your benefits at another school prior to starting your studies at North Country Community College, you will also need to submit a VA Form 22-1995 (Change of Program or Place of Training) to the college’s Certifying Official.

To learn more about the various types of benefits available, please see the following:

Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)
Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30)
Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 1606)
Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31)
Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35)
New York State Veterans Tuition Awards
New York State Regents Awards for Children of Deceased and Disabled Veterans
New York State Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute (MERIT)
Apply for GI Bill and related benefits

Additional resources to help students and families evaluate their educational and financial aid options can be found using the following:

The College Scorecard - A planning tool and resource to assist in selecting a school is located at: http://collegecost.ed.gov/scorecard/
The “Paying for College” webpage – Provides prospective students the opportunity to enter the names of up to three schools and receive detailed financial information on each one and to enter actual financial aid award information: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/

Local Resources

VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic

33 Depot Street

Saranac Lake, NY 12983

518-626-5237

New York State Division of Veterans Affairs

Timothy Pierce, Veterans Benefits Advisor

7551 Court Street

Elizabethtown, NY 12932

518-873-3488

(M,T,Th,F)

Harrietstown Town Hall

39 Main Street

Saranac Lake, NY 12983

518-891-1572

(W)

Franklin County Veteran’s Service Agency

Jason Murray, Director

355 West Main Street, Suite 200

Malone, NY 12953

518-481-1540

Homeward Bound

24 Depot Street

Saranac Lake, NY 12983

518-534-4250

Still have more questions? Please provide us with more information by completing our Request Form. Thanks for your interest in North country!

Veteran Profile: Jason Villarreal

Jason Villarreal is a first-year student in our practical nursing program at the college’s Malone campus. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Jason lived in Texas until moving to the Adirondacks earlier this year with his family. He served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years.

Why did you choose the nursing program at North Country?

The way that this college treats their veterans, I think was fantastic. That was very eye-opening for me. And the fact that the program is a one for one. So you get to go through the first portion of it, to gain skills and become an LPN, then you can start getting clinical experience and move into the RN program.

What is your career goal?

I want to move on through into my RN and then get my BSN. I really am leaning toward respiratory therapy, I think that's something that I find fascinating. And, maybe even later, hospital administration. To answer the question, why nursing, I think it’s something I've always really been drawn to. I've always been the type of person that's trying to help, trying to improve a situation. I want to walk away from it knowing that I made it better.

As a nontraditional student, what has it been like to go back to school?

Actually, there were some things that surprised me. After coming in, having excellent grades, this program really proved to be challenging, which I was ready for. And there were a lot of things that I wasn't expecting, but you had to adapt. You had to just really nail down, set the focus on the goal and just continue from there. So it's been challenging, but it’s also been very rewarding.

As a veteran, you feel like the college has provided you with the support and resources to be successful as a student?

I think North Country really has a wide variety of resources for students, whether you're a veteran or whether you're fresh out of high school, the LAC (Learning Assistance Center) here and the tutoring that they offer. There are provisions here to help you be successful.

My personal experience at North Country Community College has been fantastic. It's been very eye-opening. It’s really allowed me to grow as a person. So far it's just been a wonderful experience for me.