Third Party Payments

If your employer or another party will be paying for your tuition and fees, the letter of authorization to bill must be received in the Business Office by the tuition deadline. Note the tuition deadline in the semester schedule.

A letter is required each semester.

Business Contract

To utilize the Business Contract rate for tuition, a Special Arrangement Contract is required.

The Code of Virginia states:

Public institutions of higher education may enter into special arrangement contracts with Virginia employers or authorities controlling federal installations or agencies located in Virginia. The special arrangement contracts shall be for the purpose of providing reduced-rate tuition charges for the employees of Virginia employers or federal personnel when the employers or federal authorities are assuming the liability for paying, to the extent permitted by federal law, the tuition for the employees or personnel in question and the employees or personnel are classified by the requirements of this section as out-of-state.[1]

Virginia employers may request a special arrangement contract in order to provide educational assistance to their out-of-state employees at the business contract rate. All requests are handled through the Business Office and executed by the budget and finance director.

Special arrangement contracts are valid for one academic year beginning in the fall and ending in the summer. Each semester, students must provide verification of their employment in the form of a verification memo from their employer. Special arrangement contracts must be renewed on an annual basis in the fall.

Instructions for completing the SAC

NOTE: Special arrangement contracts must be turned in one week before the tuition deadline in order to be processed in time for the upcoming semester.  Special arrangement contracts will be processed within 5 business days of receipt.

529 Savings Plan

In this section, you will find information on the two types of 529 prepaid plans — the 529 Savings Plans and the 529 Tuition Plans.

529 Savings Plans

529 Savings Plans – Laurel Ridge will receive a check or ACH

These plans pay for any qualified higher education expenses including tuition, room & board, textbooks, computers, required supplies and equipment.  Some common savings plan vendors are Virginia 529 Invest, College America, American Funds, Geico, USAA, Vanguard and Trusts.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are planning to use your 529 Saving Plan, please make certain you are familiar with the payment deadline dates on the Academic Calendar for the semester to allow enough time for the following steps 1-4 to be taken to ensure the protection of your classes.

If a current or future Laurel Ridge student would like to use 529 Savings Plan benefits to pay for their qualified higher education expenses incurred at Laurel Ridge, the student needs to complete the following steps for each semester:

  1. Enroll in classes.  This will provide the student with the tuition and fees total amount due.
  2. Once the student obtains the total dollar amount of the tuition and fees, the 529 Savings Plan account holder should be able to request a distribution from their plan with this information. The account holder should request the “Memo” line to reflect the Laurel Ridge student ID #.  Payments from the 529 Saving Plan vendor should be mailed to the following address:

Laurel Ridge Community College

Business Office

173 Skirmisher Lane

Middletown, VA 22645

  1. The 529 Savings Plan account holder will need to provide the student with the following information:
    • 529 Savings Plan Institution Name
    • Semester for which the payment will be applicable.
    • Requested tuition and fee amount.
    • Student Name
    • Student’s Laurel Ridge ID # (seven numeric digits)
    • 529 Saving Plan Account Holder’s Name
    • Confirmation # – When the 529 Savings Plan account holder makes a request for the distribution of funds, the vendor should provide a confirmation number.
  2. The student will provide the information obtained in step 3 via an email to [email protected].  This will enable the Third Party Billing office to protect the student’s classes from dropping due to non-payment. The Third Party Billing office will send a confirmation email to the student’s VCCS account notifying them of their enrollment protection. Once the Business Office receives the 529 Savings Plan payment and applies it to the student’s account, the protection of classes will cease.  The protection will no longer be required because the account balance is zero.

PLEASE NOTE:  The addition of any classes after the initial 529 Savings Plan disbursement request for the semester would require another request for disbursement.  Therefore, the completion of steps 2-4 would be required.

529 Tuition Plans

529 Tuition Plan – Laurel Ridge will invoice the plan

These plans only pay for tuition and mandatory fees.  Some common Tuition plan vendors are Virginia 529 Prepaid, Florida Prepaid, Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan, Alabama PACT, Maryland Prepaid MPCT and College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Program.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are planning to use your 529 Tuition Plan, please make certain you are familiar with the payment deadline dates on the Academic Calendar for the semester to allow enough time for the following steps 1-5 to be taken to ensure the protection of your classes.

Virginia 529 Prepaid will not pay for out-of-state tuition.

If a current or future Laurel Ridge student would like to use 529 Tuition Plan benefits to pay for their tuition and mandatory fees incurred at Laurel Ridge, the student and the Tuition Plan account holder need to complete the following steps for each semester:

  1. The Tuition Plan account holder must complete the “Intent to Enroll” form with the appropriate tuition plan vendor.
  2. Student enrolls in classes.
  3. The student/Tuition Plan Account Holder will need to gather the following information:
    • 529 Tuition Plan Institution Name
    • Semester for which the payment will be applicable.
    • Student Name
    • Student’s Laurel Ridge ID # (seven numeric digits)
    • Letter of Authorization/Third Party Billing form (if provided by the vendor)
  4. The student will provide the information obtained in step 3 via an email to [email protected] as confirmation of their wanting to use the benefits for the semester.  This will enable the Third Party Billing office to protect the student’s classes from dropping due to non-payment. The Third Party Billing office will send a confirmation email to the student’s VCCS account notifying them of their enrollment protection.
  5. The Third Party Billing Office will invoice the prepaid vendor after the final enrollment census date (Last day to drop with a tuition refund or change to audit (census date)) of the term. (See Academic Calendar)  For example, if student A is enrolled in a 1st 8 week class, a 2nd 8 week class and 2 – 14 week classes, the invoice will not be generated until the 2nd 8 week census date. Therefore, the student will continue to see a balance on their account until the invoicing is completed. The student’s enrollment will remain protected.

If you have any questions not covered on this page, please contact the Business Office at 540-868-7126 or [email protected]

Local/Private Scholarships

Scholarships that come from an outside organization are considered Local/Private Scholarships.

The funds should be sent to the Business Office using the address below. Please request that the donor include a letter/note that lists your Student ID#, the semester, and any other conditions of the scholarship. Once received and processed, we will post it to your account as a Local/Private Scholarship.

You would be able to view it in your MyLaurel Ridge>> SIS>>Student Center>>View Financial Aid>>Aid Year(ex. 2022) once posted.

Laurel Ridge Community College

Attn: Business Office

173 Skirmisher Lane

Middletown, VA 22645

If you have funds coming in or need to check the status of a Local/Private scholarship, please contact the Business Office at 540-868-7126 or [email protected]

Project Pathfinders Scholarships

Students receiving funding from Project Pathfinders through the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) will receive an Approval Letter each semester. These funds cover in-state tuition rate only, the student is responsible for any tuition and fees that exceed in-state rates.

Once you have received your letter, you must provide a copy to the Business Office at [email protected] with your name and Student ID#. The Business Office will then place a Do Not Drop (DND) on your account to keep your classes from being dropped while the funds are being processed.

Please Note: This is a last dollar funding source, if you have financial aid that exceeds your tuition and fees, no Pathfinders funds will be applied.

*If you were approved for a book stipend, you must provide the letter to the Bookstore at [email protected] and follow their procedure for obtaining the required textbooks.

Questions about the specifics of this program must be directed towards the VECF.

VA Child Care Provider Scholarship Program

Students receiving funding from Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship Program (VCCPSP) will receive an Approval Letter each semester. These funds cover in-state tuition rate only, the student is responsible for any tuition and fees that exceed in-state rates.

Once you have received your letter, you must provide a copy to the Business Office at [email protected] with your name and Student ID#. The Business Office will then place a Do Not Drop (DND) on your account to keep your classes from being dropped while the funds are being processed.

Questions about the specifics of this program and its requirements must be directed to VCCPSP.

Grow Your Own Teaching Fellows—JMU Partnership

Students in the Grow Your Own Teaching Fellows (GYO TF) program will be working with the Education Program Coordinator, Lori Killough.

The Education Program Coordinator will send the list of approved students to the Business Office. The Business Office will then place a Do Not Drop (DND) on your account to keep your classes from being dropped while the funds are being processed.

This program reimburses for tuition & fees–regardless of other aid sources. Students intending to use other aid in the Bookstore during the charging periods may need to request a Bookstore voucher. To start that process, please email [email protected]

Questions about the specifics of this program and its requirements must be directed to the Education Program Coordinator.

Amazon Career Choice Voucher

Students receiving the Amazon Career Choice Voucher will receive an Approval Voucher each semester.

Once you have received your letter, you must provide a copy to the Business Office at [email protected] with your name and Student ID#. The Business Office will then place a Do Not Drop (DND) on your account to keep your classes from being dropped while the funds are being processed.

Questions about the specifics of this program, graduation status, and other topics must be directed to [email protected]