Institutional Information

INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS - VC awards the Associate in Arts degree, the Associate in Science degree, the Associate in Applied Science degree, the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree, the Certificate of Completion, and the Occupational Skills award. Any plans by VC for improving an academic program can be found at https://www.vernoncollege.edu/college-effectiveness-home. For more information on available academic programs see Publications 

ACCREDITATION INFORMATION - For information about VC's accreditation see https://www.vernoncollege.edu/sacscoc/home.aspx Students may request a copy of the school's notice of accreditation in the Office of the President. VC is approved and regulated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Students may request a copy of the approval in the Office of the President. Many associations and/or agencies credit, approve or license VC and programs offered at VC. More information and procedures by which a student may receive a copy of the schools accreditation, licensure or approval is available at  Accreditation Information

FACILITIES - A photo tour of the instructional, laboratory and other physical facilities which relate to the academic programs available at VC can be viewed at Campus Virtual Tours

FACULTY AND INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL - A list of faculty and other instructional personnel is available at Employee Directory

SPECIAL FACILITIES AND SERVICES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES - For information about facilities and services VC makes available to students with disabilities see https://www.vernoncollege.edu/ada-home.

STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS - Vernon College does not participate in study abroad programs.

STUDENT LOAN DEFERMENT - A deferment is a period of time during repayment in which the borrower, upon meeting certain conditions, is not required to make payments of loan principal. Interest does continue to accrue during these periods of deferment. For some loans, the federal government pays the interest during the deferment. On others, the borrower is responsible for the accrued interest either by making monthly interest payments or having the interest capitalized. Deferment can be authorized for economic hardship, unemployment, military deployment, enrollment in school, temporary total disability or other similar situations. Students should contact their lender for more information.

COHORT DEFAULT RATE -Vernon College FY 2020 cohort default rate (CDR) is 0.0% which is consistent with the national average CDR of 0.0%. As expected, FY 2020 cohort default rates were significantly impacted by the pause on federal student loan payments that began March 13,2020. During this pause, borrowers with ED-held loans were not required to make payments so no borrowers entered default. Approximately 26% of VC students borrowed federal student loans during the 2022-23 academic year.

RETENTION RATES - As per the Fall 21 IPEDS enrollment report, Vernon College's retention rate for full-time, first time students was 22%.

ENROLLMENT - 42% of the 2148 students enrolled for spring 2022 received title IV aid.

VACCINATIONS - For information about VC vaccination policies, see https://www.vernoncollege.edu/new-bacterial-meningitis-vaccination-requirement

TRANSFER OF CREDIT - Academic courses (specified in the Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual and the VC core curriculum) successfully completed at VC should be fully transferable to and accepted as comparable degree credit by any Texas public institution of higher education where the equivalent courses are available for fulfilling associate and the lower division portion of baccalaureate degree requirements. It is the responsibility of the student, however, to determine prior to registration the transferability of any course. Since transfer of specific courses normally depends upon the applicability of the completed work toward a degree plan specified by the receiving institution, any program of study at VC should be planned to parallel the requirements of the program at the institution to which the student plans to transfer. 

Texas public senior colleges and universities will usually accept sixty-six (66) hours of credit from a two-year college. Developmental courses are not transferable.

TRANSFER DISPUTES

Occasionally, a problem may arise when a lower-division VC course is not accepted for credit by a Texas public institution of higher education. If this occurs, the following procedures should be followed for the resolution of credit transfer disputes involving lower division courses.

1. If an institution of higher education does not accept course credit earned by a student at another institution of higher education, the receiving institution shall give written notice to the student and to the sending institution that transfer of the course credit is denied. At this point the student may dispute the denial of credit by contacting the VC Vice President of Instructional Services.
2. The two institutions and the student shall attempt to resolve the transfer of course credit in accordance with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules and/or guidelines.
3. If the transfer dispute is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student or the sending institution within 45 days after the date the student received written notice of denial, the institution whose credit is denied shall notify the Commissioner of Higher Education of the denial.

The Commissioner of Higher Education or the Commissioner’s designee shall make the final determination about the dispute concerning the transfer of course credit and give written notice of the determination to the involved student and institutions.

GUARANTEE FOR TRANSFER CREDIT

Vernon College guarantees to its Associate in Science and Associate in Arts students who have met all the requirements for the degree, beginning May 1993 and thereafter, that course credits taken at VC will transfer to other public supported Texas colleges or universities provided conditions listed below are met.

1 Transferability means acceptance of credit toward a specific major and degree at a specific institution. These components must be identified by the student during the application for admission process prior to the first semester of enrollment at Vernon College.

2 Limitations on total number of credits accepted in transfer, grades required, relevant grade point average, and duration of transferability apply as stated in the general undergraduate catalog of the receiving institution.

3 Transferability refers to courses in a written transfer/degree plan filed in a students file in the Office of Admissions and Records at Vernon College. This plan must include the institution to which the student will transfer, the baccalaureate major and degree sought, and the date such decision was made.

4 Only college-level courses with the Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual approved numbers are included in this guarantee.

5 Credit by examination (such as CLEP, etc.) must satisfy requirements of the receiving institution.

If all the above conditions are met and a course or courses are not accepted by a receiving institution in transfer for similar course or courses as listed in the Lower-Division General Academic Course Guide Manual, the student must notify the Vice-President of Instructional Services at Vernon College within 15 days of first notice of transfer credit denial so that the transfer dispute resolution process can be initiated.

If course denial is not resolved, Vernon College will allow the student to take tuition-free alternate courses, semester hour for semester hour, which are acceptable to the receiving institution within a one year period from granting of a degree at Vernon College. The graduate is responsible for payment of any fees, books, or other course-related expenses associated with the alternate course or courses. 

ACCEPTANCE OF TRANSFER COURSE WORK

Normally, all college course work satisfactorily completed at a regionally accredited college or university will be accepted in transfer to Vernon College. The transferability of courses completed at a non-regionally accredited institution will be determined by the Director of Enrollment Management/Registrar with assistance from qualified faculty members.

A course-by-course evaluation of transfer work for students seeking a certificate or degree will be completed by the staff of the Admissions and Records Office and/or other appropriate college personnel. Notification of amount of credit transferred will be posted on the student's Vernon College transcript as soon as his/her admission file is completed and evaluated preferably prior to enrollment, but at the latest, prior to the end of his/her first semester of enrollment.

NOTE: Acceptance of transfer work does not imply applicability to degree requirements. Degree applicability will be determined by a division chairperson, instructional administrators and/or Director of Enrollment Management/Registrar.

Failure to disclose the name of every college or university previously matriculated (enrolled in) without regard to whether credit was earned or not will be considered as an intentional omission and may result in disciplinary action regarding, but not limited to, administrative withdrawal with forfeiture of tuition and fees.

Vernon College has signed articulation agreements with the following 4-year schools: Midwestern State University, Arizona State University, Wayland Baptist University, Ashford University, West Texas A&M University, Stephen F. Austin University, Baylor University, Kaplan University, Texas Tech University, University of North Texas, Texas Western Governors University, Tarleton State University, University of Texas Dallas, and Bellevue University. In all cases, Vernon College is considered a host institution. The degree granting, or home institution, should be contacted for additional information such as costs and delivery method.

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT - Vernon College prohibits the unauthorized use and distribution of copyrighted materials including unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing. Violating this policy may subject the student to civil and criminal liabilities and appropriate disciplinary actions as specified in the Student Handbook. 

Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under Section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes infringement. Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in it’s discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505. Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines up $250,000 per offense. For more information, please see the website of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov.

INFORMATION ON PLACEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT OBTAINED BY GRADUATES OF VERNON COLLEGE

For information on placement rates of VC graduates see, Placement Rate . For information on types of employment obtained by VC graduates see, Types of employment 

COST OF ATTENDANCE. The following table provides average costs for an academic year (Fall thru Spring) for a Texas resident living in student housing and enrolling in 15 hours per semester: 

Please see the Vernon College General Catalog for tuition and fee tables for part-time enrollments. For information regarding any additional cost of a particular program, please contact the Vice President of Instructional Services.

REFUNDING OF FINANCIAL AID - Title IV funds are offered to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire enrollment period. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of the financial aid funds that the student was originally scheduled to receive. For students who received any Title IV aid (Pell Grant, SEOG, and Direct Loans), other than Federal work study, funds will be returned to the program(s) from which the student was funded. Up through the 60% point in the period of enrollment, a pro rata schedule is used to determine the amount of Title IV funds the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. After the 60% point in the period of enrollment, a student has earned 100% of the Title IV funds he or she was scheduled to receive during the period. If the student has completed more than 60%, VC will review the student's financial aid to determine if the institution owes the student an post-withdrawal disbursement. If the student is due a post-withdrawal disbursement, a Return to Title IV calculation will be completed. If all funds have been disbursed prior to the student withdraw, VC will document that the student has attended past 60%, all aid has been earned, and no Return to Title IV or post-withdraw disbursement is required. The withdrawal date is the date the student began the withdrawal process, the student’s last date of attendance at a documented academically-related activity, or midpoint of the period for a student who leaves without notifying the institution. The calculation of the return of these funds may result in the student owing a balance to Vernon College and/or the Federal Government. Return of Title IV funds are allocated in the following order: Unsubsidized Direct Loan, Subsidized Direct Loan, Plus Loan, Pell Grant and SEOG. Further details and examples can be obtained in the Financial Aid Office.

REFUND POLICY - For information on the refund policy which Vernon College is required to comply for the return of unearned tuition and fees or other refundable portions of costs paid to VC, see https://www.vernoncollege.edu/refund-policy

FOOD AND HOUSING REFUND POLICY - For information on the student housing refund policy, see https://www.vernoncollege.edu/housing-meal-plan

REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR OFFICIALLY WITHDRAWING - Students may drop a part of their course load or withdraw from all classes anytime after they have registered and paid, and until the last day to withdraw as printed in the registration guide. Students are strongly encouraged to visit with their instructor(s) before seriously considering dropping a course or withdrawing from school. To accomplish the drop or withdrawal, specific procedures must be followed. Students should contact the Admissions and Records Office on the Vernon campus, or the Admissions and Records Office at the Century City Center to begin the drop or withdrawal procedure. Students receiving Title IV financial aid funds should contact the Financial Aid Office concerning the calculation of return of funds before starting the withdrawal procedure. Students voluntarily dropping or withdrawing within the first seventy-five (75) percent of the semester will receive an automatic grade of W unless an administrative withdrawal has previously been processed by the College. The printed registration guide should be used for specific withdrawal dates. The grade of F will be awarded for drops or withdrawals processed after the published dates unless an administrative withdrawal has previously been processed.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES- For information on student activities, see https://www.vernoncollege.edu/student-activities-homepage

INFORMATION DISSEMINATION COORDINATOR - Colleen Moore, Director of Enrollment Management/Registrar is available, upon reasonable notice, to assist students in obtaining consumer information throughout the normal administrative working hours of VC. Students should contact Jeanne Ballard, Director of Financial Aid, for information on student financial aid assistance. Students should contact Kevin Holland, Director of Campus Police for school security policies and crime statistics. Their offices are located in the Osborne Administration Building on the Vernon campus. You may also contact them by phone at (940) 552-6291.