Additional information about senior education here.
Educational Benefit under the Code of VA 23-1-640, Senior Citizen’s Higher Education Act of 1974
Any senior citizen may, subject to any regulations prescribed by the State Council of Higher Education:
• Register for and enroll in courses for academic credit as a full-time or part-time student if such senior citizen
had a taxable individual income not exceeding $23,850 for Virginia income tax purposes for the year
preceding the award year;
• Register for and audit up to three courses offered for academic credit in any one academic term, quarter, or
semester for an unlimited number of academic terms, quarters, or semesters; and
• Register for and enroll in up to three courses not offered for academic credit in any one academic term,
quarter, or semester for an unlimited number of academic terms, quarters, or semesters.
• Such senior citizen shall pay no tuition or fees except fees established for the purpose of paying for course
materials such as laboratory fees, but shall be subject to the admission requirements of the institution and a
determination by the institution of its ability to offer the course or courses for which the senior citizen
registers. The State Council of Higher Education shall establish procedures to ensure that tuition-paying
students are accommodated in courses before senior citizens participating in this program enroll in or audit
courses. However, public institutions of higher education may make individual exceptions to these
procedures for any senior citizen who has completed 75 percent of the requirements for a degree.
Senior Citizen Eligibility terms require that you must:
• Be at least age 60 before the beginning of the semester.
• Have had legal domicile in the Commonwealth of Virginia for at least one year before the first day of
classes.
• May be admitted to a course only on a space-available basis after all tuition-paying students have been
accommodated.
• Register only on or after the first official day of classes. (We will accept your form, but will not process
prior to this date.)
• Have a taxable individual income not exceeding $23,850 for Virginia income tax purposes for the
preceding year in order to be exempt from tuition for credit-bearing classes.
o Audited classes (no credit) are tuition-free for all senior citizens domiciled in VA.