Viking ROADS

A dedicated academic counselor
You will be assigned to a Viking ROADS counselor for your entire time at WCC. Your counselor will be your first resource for academic guidance as well as general support to keep you on track to graduate on time.

Financial assistance with tuition
If you receive some money from the federal or state aid programs but it doesn’t cover your tuition, VR will cover the rest. Note: if you do not qualify for Financial Aid, you are still eligible for Viking ROADS.

An annual textbook voucher
A stipend of $500 per year (split between Fall and Spring) from our college bookstore is offered to all Viking ROADS students, regardless of financial aid status.

A monthly transportation stipend
Financial assistance for transportation is offered in the form of a monthly $50 voucher to be used at the college bookstore to purchase a gas card or a Metro card. This voucher is offered during the Fall and Spring semesters.

Reserved seats in classes in the first year
Seats in select first-year courses are reserved especially for Viking ROADS students. This helps ensure enrollment in necessary classes and also allows students to form connections to other Viking ROADS students and professors who work closely with Viking ROADS counselors.

Opportunity to take part in the Mercy STEM Scholars program
WCC has partnered with Mercy College to support students interested in STEM careers, and to guide students towards transfer opportunities for students in specific majors. See “Mercy STEM Scholars” tab for more information.

Meet with the dedicated counselor regularly
It is important to establish a connection with your counselor early and continue regular contact throughout your time at WCC. Viking ROADS students meet with their counselor twice a month during their first semester. After that, the number of required meetings will be determined according to students’ needs.

Fulfill any required developmental coursework within the first year

Completing development courses in the first year ensures you can keep making progress towards your degree. If you need to take a developmental course in Math and/or English, your counselor will make sure you are enrolled in these classes in your first semester and are connected to our Academic Support Center for required tutoring.

Attend mandated tutoring for developmental courses and failed credit courses
In the case you do not pass an English, Math, or Science class, it will be necessary to enroll in that class in the following semester and get support from our Academic Support Center tutors to ensure you pass the second time.

Enroll in full time study until completion
To ensure you can graduate on time, it is necessary to maintain full-time enrollment. We encourage Viking ROADS students to take 15 credits in the Fall and Spring semesters, and to enroll in summer classes when possible.

Attend regular workshops

Attendance at college workshops or ROADS-sponsored events is a way to get important information about the college, help arrange your financial aid/transfer/career plans, and meet other Viking ROADS students. They may sometimes fulfill a counselor appointment for that month.

Apply for financial aid each year

Your financial aid application allows us to determine who is eligible for our tuition assistance. It is also how you can be considered for college scholarships.

Potential Viking ROADS students must:

1. Be a New York State resident
2. Be a first-time student in college or a continuing/ transfer student with no more than 18 credits and at least a 2.0 GPA
3. Enroll in an eligible major (see below):
4. Need no more than two developmental courses
5. Willing to enroll in full-time study

The Viking ROADS program is open to students in all A.A., A.S., and A.A.S. degree programs except the following:

• Nursing
• Paramedic
• Radiologic Technology
• Respiratory Care
• Veterinary Technology

Click here for information about WCC’s academic programs

To apply to Viking ROADS as a new or transfer student:

1. Apply to Westchester Community College as a first time or transfer student
2. Determine your Math and Writing course placement. Most students will do this by taking the Self-Directed Placement Questionnaire. However, you can also determine placement if you have waiver based on course grades, transfer credits, or qualifying SAT, ACT or regents scores. Please submit your official high school transcripts and college transcripts (if applicable) as well as any College Board scores to help identify any waivers.

   If you do not have any waivers, please do the Questionnaire as soon as you can. You can find information about remote testing procedures here.

3. Fill out a Viking ROADS application form
4. Attend a Viking ROADS information session or speak with a ROADS Team member to check eligibility and learn about next steps. (See Updates tab for any scheduled information sessions. If there is no information, please check your college email for any communication or contact [email protected])
5. Attend the ROADS New Student Launch (held in August or January) and sign the program contract.
6. Financial aid: while submitting a FAFSA it is not a requirement to join ROADS, we cannot offer our tuition assistance if you do not receive some financial aid. It is recommended that you submit your FAFSA and TAP applications as soon as possible.

If you are a continuing student with no more than 18 credits and at least a 2.0 GPA:

1. Fill out a Viking ROADS application form
2. Attend a Viking ROADS information session or speak with a ROADS Team member to check eligibility and learn about next steps. (See Updates tab for any scheduled information sessions. If there is no information, please check your college email for any communication or contact [email protected])
3. Attend the ROADS New Student Launch (held in August or January) and sign the program contract.
4. Financial aid: while submitting a FAFSA it is not a requirement to join ROADS, we cannot offer our tuition assistance if you do not receive some financial aid. It is recommended that you submit your FAFSA and TAP applications as soon as possible.

Students will use Viking Success to connect with their counselor. You can find more information, How-To guides, and a link to Viking Success here: https://www.sunywcc.edu/student-services/viking-success/

The Fall 2021 schedule will be available in September.

Viking ROADS textbook vouchers are redeemable at the WCC college bookstore: https://sunywcc.bncollege.com/shop/suny-wcc/home Students have $250 in the Fall semester and $250 in the Spring semester. When ordering books online, please choose “Financial Aid” as a payment method and then enter your nine-digit student ID number. Please be sure to enter your ID number correctly or the purchase might not be processed properly to your Viking ROADS textbook account.

If you do not spend the entire $250 in the Fall semester, the remainder will carry over to the Spring textbook account balance. If there is a balance at the end of the Spring semester, however, it will not transfer to the following Fall semester.

While we are working remotely, students will receive a link to an online form during their scheduled meetings with their ROADS counselor. The form asks for your student information and a mailing address. At the end of the month, a list of students who have filled out the form will be sent to the bookstore to fulfill their request for either a gas card or a Metro card. The cards are then mailed to the students’ address provided on the form.

The transportation vouchers are offered monthly from September to May, and are given to students who have met their counselor for the required meeting(s) for that month.

If you receive notification from Viking Success that a professor has flagged a concern, you should first contact your professor to discuss the problem. Your ROADS counselor also receives a notification of the flag and will contact you to discuss any steps that you have already taken to resolve the issue with your professor. If you are not sure what to do, contact your ROADS counselor for guidance.

Degree Works is a web-based advising tool to help students, faculty and counselors track a student’s completion of academic program requirements, determine course selections, track progress toward graduation, and use “what-if” scenarios to see how courses already taken would apply to a different major. Viking ROADS students will work together with their counselor to ensure they are able to use Degree Works to plan out their academic pathway, choose classes each semester, and keep on track for graduation.

You can access Degree Works by logging into your MyWCC portal and clicking on the link for Degree Works, or you can link directly to it here: http://www.sunywcc.edu/degreeworks.

The Financial Aid website has important information, links, and deadlines, and ROADS students should refer to it first when you have questions. https://www.sunywcc.edu/admissions/finaid/

Here are links to the most common questions:
FAFSA (Federal): https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
School FAFSA code:002881

TAP(New York State): https://www.tap.hesc.ny.gov/totw/
TAP for Dream Act students: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/dream/
School TAP Code: 2160

The Bursar’s office is where you go to pay your tuition or to ask about refunds. https://www.sunywcc.edu/admissions/bursars-office/

Important payment due dates and drop dates: https://www.sunywcc.edu/admissions/bursars-office/drop-dates/

If you live outside of Westchester County, you must submit a Certificate of Residency in order to get resident tuition. As a reminder, the Viking ROADS program cannot provide tuition assistance unless the student is eligible for resident tuition.

The Bursar’s office is also where you can access your IRS form 1098-T for your taxes: https://www.sunywcc.edu/admissions/bursars-office/irs-1098-t-tax-form/

All first-time, full-time students who are new to Westchester Community College for fall 2021, are REQUIRED to participate in and complete New and Transfer Student Orientation. If you did not sign up for and attend one of the New and Transfer Student Orientation sessions a hold will be placed on your student account, preventing you from registering for spring 2022 classes, accessing transcripts, etc.

If this is the case, you will need to complete the Full Online Orientation within the first half of the semester. To access this option, a student must log into their MyWCC and click on the link (within the upper left hand corner of the screen). The Online Orientation will save the student’s progress and will pick up wherever he/she/they left off upon their return if they decide to step away. Once you have completed the online orientation, the hold will be released within 24 hours.

The Department of Student Involvement offers a number of ways to get involved in campus that give students the opportunity to make friends, gain leadership or academic skills, meet others with similar hobbies, and more. There are more than 40 student clubs that you can join or you can start your own club. You could also be part of the Student Government Association (SGA), the college newspaper (Viking News) or radio station (Power 88.1), or the Westchester Events Board (WEB) which plans events for your fellow students.

Visit their website for more information: https://www.sunywcc.edu/student-services/getinvolved/clubs/