Tuition Waivers

The First Responder Recruitment & Retention Act provides a waiver of 100% of the resident tuition charges remaining after subtracting federal financial aid and grants, and state scholarships and grants. The waiver is applicable to law enforcement officers, professional firefighters or firefighter-paramedics, or their legal dependents for a period of up to five years.

Eligibility Requirements

To establish eligibility for the waiver for yourself or legal dependent, an applicant must be admitted to Northeast Community College, have completed the FAFSA and must complete and sign the application form. Additionally, the law enforcement officer’s superior officer or professional firefighter’s/firefighter-paramedic’s fire chief must sign the certificate attesting to satisfactory performance.

Application Process

1. Fill out the application for the Nebraska First Responder Recruitment and Retention Law Enforcement Education Act. This application will require a completed Nebraska Department of Revenue Verification form and Verification of Satisfactory Performance form.
2. The Nebraska Department of Revenue Verification Form (FRVA) is available on the Nebraska Department of Revenue website (Please note: this form will not be accepted by our office until page two has been signed by a DOR representative). The FRVA will need to be completed each academic year.
3. Dependents of law enforcement officers or first responders who are applying for the NE First Responder Recruitment and Retention Law Enforcement Officer Education Act Tuition Benefit must sign a recipient agreement. Please return the completed documents to our office, email it to finaid@northeast.edu, or fax it to (402) 844-7397.

Northeast’s Athletic Department offers tuition waivers for student athletes. For information, contact Jerrett Mills, Athletic Director (402) 844-7271.

Men's Programs:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Golf
• Soccer

Women's Programs:

• Basketball
• Soccer
• Softball
• Volleyball

For information, contact Dr. Wade Herley (402) 844-7299.

The Livestock Judging team competes in intercollegiate judging contests throughout the year in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky, and Texas. The team also assists with livestock contests held on campus and hosts an annual judging contest for 4-H members in the area. For information, contact Mike Roeber (402) 844-7183.

Students may be selected for a tuition waiver based on their participation in musical organizations at Northeast. Musical organizations at Northeast include the Northeast Area Jazz Ensemble, Northeast Jazz Machine, Northeast Singers Express, and Ebony & Crimson. For information, contact Margaret Schultz (402) 844-7765.

Tuition waivers are available for students wanting to become more involved in the Northeast Players, the College’s theatre group. In addition to the performing aspect, students are also introduced to the technical side of theatre, taking charge of crews for set construction, lights, sound, and the like. For information, contact Adam Peterson (402) 844-7763.

The Dean's Waiver is a $500 tuition waiver awarded to a student starting college in the fall term who graduated from high school the previous May. This waiver is awarded by the high school and can be based upon local criteria along with the following minimum Northeast requirements:

• Be a current high school student with an expected graduation during the 2024-2025 academic school year from a high school within the Northeast 20-county service area
• Be a current resident of Nebraska
• Enroll as a full-time, degree seeking student for the fall term following graduation from high school
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and meet the Northeast Financial Aid Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress during each semester