Skip to header Skip to content Skip to footer
  • Home
  • /
    • All-In-One Student Guide

All-In-One Student Guide

Starting your journey as a nursing student is exciting, but we know it can also be overwhelming. This Student Guide is designed to help you confidently navigate your first steps at Galen. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about getting started: class schedules, textbooks, tuition, tech support, and more. Whether you’re new to college or transferring in, we’ve got you covered every step of the way.

Contacts & Support

IT Support
For help accessing student portals: https://hcaservicecentral.service-now.com/galen
855-727-2967 (For students unable to access Service Central)
Please note: When submitting IT tickets, students should have their student ID ready and check their spam folder for responses. This helps prevent delays in resolving tech issues.

On-Demand Academic Advising
Students can contact On-Demand Advising whenever they have questions and are unsure where to turn. If On Demand Advising cannot resolve the problem, we can schedule a time with their Advisor or help them get in touch with the team that can assist them.

Drop-in assistance via live chat or Zoom is available at these times:
8 am – 8 pm ET Monday-Thursday
8 am – 4 pm ET Friday

Options to connect for live assistance:
• My Galen Student Portal: Follow the link in the Communication pane.
• Smiley chat icon in Canvas or All Access
• Direct link: https://shorturl.at/rwBKL

After hours/campus closures:
• Frequently Asked Questions page
• Create an advising ticket by emailing academicadvising@galencollege.edu.

Academic Advisors/Student Support
Academic Advising | Galen College of Nursing

Financial and Student Financial Services Tuition and Financial Aid | Galen College of Nursing

Class Schedule
• Registered classes and assignments will appear in Canvas 48-72 hours before the first day of classes.
• All classes in Self-Service are listed in Eastern Time.
• How to check your schedule: How to Find Your Schedule and Time Zones

Attendance
• Online classes: Online Classes Attendance Policy
• PN/VN: PV/VN Attendance Policy
• ADN & BSN: ADN & BSN Attendance Policy

Textbooks
• Be sure to obtain your textbooks before classes begin!
• Find book lists, purchasing locations, and tips here: Textbook Information

Check Your Email
• Check your college email often, including spam/junk folders for important updates about classes and deadlines.

Navigating Student Resource Page

Highly Recommended: Bookmark this page for quick access to essential student portals and resources:

• Home: Direct link to student resources
• Student Self-Service: Payments, class registration (for Quarter 2+), department notifications
• Canvas: Class assignments, syllabi, and tests
• All Access: Live chat and tutoring options
• Galen Email: Student email access
• …and more!

Canvas

Canvas Guide

Please note: It is important to log in before the first day of classes to review class information.

All Access Student Support

Finance & Tuition

• Review Charges & Aid: Once registered, check your tuition, fees, and anticipated financial aid in the Student Self-Service Portal.

• Missing Financial Aid: If you are expecting financial aid that’s not listed on your Financial Aid Award Package in the Financial Aid section of the Student Self-Service portal, contact your campus Student Financial Service team before classes begin to review your financial plan.

• Missing Documents: Review your Galen College Financial Aid portal regularly to check for financial aid awards and complete any required documentation to receive financial aid.

• Payment Due Date: Any balance not covered by planned financial aid or a payment plan is due on or before the first day of the term. Unpaid balances will be subject to a financial hold and prevent registration.

• Payment Options: You may pay your term balance in full on or before the first day of the term or you can set up an installment payment plan to stay in good financial standing. Payment plan payments are expected to be made in accordance with the plan. Failure to do so may result in a financial hold being placed, which could prevent registration.

• Payments/Payment Plans: Navigate to the Student Self-Service Portal to make a payment or set up a payment plan.

HCA Direct Bill application must be completed prior to each start term

EdAssist Instruction Guides by Program

View FastChoice for alternative loan options/private lending for higher education.

 

Visit the Student Self-Service Portal before each term to:

• Confirm your contact information
• Review tuition, fees, financial aid, and any outstanding balance
• Set up or update direct deposit settings

Finance & Tuition Continued

A refund is the process in which any remaining funds not used for your tuition and other authorized expenses you owe are paid to you.

Refunds are issued in one of the following ways:

• Direct Deposit (recommended): Funds are sent directly to a bank account provided by you. Funds are usually received within 2-3 business days from the processed date.

• Paper Check: If you do not sign up for direct deposit, a paper check will be mailed to the address on file. The College will wait 21 days to process any void check requests for any uncashed check for re-issue. To avoid delay, we recommend direct deposit.

• Sign up for direct deposit in your Self-Service portal today: Setting Up Direct Deposit

To allow you the fastest access to any 1098-T tax statements, please visit your Self-Service portal today and give your consent to retrieve your tax statement electronically. From your Self-Service portal, navigate to the Tax Information tile and select Receive my 1098 only in electronic format and SAVE.

A FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) release permits an educational institution to disclose a student’s records to authorized individuals, such as family members or other entities. This includes access to a student’s admissions and enrollment data, academic records, financial aid information, registration details, and student account information.

• FERPA Step-by-Step Instruction Guide

• Review contact information: Student Accounts Team
• Guide: Making a Payment in Self-Service
• Guide: Setting Up Direct Deposit
• View Financial Aid Checklist
• Locate and review your campus’ Academic Catalog here for tuition/fee information
• View HCA Jobs
• Education Assistance | Galen College of Nursing
• View Military Veterans programs and information

Clock Hour FAQs

A clock hour program generally focuses on specific practical and vocational skills needed to enter the workforce. Progress is measured in clock hours – actual hours of attendance in classroom, laboratory, and clinical training – rather than credit hours.

  • 1 clock hour = 50-60 minutes of supervised instruction.

At Galen, the Practical/Vocational Nursing diploma programs are considered clock hour programs.

Yes! Galen College of Nursing is approved to award federal aid to students enrolled in
clock hour programs, provided they meet all eligibility requirements to receive Federal
Student Aid, which includes:

  • Pell Grant
  • Federal Direct Loans
  • PLUS loans (for parents of dependent students)

Galen’s clock hour programs include two academic years, and each academic year
contains two payment periods. The entire program consists of 1,440 clock hours.

  • First academic year = 900 hours
    • Payment Period 1: hours 1 to 450
    • Payment Period 2: hours 451 to 900
  • Second academic year = 540 hours
    • Payment Period 1 includes hours 901 to 1170
    • Payment Period 2 includes hours 1171 to 1440

To complete a payment period, a student must complete the required number of clock
hours and attend at least the minimum weeks of instruction assigned to the payment
period.

Tuition: A prorated portion of the total program tuition is charged each payment
period, according to the number of clock hours in the payment period.

Equation explaining how clock hour program payment period tuition is calculated.

Financial Aid: Federal loans and grants are disbursed at the beginning of each payment
period, once a student begins to attend their scheduled classes.

Example: Assume you qualify for a $3,000 Pell Grant and a $9,500 Direct Loan for the
first academic year.

  • After you start attending the first payment period, the school will receive half of
    your Pell Grant ($3,000) and half of your Direct Loan ($9,500), minus the loan fee
    charged by the lender.
  • After you start attending the second payment period, the school will receive the
    second half of each award.

Note: Even though each award is paid in full at the beginning of the payment period,
you must earn the awards by attending courses throughout the payment period.

  • You will earn 1% of federal student aid for every 1% of the payment period you
    complete until you complete more than 60% of the payment period. At that
    point, you will have earned 100% of your federal aid disbursements for the
    payment period.

Clock Hour FAQs Continued

No. Courses in clock hour programs are scheduled into academic quarters that overlap
the payment period dates. This means:

  • Course start and end dates are not the same as payment period start and end
    dates. You will complete each payment period during a set of courses rather
    than at the end of those courses.

Example: If courses in the first quarter count for 360 clock hours, and courses in
the second academic quarter count for 325 clock hours, you will complete the
first payment period (450 hours) after you complete the first quarter (360 clock
hours) and 90 hours in the second quarter (since 360+90 = 450 clock hours).

Since you need to complete both the minimum weeks of instruction and the required
clock hours to complete the payment period, your payment period will be extended in
one-week increments until you complete the required clock hours.

Example: After 15 weeks of instruction in the first payment period you have only
completed 430 clock hours. Your payment period will be extended by one week.

After that additional week, if you have completed the remaining 20 clock hours
assigned to the payment period, you will advance to the next payment period.

If not, your payment period will be extended one week at a time until you
complete 450 hours.

You can monitor your clock hour progress for each course on the Student Tools app at
https://stutools.galencollege.edu.

Details about progress in each payment period are tracked internally. The best way to
ensure you complete each payment period timely is by actively participating in all
classroom, lab, and clinical sessions and activities.

If you need to know how many clock hours you have earned in a payment period, please
reach out to your Student Financial Services (SFS) Specialist.

If you fail a course, you retake and pass it before you can take any other courses. Since
you do not successfully complete clock hours for a failed course, the payment period will
be extended to accommodate the failed course.

You will be billed for each course you repeat, but you will not progress to the next
payment period or receive additional disbursements of federal financial aid awards until
you successfully complete the clock hours required in the payment period.

Clock Hour FAQs Continued

If you withdraw or stop attending, the school will determine whether (for the current
payment period):

  • You qualify for a tuition adjustment, based on the policy outlined in the Student
    Catalog.
  • You have earned the full amount of federal student aid awards.

Based on these determinations, the school may:

  • Adjust tuition charges.
  • Return unearned federal student aid awards to the Department of Education.

Once these adjustments are made, you will be responsible for paying the balance on
your account. In addition, if you received a refund based on excess financial aid but did
not earn enough financial aid to warrant the refund, you may owe some or all of your
refund to the Department of Education.

After tuition and fees are charged and financial aid awards are disbursed, any aid that
remains in excess of tuition and fees is refunded to the student within 14 days to be
used for other educational expenses such living expenses, transportation, supplies, etc.

If your Federal Student Aid awards are not disbursed before the end of the first week of
the payment period, and you have attended courses in the payment period, please
contact your Student Financial Services (SFS) Specialist to determine what might be
preventing disbursement.

  • Complete and submit all required financial aid documents.
  • Attend consistently – missing hours can delay your progress.
youtube modal