First Responder Recruitment and Retention Act

Southeast Community College is participating with the state of Nebraska to provide a 100% waiver of resident tuition for eligible Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, Firefighter-Paramedics, and their qualifying children, for up to a total of five consecutive years when they are pursuing an Associate degree.

Steps and Requirements to apply

  1. Fill out the FAFSA
  2. Submit paperwork to the Nebraska Department of Revenue (NDOR). NDOR will review your documents and decide if you qualify for the waiver. If approved, NDOR will send you a verification letter (page 2 of the FRVA form). As a First Responder, you’ll complete Nebraska Department of Revenue's application and will send documentation to NDOR showing:
    1. Proof of your employment as a First Responder
    2. Proof that you are a Nebraska resident
  3. Complete SCC’s Waiver Application & Agreement

 

First Responder Tuition Waiver – Key Points
  • Deciding Not to Use the Waiver
    • After you’ve been approved by the Nebraska Department of Revenue (NDOR) for the waiver, you may decide you don’t need or want it before it is applied to your student account.
    • In that case, the First Responder must contact NDOR to cancel (rescind) the waiver.
    • NDOR can be reached at 402-471-5643.
  • Renewing Each Year
    • To continue receiving the waiver in future years, you must re-apply and be approved by NDOR each award year (starting each fall semester).
    • SCC Financial Aid will send a reminder email, but it will go only to your SCC student email account.
    • The NDOR approval form (page 2 of Form FRVA) must be submitted each year.
  • Residency & Tax Requirements for Dependents
    • If you are a qualifying child receiving the waiver, you agree to:
      • Remain a Nebraska resident, and
      • File a Nebraska State Income Tax return for five years after your last waiver.
  • If these requirements are not met, you may be required to repay the waived tuition to the school if requested.

 

Who is a First Responder for purposes of this waiver?
Law Enforcement Officer
  • Works more than 100 hours per year preventing or investigating crime or enforcing Nebraska’s criminal, traffic, or highway laws (at either the state or local level); and
  • Has legal authority to make arrests.
Firefighter or Firefighter-Paramedic
  • a full-time, paid member of a fire department in Nebraska
  • Fire departments operated by municipalities, rural or suburban fire protection districts, or municipal authorities created under a home rule charter.
  • Members for whom firefighting is their primary career.
Eligible Disabled Person
  • A person who previously worked as a first responder but can no longer do so because of a job-related injury or illness.

 

Who is considered a Qualifying Child?
  • Your legal dependent as defined in the Free Application for Federal student Aid (FAFSA), or
  • A child of a first responder or eligible disabled person who is claimed as a dependent by their other parent.
  • To verify eligibility, schools may require official documentation (such as a birth certificate).

 

Programs
  • Law Enforcement Officers may enroll in Associate-degree programs relating to a career in law enforcement.
  • Firefighters and Firefighter-Paramedics may enroll in Associate degree programs that relate to a career in professional firefighting.
  • Dependents – as long as a qualifying child is enrolled in an Associate degree program, they are not restricted to any program type.

 

Correctional or Youth Detention Officers, qualifying children of Correctional or Youth Detention Officers, or an eligible disabled person who was previously employed as a Correctional or Youth Detention Officer may not qualify for this waiver until July 1, 2027, and only for attendance at a state university. SCC is not a state university and will not be able to award to this group.

Admissions requirements at SCC