Receiving Financial Aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is required of a financial aid recipient to fulfill a specified educational objective within a specific time frame as defined by the institution. All students must meet these requirements, regardless of whether or not they previously received financial aid.

According to federal regulations, effective July 1, 2011, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has established the following SAP standards that must be met in order to receive federal and state financial assistance. For more information, including a comparison chart, view our FAQ.

All NSU students must continuously meet the following four criteria in order to maintain SAP for financial aid eligibility.

Qualitative Measure (Grade Point Average)

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) in order to receive financial aid during their course of study.

Quantitative Measure (Annual Credits Completed)

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 66.7 percent* of all attempted credits each academic year. Please note that repeat and incomplete courses are counted toward the quantitative measurement.

Quantitative formula:

Successfully completed credits

Attempted credits

Maximum Timeframe Measurement (Total Allowable Credits)

Students must complete their degree requirements within 150 percent of the published length of their program (number of credits needed to complete degree requirements). For example, a program requiring 120 credits to graduate will be limited to 180 credits of financial aid eligibility. All coursework is counted including, but not limited to, repeat and incomplete coursework and transfer credit.

Pace (Overall Credits Completed)

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 66.7 percent* of all courses attempted within their academic degree level (undergraduate, graduate, first professional, etc). Students who do not meet pace are not eligible to receive financial aid. Pace is calculated annually to determine if the student is making the necessary progression to complete the degree program within the maximum timeframe.

Pace formula:

Cumulative completed credits

Cumulative attempted credits

Important: All credits are part of the calculation, including, but not limited to, repeat and incomplete coursework, transfer credits, and coursework completed for a prior degree or major for which a degree was not conferred. The only time a student may start over is after a student graduates.

Please note: Students interested in receiving state aid (e.g., Florida Resident Access Grant, Florida Student Assistance Grant, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship) must also meet the state SAP standards established for each aid program.

For your specific program requirements, click on your program level below:

Undergraduate Students
  • Qualitative Measure: Min. GPA 2.00
  • Quantitative Measure: at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU
  • Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
  • Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits for your program
Master's and Specialist Students
  • Qualitative Measure Min. GPA 3.00 or 80 percent (for programs with a numeric grading system)
    Exception: Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant Minimum GPA: 2.00 or 75 percent
  • Quantitative Measure: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU
    Exception: Biomedical Science students must successfully complete 100 percent of all credits attempted annually
  • Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
  • Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits for your program
Doctoral Students
  • Qualitative Measure
    • Qualitative Measure: Min. GPA 3.00 for all programs
    • Exception: Computer and Information Sciences Min. GPA of 3.00 for students who began prior to spring 2007 and Min. GPA of 3.25 for students who began spring 2007 and after
  • Quantitative Measure: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU.
  • Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program. Doctoral Computer and Information Sciences students cannot exceed 148 attempted credits, which is 150 percent of the average number of credits needed to complete the degree program, when determining financial aid eligibility for the 2012-2013 academic year.
  • Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits for your program
First Professional/Health Profession Division Students
  • Qualitative Measure (GPA)
    Program Min. Cumulative GPA/Percent
    Dental Predoctoral, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy 2.00 or 70 percent
    Occupational Therapy - Hybrid in Tampa, Physical Therapy—Hybrid Entry Level and Entry Level 2.00 or 75 percent
    Audiology, Health Science Ph.D., Nursing Ph.D., Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy—Ph.D. and Transitional 3.00 or 80 percent
    Health Science, Dental Postdoctoral Passing grade in all coursework
    Dental Postdoctoral 70 percent or passing grade in all pass/fail coursework (Students with a combination of grade types must meet both criteria.)
  • Quantitative Measure: Successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU. Exception: Pharmacy students must also successfully pass all repeated courses).
  • Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
  • Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits for your program
Professional/Law Students
  • Qualitative Measure
    Minimum cumulative GPA after each increment (successfully completed credit hours):

    Day Program
    1-30 credits – Min. GPA 1.90
    31 or more credits – Min. GPA 2.00

    Evening Program
    1-22 credits – Min. GPA 1.90
    23 credits or more – Min. GPA 2.00
  • Quantitative Measure: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU
  • Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
  • Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits for your program

Transfer Credit

NSU will count transfer credits and advanced placement hours accepted toward a student's educational program as both attempted and successfully completed hours. These hours will be included in pace and maximum timeframe calculations, however, not in the annual quantitative measurement calculation.

SAP Determination

The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) evaluates SAP for all students at the end of the final semester of their current academic year to determine financial aid eligibility for the next academic year. In addition, student academic progress is also reviewed (mid-year review) to alert students who may be in danger of failing SAP. Students who have failed to meet federal SAP requirements are ineligible to receive any federal or state financial aid for the upcoming academic year.

ACADEMIC YEAR Mid-Year Review Final Semester SAP Evaluation
three semester programs
(Fall/Winter/Summer)		 January summer semester end of summer semester
three-semester programs
(Summer/Fall/Winter)		 August/September winter semester end of winter semester
four-term programs January spring term end of spring term
two-semester programs January winter semester end of winter semester

SAP Notification

Students who are not making SAP at the mid-year evaluation will receive an email to their NSU email address to alert them of their SAP status. Students who have failed to meet SAP at the end-of-year evaluation will receive a notification to their NSU email address and a letter sent to their preferred mailing address displayed in WebSTAR.

Students may also view their academic progress status online by following the steps below:

SAP Appeal

A student with extenuating circumstances may appeal the denial of student financial assistance by submitting a SAP Appeal Form within 30 days from the day the failure notice was sent. The appeal must be made in writing, addressed to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee in care of the Office of Student Financial Assistance, and include the following documentation:

A student's appeal may be approved on a probationary basis for one semester, as long as it is feasible for the student to meet all SAP requirements within one semester.

SAP Academic Plan

If a student is unable to feasibly meet all SAP requirements within one semester, an academic plan must be developed with the student's academic advisor. The academic plan will outline grade and course requirements that will allow the student to successfully meet SAP. If necessary, the academic plan may extend beyond the current academic year.

Under an academic plan, a student's progress will be monitored at the end of each semester in order to ensure that the student is progressing according to the requirements of the plan. As long as the student is progressing accordingly, the student will remain eligible for financial aid. If the student is not meeting the requirements of the plan, the student will not be eligible to receive financial aid until all components of SAP have been met.