Receiving Financial Aid
Compliance with Enrollment Requirements
As a general eligibility requirement for receipt of federal and state financial aid funds, you must be fully admitted into an eligible degree- or certificate-seeking program by the end of the term for which you are requesting aid. Initial award amounts indicated on your award notice are based on full-time enrollment.
If you are enrolling in a program with multiple parts of term, you must register for all classes at the beginning of the first part of the term. Effective July 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education has revised regulations in regard to students enrolled in a semester with multiple parts of term. The new regulations require NSU to perform a Return of Title IV calculation for any student who ceases attendance during the first part of term unless the student provides written confirmation of future attendance for second part of term courses. Please visit the Return of Title IV Web page for details.
Generally, your enrollment status for financial aid purposes will be calculated at the end of the drop/add period for undergraduate students, and on the first day of classes for the period of enrollment for graduate students. For exact drop/add dates and the first day of classes, please contact your academic program office for the specific term for which you plan to be enrolled. Courses added after these dates may not be used to change your enrollment status or increase your award amount(s).
Loans
All students awarded federal loans must be enrolled at least half-time. Half-time enrollment is defined as 6 credits per term for all undergraduate students. For graduate students and first professional students, your program of study defines half-time status.
Federal/State Grants and Scholarships
If you are an undergraduate student, and have been awarded a Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG) or Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG), you must enroll for at least 12 credits each term (9 credits for nursing students). Students who enroll less than full-time are not eligible to receive aid from these programs, and their awards will be canceled. Students (or parents of dependent students) also must provide adequate documentation that they have been legal Florida residents for 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of classes of the term for which assistance is given. For more information regarding Florida State Aid program requirements, visit www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org.
Awards for some state and institutional scholarship and grant programs (including the NSU Honor Award and Florida Bright Futures awards) are based upon the number of credit hours for which a student is enrolled. These awards may be adjusted or prorated for actual enrolled hours.
If you have received a Federal Pell Grant, the amount of the award is based on full-time enrollment. Enrollment for less than 12 credits in any term will reduce the award amount for that term. Pell Grants are generally available to students enrolled in less than 6 credits. If you receive a part-time Federal Pell Grant award during the first and second term, you may be eligible to receive the remaining portion of your grant in a subsequent term.
A Word of Caution
If you withdraw from all classes, drop below half-time enrollment, or drop out of school, your federal financial aid may be reduced or cancelled, and you may have to repay a portion of the aid you were awarded. For students who are no longer enrolled in or cease attending all classes, the amount of repayment is based on a formula established by the U.S. Department of Education entitled Return of Title IV Funds.
State financial aid will not be disbursed to your account unless you are enrolled as a full-time student at the end of the drop/add period. Exception: Florida Bright Future recipients must be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits at the end of the drop/add period. Florida Bright Future recipients who drop or withdraw from any class(es), will be required to return the Bright Futures awards for those classes as a condition for renewal in subsequent years. Students have until the end of the academic year to return these funds. However, students should be aware that a hold may be placed onto their student account until the outstanding balance has been paid in full. A Bursar hold will prevent a student from obtaining grades, accessing the university RecPlex, and registering for future classes.