Quicklinks
The University Contact Center is available to answer financial aid, bursar, and registrar questions:
Telephone: (954) 262-3380 or 800-806-3680 Fax: (954) 262-3966
Hours of operation (E.T.):
Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday: Closed
You may also visit the One-Stop Shop in the Horvitz and Terry Administration Buildings on the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus during the office hours below or email at finaid@nova.edu.
Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
On holidays observed by NSU, Enrollment and Student Services will be closed.
If you are not attending classes on or near the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus, you may visit any of NSU's regional campuses.
ebilling is the official means of generating and delivering billing statements to all NSU students. NSU ebills are generated about the middle of every month. Access your student billing account through NSU eBill.
For questions regarding NSU eBill, visit our NSU eBill FAQs page.
NSU Payment Plans
Students and authorized users may also sign up for an NSU Payment Plan in NSU eBill, contingent on meeting eligibility requirements. Visit our Payment Plan webpage for more details.
Debt Management Tips
Maximize your future by minimizing your debt NSU boasts a low loan default rate of 2.5 percent (3-year cohort default rate for fiscal year 2017) which is well below the national average of 9.7 percent. NSU’s dedicated debt management staff assists students with understanding the long term implications of borrowing money and provides one on one and/or group counseling on strategic borrowing, loan repayment options, effective budgeting, and credit card smarts. For more information on services offered and helpful tips, visit Debt Management
Please read the following information carefully before accepting your financial aid award offer. Accepting the financial aid award offered signifies that you have read and agree to comply with all the terms and conditions listed below.
All awards depend on the availability, verification, and receipt of funds by NSU. If adjustments are made to the university’s federal or state allocations, the university reserves the right to adjust student awards accordingly.
To receive any federal Title IV or state financial aid (such as Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Direct Loans, and Effective Access to Student Education Grant), you must be enrolled for the minimum number of degree-applicable credits that are required for degree/certificate completion (degree-applicable) as published in the catalog from the semester when you first enrolled in your program. You may view your degree requirements, including requirements for your officially declared majors, minors, and/or concentrations, by running an online degree audit through Degree Works. To access Degree Works, log in to SharkLink.
Financial aid award offers are based on full-time enrollment in degree-applicable courses when issued prior to the start of classes or the end of the add/drop period, if your program has an add/drop period. This means that if you are not enrolled full-time in degree-applicable coursework by the start of classes or by the end of the add/drop period, you may not be eligible for the financial aid awarded to you, or you may only be eligible for a portion of the award. Please refer to the specific enrollment requirements listed for each source of financial aid in section D.
To remain eligible for your financial aid award offer, you must:
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to access your award offer and to accept, decline, or modify all or a portion of the financial aid offered to you:
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant To be eligible for TEACH Grant funds, you must be enrolled in a TEACH Grant-eligible program in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or you must plan to complete such coursework. You must also sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve in which you agree to (among other requirements) teach
Grants and scholarships generally do not need to be repaid. Provided you remain eligible, these funds will automatically be credited to your student account. You do not need to actively accept these funds in SharkLink. Students (or parents of dependent students) must provide adequate documentation that they have been legal Florida residents for 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of classes of the semester for which assistance is given. For detailed information on Florida aid programs and residency requirements, visit the Florida Department of Education's website.
If you are an undergraduate student and have been awarded an Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grant or a Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG), you must enroll for at least 12 degree-applicable credits each semester/term (9 credits for nursing students) by the end of the drop/add period for the first part of term for each semester/term. Students who enroll less than full-time in degree-applicable coursework are not eligible to receive aid from these programs, and their awards will be canceled.
To receive a Florida Bright Futures award, you must enroll in at least 6 degree-applicable credits each semester/term by the end of the drop/add period for the first part of term for each semester. At that time, award amounts will be adjusted based on actual enrollment. Students who drop or withdraw from any classes for which Florida Bright Futures funds were received, must return these funds. Until these funds are returned, students are ineligible to receive any additional Florida state financial aid funds. According to state legislation, students have until the end of the academic year to return unearned funds. However, students should be aware that they will not be able to register for future classes with an outstanding balance.
For a Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, the federal government will pay the interest while you are enrolled at least half-time in degree-applicable coursework, for the first six months after you leave school (referred to as a "grace period"), and while the loan is in deferment (a postponement of loan payments). For a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, you are responsible for paying the interest during all periods.
If you have been awarded a Federal Direct Loan, such as a Subsidized, Unsubsidized, or a PLUS loan, you must meet the following additional requirements for your loan funds to be credited to your student account:
If you are applying for a Direct PLUS for the first time as a graduate or first-professional student or a parent borrower, you will be required to complete and sign a PLUS MPN that is separate from the one used for Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans. Parents must sign an MPN for each child for whom they are borrowing.
*Graduate students are no longer eligible for subsidized loans. They may, however, have subsidized balances from borrowing prior to July 1, 2012.
Your financial aid award will be credited to your student account at the beginning of each semester/term, provided you have submitted all required information and meet all financial aid general eligibility criteria. Loans are scheduled to disburse seven days prior to the beginning of the semester/term. Institutional scholarships, federal grants, and state grants/scholarships are scheduled to disburse by the start of classes, or, if your program has an add/drop period, after that period.
In accordance with NSU's Student Enrollment Agreement (SEA) and payment policy, by registering for classes, students agree to pay in full all sums assessed by NSU. Institutional charges are due at the time of registration. These charges include tuition and fees, student health insurance premiums, and housing and meal plan charges, if applicable. You are encouraged to monitor your student account closely after you have registered before the beginning of each semester/term to ensure that you have met all financial obligations.
NSU Student Health Insurance: NSU students are required to maintain health insurance, and the cost for the NSU Student Health Insurance Plan is added to students' accounts upon registration. If you are insured under another health insurance plan, you must complete an online waiver to avoid being enrolled in, and charged for, NSU’s plan. Please visit the NSU Student Health Insurance webpage for more information on student health insurance, including access to the online waiver form and submission deadlines.
Check your student account regularly in SharkLink to monitor activity and to determine whether you may anticipate an outstanding balance or a financial aid refund after all financial aid funds have been disbursed.
Financial aid is intended to assist you in financing your education by supplementing your own resources. Many students and families use a combination of personal savings, scholarships, Florida Prepaid funds, part-time employment, PLUS Loans, and NSU payment plans to fund their education. Two of these options include the following:
The Office of Student Financial Assistance is eager to assist you in finding a solution that is right for you.
If the total amount of your award for the semester/term exceeds your tuition and institutional charges for the semester/term, you may receive a refund check or direct deposit for the excess funds from the Office of the University Bursar. To receive excess funds as a direct deposit to your checking account, enter your banking information via SharkLink. For detailed instructions, visit the direct deposit webpage. Please allow 10 business days for your refund to be issued. Students should plan to pay for living expenses and any other applicable expenses before excess funds are issued. If charges are incurred on your NSU account after a refund is issued, you are responsible for paying these charges.
Bookstore Advance Purchase Program (BAPP): If you have approved financial aid funds in excess of the charges on your student account, you may use these funds (up to a maximum of $1000) to purchase books and supplies from the NSU Bookstore prior to your scheduled disbursement date. For more information, visit nova.edu/bapp.
If your financial aid file is selected for verification, you must submit all required verification documents requested by the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Any discrepancy in the information you provide may cause your award amount(s) to change. You must submit all required documents no later than four weeks prior to the end of the enrollment period for the semester/term in which you are requesting aid. Failure to complete verification by this deadline may result in your ineligibility for aid or cancellation of aid previously offered. Visit our verification page for more information on the verification process.
The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) may use Professional Judgment (PJ) to take into account a student's special circumstances to make adjustments to his or her (or his or her parent's) Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for educational expenses, standard budget, and/or financial aid dependency status to increase a student's eligibility for certain types of aid. For more information on PJ, including instructions on how to submit a request, students should review the Professional Judgment Request Form.
Before repeating a course, be sure you understand all potential academic and financial aid implications. Repeated courses affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculations as they are counted as attempted credits. In addition, students may receive federal financial aid for a repeated course only once if the course was previously passed (credit has been earned). For more information, view the Repeat Course Policy for Financial Aid.
These Terms and Conditions are subject to change. They have been reviewed prior to the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year. However, due to changes in federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies, changes may occur. Minor updates to the Terms and Conditions will be promptly posted to this site. Should major changes occur, students will also be notified via NSU email.