Your Financial Aid Award

Your NSU Financial Aid Award lists all awards that you are currently eligible to receive.

Depending on your eligibility, your award may consist of various types of financial aid from multiple sources, including some aid that will have to be repaid with interest, such as loans, and some that doesn’t, such as scholarships and grants.

Things You Need to Know About Your Financial Aid Award

1. Read and understand the terms and conditions of your financial aid award each aid year!

It is important that you educate yourself on each source of funding, your associated obligations--such as repayment for loans, and meeting of Satisfactory Academic Progress for all federal and state aid programs--and renewal requirements.

All this important information is summarized in the Terms and Conditions of Your Financial Aid Award. The Terms and Conditions are updated on an annual basis, based on changes to financial aid programs, federal and state funding, and institutional guidelines.

Terms and Conditions of Your Financial Aid Award

2. You must accept, reduce, or decline your loan(s) and Federal Work-Study awards and fulfill all loan requirements before your financial aid can be credited to your student account.

Your award notice will provide you with detailed instructions on how to accept, reduce, or decline your award(s) in SharkLink.

3. Award amounts depend on your enrollment status.

Awards issued prior to your add/drop date for the semester are based on the cost of attendance for full-time enrollment status. This means that your awards may have to be adjusted for your actual enrollment, if you do not attend full time in degree-applicable coursework.

How many degree-applicable credits you need to be eligible for financial aid depends on the type of financial aid you are looking to receive. The grid below provides some general guidance, however, for more details, you should carefully review the Terms and Conditions of Your Financial Aid Award:

Financial Aid Type	Credits
Pell Grant	1 - 12 or more financial aid eligible credits*
Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grant	12 or more financial aid eligible credits (9 credits for nursing students)
Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG)	12 or more financial aid eligible credits (9 credits for nursing students)
Florida Bright Futures Award	6 or more financial aid eligible credits
NSU Dean's Scholarship (undergraduates only)	12 or more financial aid eligible credits
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)	1 or more financial aid eligible credit
TEACH Grant	1 - 12 or more financial aid eligible credits*
Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans	Half-time**
Direct PLUS Loans	Half-time**
Scholarships	Varies ~ Usually 12 or more financial aid eligible credits for undergraduates and 6 or more credits for graduates
Federal Work-Study	1 - 12 or more financial aid eligible credits

*The grant amount is prorated when you enroll less than full time.

** Half-time enrollment is defined as 6 credits per semester for all undergraduate students. For graduate and first professional students, half-time status varies by program.

4. If you received aid for classes you later drop or withdraw from, you may be required to return unearned funds.

If you completely withdraw from all financial aid-eligible courses within an academic semester for which you have received financial aid, you will be reviewed for a Return of Title IV Funds calculation.

As a general rule, it is always a good idea to consult your academic advisor and a financial aid counselor before you make adjustments to your schedule. Dropping a class may lead to the following unwelcome surprises:

Your grants and loans may be reduced or reversed.
You may fail to meet the renewal requirements for your scholarships.
You may fail to meet the requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and lose eligibility for federal and state aid.
You may end up with an outstanding balance on your student account.
If you are an international student, your immigration status may be affected.

For more information on your obligations under the Return of Title IV Funds policies, visit our Return of Title IV Funds page.

5. You must check your NSU email and financial aid account frequently

NSU email (SharkLink) and WebSTAR are the official means that the Office of Student Financial Assistance will use to communicate with you. We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to regularly check on your financial aid status and read emails sent to you from Enrollment and Student Services (ESS). You may receive notifications about outstanding requirements that are preventing your funds from being disbursed or about changes in your eligibility, university and/ or federal and state funding.