About NSU Financial Aid

The Spring 2022 Dollar$ and $ense newsletter is now available, which includes information on summer financial aid for undergraduate students, Parent PLUS FAQs, scholarship deadlines, and more! For questions, email us at dollarsandsense@nova.edu. 

Students who are expecting a refund from their financial aid disbursement may submit an online emergency loan application.

Gold Circle Emergency Loan Application for Non-HPD Students: This application is available to non-Health Professions Division (HPD) students whose financial aid file is complete for the period in which the loan is being requested. The loan limit has been increased to $1,500, and the five percent processing fee has been waived due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  To view additional eligibility requirements and to access the online application, visit https://www.nova.edu/financialaid/forms/index.html and select the appropriate form from the drop down menu. Gold Circle Emergency applications will be reviewed no earlier than three weeks before the first day of classes for the semester/term the loan is being requested.

HPD Pre-Loan Application:  This application is only available to Health Professions Division (HPD) students whose financial aid file is complete for the period in which the loan is being requested. The loan limit is $2,000, and the processing fee has been waived due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  To view additional eligibility requirements and to access the online application, visit https://www.nova.edu/financialaid/forms/index.html and select the appropriate form from the drop down menu. HPD Pre-Loan applications will be reviewed no earlier than five weeks before the first day of classes for the semester/term the loan is being requested.

More than $3.6 Million in Grant Funding Awarded to NSU Students in Need

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NSU awarded a total of $3.6 million to students in need. NSU received and awarded all of the approximately $3.5 million from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund under the Federal CARES Act for emergency financial aid grants to students. In order to be considered eligible, students had to meet the following criteria:

• have incurred expenses as a direct result of a disruption in campus operations due to COVID-19; and
• be enrolled in the 2020 Winter semester/term; and
• be eligible to file a 2019-2020 FAFSA; and
• be enrolled in at least one ground-based (face-to-face) course on or before March 13, 2020 (date of President Trump’s Proclamation of a National Emergency for the COVID-19 outbreak).

On April 28, 2020, the university sent an email to the 19,527 students enrolled in the Winter 2020 semester/term announcing that the application for emergency relief was open. Students had the opportunity to apply for emergency relief through the Federal CARES Act or the NSU COVID-19 Student Support Fund from April 28, to May 31, 2020. The NSU COVID-19 Student Support Fund was established to supplement Federal CARES Act funding, as many NSU students did not meet the eligibility requirements for federal funding.  Financial aid grants of up to $3,000 each were awarded to a total 1,543 students under the Federal CARES Act. 

Through the university’s fundraising efforts, an additional 79 students were awarded funding totaling more than $36,817.53 from the NSU COVID-19 Student Support Fund.

Should the federal government pass new legislation for a second stimulus package including additional funding for emergency financial aid grants to students, NSU will give priority consideration to students who previously submitted an application for Federal CARES Act funding but could not be considered due to limited funding.

To view NSU’s federal reporting requirements for receipt of funds for emergency financial aid grants to students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, click here.

February 25, 2021

On December 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) was signed into law authorizing the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II). In total, the CRRSAA authorized $81.88 billion in support for education, in addition to the $30.75 billion that had been provided to colleges and universities through the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in the spring of 2020.  As a result, NSU has received additional federal funding to make financial aid grants available to students with exceptional need. 

Eligibility: Federal regulations stipulate that priority is to be given to students with demonstrated exceptional need. NSU will be distributing grants in the amount of $1,500 to students on a first come, first served basis who meet the following criteria:

• Student must be eligible for Title IV funds and enrolled in the winter/spring 2021 semester/term.

• Student must have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 based on submission of a 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

•  Priority will be given to those students who have not previously received emergency grant funding through the Federal CARES Act at NSU or who have received less than $1,500 in Federal CARES Act funding.

• The student must apply funding toward components of the cost of attendance budget which include tuition, student fees, books & supplies, room & board, transportation, personal, healthcare (including mental health), childcare, and/or toward emergency costs related to COVID-19.

• Student must submit an NSU Application for Emergency Grant Funding.

• IMPORTANT: Students with exceptional need ($0 EFC based on the 2020-21 FAFSA) enrolled in the winter/spring 2021 semester/term will be invited to apply for a grant in the amount of $1,500. Students may not forward or share the link with others as it is specific to them. Students must monitor their NSU email for additional information. 

• The application will be available to eligible students beginning March 1 through March 8, 2021.

• Funds will begin to be disbursed in mid-March.

• Students will be notified of the outcome of their application by NSU email.

 International students are ineligible for HEERF II Funding. 

Should the federal government pass new legislation for a third stimulus package, including additional funding for emergency financial aid grants to students, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will notify students accordingly.

To view NSU’s federal reporting requirements for receipt of funds for emergency financial aid grants to students under the HEERF II, click here.

August 17, 2021

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 appropriating approximately $39.6 billion in new funding for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). This appropriation represents the third stream of federal funding for higher education institutions and students in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Each of the three appropriations (the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act—CARES Act/ HEERF I; the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act—CRRSAA/HEERF II; and the American Rescue Plan Act—ARP/HEERF III) have differed in amounts and guidelines that regulate distribution of funds to students. HEERF III funds are to be distributed to students enrolled during the COVID-19 national emergency who have exceptional need. Students who have faced significant unexpected expenses either for themselves or that would affect their financial circumstances (such as the loss of employment, reduced income, or food or housing insecurity), regardless of whether they completed a FAFSA or are recipients of Title IV aid, may be eligible.  Furthermore, the Department of Education encourages institutions to prioritize domestic students, especially undergraduates, in allocating this funding.

Accordingly, NSU’s HEERF III process is outlined below:

For additional information, please refer to the HEERF III FAQ page. 

PRIORITY I:

Undergraduate students enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester with exceptional need demonstrated through a Pell-Grant eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC) are awarded $1,700 in financial aid emergency grant funding. Students in this group are awarded automatically and do not need to apply. However, students are asked to complete a form to indicate how they wish for their funds to be disbursed no later than 5 p.m. on September 27, 2021. Students who do not submit the form by this deadline will have their awards canceled. 

Student population: Undergraduate students with a Pell Grant-eligible EFC (2021-22 FAFSA)

Eligible EFC: $0 to $5,846

Application: Not required but must complete form indicating how funds are to be disbursed

Notification: Via NSU email

Award Amount: $1,700

PRIORITY II:  

Graduate and professional students enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester with exceptional need demonstrated through a $0 Expected Family Contribution (EFC) are awarded $1,000 in financial aid emergency grant funding. Students in this group are awarded automatically and do not need to apply. However, students are asked to complete a form to indicate how they wish for their funds to be disbursed no later than 5 p.m. on September 27, 2021. Students who do not submit the form by this deadline will have their awards canceled. 

Student population: Graduate and professional students with a $0 EFC (2021-22 FAFSA)

Eligible EFC: $0

Application: Not required but must complete form indicating how funds are to be disbursed

Notification: Via NSU email

Award Amount: $1,000 

PRIORITY III:

Undergraduate domestic students enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester who have faced significant unexpected expenses either for themselves or that would affect their financial circumstances (such as the loss of employment, reduced income, or food or housing insecurity), regardless of whether they completed a FAFSA or are eligible for Title IV aid, may be awarded up to $500 in financial aid emergency grant funding. As funding is limited, students must apply. Emergency financial aid grants will be awarded on a first-come, first served basis until funding has been depleted.

Student population: Undergraduate domestic students who have faced significant unexpected expenses due to COVID-19, regardless of EFC or FAFSA

Eligible EFC: any EFC; FAFSA not required

Application: Scheduled to be open from Monday, September 20, 2021, to Thursday, September 30, 2021. To allow students more time to apply, the application was reopened on October 14, 2021, and is scheduled to close November 19, 2021.

Notification: Via NSU Email

Award Amount: $500

Limited Funding, awarded on a first-come, first served basis.

To view NSU’s federal reporting requirements for receipt of funds for emergency financial aid grants to students under the HEERF III, click here.