About NSU Financial Aid

Welcome to NSU's Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA)! Here you will find everything you need to know about student financial aid, including how to apply, financial aid deadlines, and types of aid available to graduate and undergraduate students, including Florida student financial aid. Our office administers federal, state, and university financial aid programs such as grants, loans, scholarships, and veterans benefits. Please take a moment to explore our site!

Announcements

Winter Loan Refunds to be Processed Beginning January 4, 2021

If the total amount of your financial aid award for the winter semester exceeds the institutional charges on your NSU student account, you may receive a financial aid refund. NSU will begin processing student loan refunds (direct deposit or checks) for the Winter 2021 semester beginning January 4, 2021, as the university is closed December 24, 2020, through January 3, 2021.

To sign up for direct deposit, please access the Direct Deposit Authorization and follow the instructions for submission on the form. Direct Deposit forms received after December 18, 2020, may not be processed in time for December 28, 2020, disbursements.
Eligible students who have signed up for direct deposit, may expect their student loan refunds to become available in their bank account within 3 to 5 business days after January 4, 2021.
Eligible students who have not signed up for direct deposit should allow 5 to 10 business days after January 4 to receive their paper loan refund checks in the mail.
Refunds for undergraduate students with financial aid packages that include both loans and scholarships/grants, will be processed beginning January 11, 2020, since scholarships and grants do not disburse as early as loans.

Important: Refunds can only be processed for students who have an active and current mailing address on file. You may verify your address and make any necessary updates, by logging into SharkLink and clicking on “View My Profile” on the home page.

Visit our website for more information on financial aid refunds.

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Prepare to File the 2021-22 FAFSA Beginning October 1, 2020

Even though the 2020-21 academic year has just begun, it is not too early to plan for the 2021-22 financial aid year! The 2021-22 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available October 1, 2020, at studentaid.gov and in the myStudentAid app. The FAFSA determines your eligibility for grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs and is the essential first step in receiving financial aid from federal, state, and private sources. The Office of Student Financial Assistance encourages you to file your FAFSA as soon as it becomes available each year:

The sooner you apply, the better chance you have of receiving the maximum amount of funds.
Completing the FAFSA early will allow you to plan more efficiently.
Many scholarships require you to complete a FAFSA.

New Filer? Get a Head Start by Creating Your FSA ID

If you will be filing the FAFSA for the first time, you can get a head start by creating your FSA ID ahead of time. The FSA ID is a username and password combination that gives you access to Federal Student Aid's online systems. It can also serve as your legal signature. If you don’t have an FSA ID by the time you fill out your FAFSA, you will be prompted to apply for one, but it may take one to three days before you receive it. Get a head start on that process today by creating one here.

Returning Filer? Changes to the 2021-22 FAFSA include:

You will use your (your parents') 2019 federal tax return information.
Enhanced abilities of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to verify if a Schedule 1 was filed

Don't miss out by filing late! File as soon as possible at studentaid.gov.

NSU Federal School Code: 001509

Tips:

Have your FSA ID handy before you begin.
Use your legal name as it appears on your Social Security Card! Any deviation from that name will cause your FAFSA to be rejected.
Don't rush! Any type of mistake, even an innocent typo, will cause a delay in processing. Take advantage of the helpful tips and read questions, instructions, and definitions carefully.
Whenever possible, use the the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to automatically import information from the federal tax return into your FAFSA. That makes filing not only faster, but also more accurate.
You can also complete the FAFSA using the myStudentAid app, available on the App Store (iOS) or on Google Play (Android).

Fall 2020 Dollar$ and $ense Newsletter

The Fall 2020 edition of the Dollar$ and $ense

newsletter is now available!

Find important information on:

Important Deadlines
2021-22 FAFSA Available as of October 1
Federal Loan Payments Remain Suspended
Virtual Commencements
VA Chapter 33 Benefit Level Changes
and more...

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.

Emergency Loan Fund Applications Available

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://https://https://https://https://https://https://https://https://www.nova.edu/sbin/finaidforms 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://https://https://https://https://https://https://https://https://www.nova.edu/sbin/finaidforms 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.