You Need to Know

  1. You must reapply for federal student aid every year, the FAFSA is available to fill out every year on January 1st.
  2. You will not be awarded until all documentation we send to you has been completed and returned to our office. (It generally takes 2 - 4 weeks for a student to be awarded once their file is complete, during the busier times of the school year it may take up to 6 weeks to receive an award letter.)
  3. First time loan borrowers must complete their online promissory note and entrance counseling before their loan will be disbursed to the school.
  4. Graduate students must be enrolled in at least 5 graduate hours during any period of enrollment to receive financial aid.
  5. Any outside aid/resources that a student may receive, scholarships, tuition waivers etc. may affect the amount you received through the Federal Student Aid Programs.
  6. Federal Student Aid ceases when a undergraduate student reaches 186 attempted hours towards their first bachelor’s degree, and/or when a graduate student reaches 48 attempted hours towards their Master’s degree.
  7. If you do not fit into one of the following 8 categories you will always have to use your parent’s information on the FAFSA.

    1. 24 years of age or older
    2. Married
    3. Have dependants of your own, whom you provide more than half of their support.
    4. Have been released from active duty by the military with an honorable discharge.
    5. At any time after the age of 13 either both of your biological parents were deceased, you were in foster care, or you were a dependent or a ward of the court.
    6. You are or were an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence.
    7. You are or were in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence.
    8. At any time after July 1 2008, you were determined to be homeless by your school district homeless liaison, the director of an emergency shelter, or the director of a runaway or homeless center.

  8. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the financial aid office of any change of address.
  9. Under NSU’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy, financial aid recipients must meet two requirements to remain eligible for financial aid.They are:

    1. An hourly completion requirement based on your award status, i.e. full time, three-quarter time, or half-time.

    2. A GPA requirement. If you fail to meet both requirements you may put your future financial aid eligibility in jeopardy. We highly recommend you read the full Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.
  10. It is very important that you check your NSU email accounts regularly, to avoid missing important information, updates and reminders. The Office of Student Financial Services sends most of their correspondence via email.
  11. Federal regulations state that a students Pell award amount is locked in at the time of disbursement and therefore cannot be updated after that date.