Skip to content

Nova Southeastern scholarships and merit aid

The short answer

Nova Southeastern may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
3 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

Step 1 of comparing your list

Check the rules that could cut this.

Check Nova Southeastern free in 30 seconds. Then see how it ranks against the rest of your list.

Checking merit aid at Nova Southeastern

We’ll email you this result and a few short merit-aid pointers. We store score ranges only, never your student’s name. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.

The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. NSU Freshman Dean's Award (Dean's Scholarship)Up to $22,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    NSU Freshman Dean's Award (Dean's Scholarship)

    Up to $22,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for NSU Freshman Dean's Award (Dean's Scholarship)

    Who qualifies

    Offered to first-time college students; award amounts vary; criteria not published on this page

    Worth knowing

    Page publishes no GPA/test grid for the Dean's award — amounts 'vary'.

  2. NSU Dean's Transfer Award (Dean's Scholarship)Up to $20,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    NSU Dean's Transfer Award (Dean's Scholarship)

    Up to $20,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for NSU Dean's Transfer Award (Dean's Scholarship)

    Who qualifies

    Offered to transfer students; award amounts vary; criteria not published on this page

  3. Provost AwardUp to $1,000-$2,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Provost Award

    Up to $1,000-$2,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    SAT
    1200+ for up to $1,000; 1400+ for up to $2,000
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Provost Award

    Who qualifies

    First-time college and transfer students meeting the testing requirements

    Worth knowing

    Page says it is 'offered to' students who meet the SAT thresholds but does not state the award is automatic or whether it renews — ask the aid office.

  4. President's Scholarship (Presidential Scholars)Up to Full tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    President's Scholarship (Presidential Scholars)

    Up to Full tuition

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for President's Scholarship (Presidential Scholars)

    Who qualifies

    Invitation to interview at Shark Preview; Presidential Scholars Premier Program application; NSU State-Aid application (if in-state) and FAFSA prior to April 15

    How to keep it

    Renewable for four years of full-time undergraduate enrollment or degree completion, whichever comes first.

    Worth knowing

    Covers up to full TUITION — not full cost of attendance.

  5. Shark Success Award$2,000Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Shark Success Award

    $2,000

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    Open award details for Shark Success Award

    Who qualifies

    Attend and interview during an in-person Shark Preview (Premier Programs)

  6. Florida Bright Futures Scholarship (state award used at NSU)$212 per credit (Florida Academic Scholars) / $159 per credit (Florida Medallion Scholars)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Florida Bright Futures Scholarship (state award used at NSU)

    $212 per credit (Florida Academic Scholars) / $159 per credit (Florida Medallion Scholars)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Florida Bright Futures Scholarship (state award used at NSU)

    Who qualifies

    Florida high school graduates with high academic achievement; must submit the Florida Financial Aid Application during the last year of high school (after December 1, prior to graduation) and the NSU State Aid Application

    How to keep it

    Earn at least 24 credits per year; maintain 3.0 cumulative GPA (Academic Scholars) or 2.75 (Medallion); Academic Scholars with 2.75-2.99 renew as Medallion Scholars.

    Worth knowing

    Per-credit rates shown are the Florida DOE 2025-2026 rates (year mismatch with 2026-27 target — flagged in Section C).

  7. Benacquisto Scholarship (state award used at NSU)Cost of attendance minus (Bright Futures + National Merit award)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Benacquisto Scholarship (state award used at NSU)

    Cost of attendance minus (Bright Futures + National Merit award)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Benacquisto Scholarship (state award used at NSU)

    Who qualifies

    National Merit Finalist who received a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship or Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship; Florida resident; enroll full time in fall term after high school graduation; NSU State Aid Application

    How to keep it

    Renewed automatically if student earns a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA AND earns all credits registered at the end of drop/add; if renewal requirements are not met, the award is lost and cannot be restored.

    Worth knowing

    Formula on page: Florida Incentive Scholarship Award = COA – (BF+NM). Max 10 semesters; not available for summer coursework.

This page covers one school.

Your playbook does this for every school on your list, sorted by what you’d pay.

Ready in under 10 minutes. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Get my playbook$79
  • Secure payment through Stripe
  • “it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa

The fine print

Renewal rulePresident's Scholarship (Presidential Scholars): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Renewable for four years of full-time undergraduate enrollment or degree completion, whichever comes first. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What makes Nova Southeastern different

DRAFT: NSU pairs an invitation-only full-tuition Presidential Scholars program with a large 'up to $22,000' Dean's Scholarship and a set of small 'stackable' Premier Program awards, while hosting Florida's Bright Futures and Benacquisto state merit programs.

Merit tiers7See who qualifies
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Nova Southeastern's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. The page says it 'covers up to full tuition' — tuition only, not housing, food, fees, books, or insurance. NSU's 2026-27 budget lists ~$17,668 on-campus housing & food plus other costs on top of the $40,500 tuition.

  2. The scholarship 'requires the completion of the NSU State-Aid application (if in-state student) and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to April 15.'

  3. NSU publishes only 'Up to $22,000' (freshman) / 'Up to $20,000' (transfer) and says 'Awards amounts vary' — there is no public stat grid, so your actual offer can be far below the maximum.

  4. It is a COA-cap formula: 'an annual award equal to the institutional cost of attendance (COA), minus the sum of the Bright Futures (BF) award and National Merit/Achievement Award® (NM)' — those awards are subtracted, not stacked.

  5. Renewal requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA AND earning every registered credit; 'If the renewal requirements are not met, the award will be lost and cannot be restored.' One bad drop can permanently end the award.

  6. Students must repay Bright Futures funds for dropped/withdrawn classes, and 'NSU President's Scholarship funds may not be applied toward the repayment of these funds once the add/drop period has passed.' Unrepaid funds end renewal eligibility for all state aid.

  7. NSU's page notes that beginning with the 2026-27 aid year a student may 'Not receive grant or scholarship aid from non-federal sources in an amount that equals or exceeds the student's cost of attendance' and remain Pell-eligible.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

DRAFT: Strong students willing to interview on campus (Shark Preview) can chase the full-tuition Presidential Scholars award; Florida residents add Bright Futures/EASE on top; high-SAT students pick up the small Provost Award.

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Nova Southeastern, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Nova Southeastern, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$26,603
$30,001–$48,000$27,048
$48,001–$75,000$29,953
$75,001–$110,000$34,277
$110,001+$35,443
All income levels (average)$30,371

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$56,692
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$38,700
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$30,371

That works out to an average 46% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
63%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
76%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$24,250 (~$257/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$59,209
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
39%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
46%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Institutional awards are reduced only when total tuition-designated awards, institutional or external, exceed tuition charges; NSU reduces its own award by the excess above that tuition cap, which is narrower than full cost of attendance.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): If tuition awards in excess of tuition charges are received—either from institutional or external sources—the university will reduce institutional award(s) accordingly.

Source

Other Nova Southeastern scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$1,000 per year (stackable)EligibilityAcceptance into the Razor's Edge four-year Premier Program (supplemental application + on-campus Shark Preview interview)

Verbatim: 'An annual $1,000 stackable scholarship is awarded to Hochberg-Miniaci Razor's Edge Scholars.'

Source

Amount$2,000 per year (stackable)EligibilityAcceptance into H.B.I.A. (bachelor's + M.B.A. in four years); supplemental application + Shark Preview interview

Verbatim: 'An annual $2,000 stackable scholarship is awarded to H.B.I.A. students.'

Source

Amount$2,000 per year (stackable)EligibilityAcceptance into NSU Dual Admission (reserved seat in a graduate/professional school)

Verbatim: 'An annual $2,000 stackable scholarship is awarded to Dual Admission students.'

Source

Amount$3,350 for 2025-26 ($1,750 fall, $1,600 winter)EligibilityFlorida resident undergraduates at this private institution; non-need based; full-time enrollment; NSU State Aid Application; 2.0 GPA renewal

State grant, amount set by legislative allocation and subject to change; EASE Plus Stipend adds $850/year for certain majors (Allied Health, Cyber Security, Digital Arts, Nursing, Teaching).

Source

Nova Southeastern merit aid FAQ

  • What deadlines matter for NSU merit aid?

    The President's Scholarship requires the NSU State-Aid application (in-state students) and FAFSA 'prior to April 15.' The FSEOG priority FAFSA deadline is March 15. Florida Bright Futures applicants must file the Florida Financial Aid Application during their last year of high school (after December 1 and prior to graduation) or forfeit all future eligibility. Exact calendar years are not printed on the pages — confirm with the aid office.

  • Is the President's Scholarship a full ride?

    No. It 'covers up to full tuition and is renewable for four years of full-time undergraduate enrollment or degree completion, whichever comes first.' Housing, food, fees, books, and insurance are not covered.

  • Do NSU's Premier Program scholarships stack with other awards?

    NSU describes the Razor's Edge ($1,000), Huizenga Business Innovation Academy ($2,000), and Dual Admission ($2,000) annual scholarships as 'stackable.' How they interact with the Dean's or President's scholarships specifically is not spelled out — ask the aid office.

  • What does Bright Futures pay at NSU?

    Per the NSU page, the Florida DOE 2025-2026 rates are $212/credit (Florida Academic Scholars) and $159/credit (Florida Medallion Scholars). 2026-27 rates were not posted on the page at retrieval.

See sources and other schools

How Nova Southeastern compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Nova Southeastern is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Nova Southeastern is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Nova Southeastern’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Nova Southeastern merit aid

The next chapter

Where does Nova Southeastern fit in your plan?

You have the school’s rules. Now put them in the context of your student and the rest of your list.

  1. Check your student’s numbers, free
  2. Explore another school
  3. See how the research becomes a plan

Ready to work through your whole list? Get my playbook

Inside the sample

Jordan’s playbook

Same student.
Four schools.
Four very different bills.

An illustrative student profile, with a school order, scholarship research and a to-do list. Open the sample to see how it works.

Open the sample playbook