Key Takeaways:
- Nova Southeastern University offers 158 programs across various disciplines, with 73 online options, emphasizing flexible learning.
- NSU’s student-faculty ratio is 17:1, and it supports over 20,000 students, enhancing personalized academic experiences.
- Financial aid is accessible to 86% of students, with an average package of $15,289, making education more affordable.
Dynamic NSU Degrees at Nine Florida Locations and Online
Nova Southeastern University appears in our ranking of MSN in Nursing Informatics Online: Top 30 Values
Named Forbes’ 333rd best private institution, Nova Southeastern University is a nonprofit, research-oriented ICUF member with a 17:1 student-faculty ratio to deliver 51 bachelor’s, 72 master’s, and 35 doctoral majors, including 73 online programs. For example, the B.S. Speech-Language and Communication Disorders builds a 120-credit online path to Florida SLP-A licensure under Dr. Wren Newman with 25 observation hours at the Audiology Clinic. Chaired by Dr. Bernhard Riegl, the B.S. Marine Biology follows a 120-credit, field-based Halmos College curriculum Guy Harvey Institute research, Save Our Seas projects, and the AAUS Scientific Diver Program.
Featured Programs
Online via Canvas, the M.S. College Student Affairs admits 36-credit cohorts advised by Dr. Shanti Bruce each Fall with eight-week courses like Mediation Theory, five-day Fort Lauderdale residencies twice yearly, and 130-hour practicum placements, such as Stetson University. Since 2008, the Ph.D. Pharmaceutical Sciences has shaped an intensive 98-credit program directed by Dr. Michelle Clark for Drug Development, Molecular Medicine, or Administrative Pharmacy tracks with dissertation research in the Hunter-Reay Lab.
Other Nova Southeastern degrees include the B.A. Theatre, B.S. Human Nutrition, B.S. Paralegal Studies, B.S. Recreational Therapy, B.S. Engineering, M.S. Education Law, M.B.A. Marketing, M.S.N. Informatics, M.Acc. Taxation, and Psy.D. Clinical Psychology.
About Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University originated on December 4, 1964, when The Oatmeal Club started the Nova University of Advanced Technology on Las Olas Blvd. for an inaugural class of 17. In 1968, Charles and Hamilton Forman moved Nova to its current 314-acre Davie campus on a former military airfield. In June 1970, President Alexander Schure partnered Nova with the New York Institute of Technology. Accredited in 1971, Nova University launched the first distance learning degrees in 1972. Two years later, the Shepard Broad College of Law was opened. In 1985, a $16 million donation from GEICO founder Leo Goodwin Sr. helped begin online studies. In 1994, it acquired the Southeastern University of the Health Sciences and adopted the NSU name. By 2014, the Hispanic-Serving Institution even added graduate programs on Puerto Rico.
Budgeting $570 million yearly, Nova Southeastern University now employs 805 full-time faculty inspiring 20,793 Sharks from 115 countries online and face-to-face with 100+ clubs like the Razor’s Edge Leadership Scholars. In 2017, Nova received the CASE Circle of Excellence Award for Innovative Alumni Program. In 2016, NSU won a Model Chapter Award from the Psi Chi Honor Society in Psychology. The Omicron Delta Kappa Chapter also accepted the 2017 Circle of Distinction Award. The U.S. News & World Report placed NSU 52nd for criminal justice, 93rd for nursing, and 166th for teaching degrees online. On Niche, Nova Southeastern boasts America’s 93rd best physical therapy program, 158th top dorms, and 168th safest campus. Diverse Issues in Higher Education named Nova #1 for Hispanic doctoral grads. The Economist also crowned NSU the 290th best value nationally.
Nova Southeastern University Accreditation Details
On December 12, 2017, Nova Southeastern University announced that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees voted to reaffirm the Level VI accreditation through 2027 under its sixth president, Dr. George L. Hanbury, who earned the South Florida Sun Sentinel Excalibur Award. Located 646 miles up Interstate 75 in Decatur, Georgia, this esteemed 11-state Gulf Coast Region accreditor is authorized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). Nova Southeastern also lists the following degree accreditations:
- American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation
- Commission on Dental Accreditation
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
- Liaison Committee on Medical Education
- Council on Academic Accreditation in Speech-Language Pathology
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
- Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
- Council on Education in Public Health
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
- Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
- Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
- National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
- International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
- Accreditation Review Commission for Physician Assistants
Nova Southeastern University Application Requirements
Getting into Nova Southeastern University is classified “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s since only 4,525 of the 7,779 Fall 2017 applicants were successful for 58 percent acceptance. First-year Sharks must conclude college-prep high school education or the GED certificate. Most achieve mostly As and Bs for a median 3.79 GPA. Admitted freshmen report mid-range ACT scores of 22-28. The middle 50th percentile had SAT composite marks of 1070-1290. Transfers with up to 90 credits from regionally accredited colleges have an average 3.11 GPA. Foreign learners filing I-20 forms must verify availability of funds at $46,000 and minimum 500 TOEFL scores. Graduate programs are reserved for bachelor’s holders with at least 2.5 GPAs. The M.S. Biomedical Sciences has eight prerequisite credits like Organic Chemistry and Physics. The M.S. Physician Assistant seeks GRE scores in the top 40th percentile. Online MBA entrants need a 450 GMAT score or better. The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine had a mean 505 MCAT mark.
Nova Southeastern University set freshman deadlines of November 1st for Early Action and February 12th for Regular Decision. Transfers abide priority dates of April 15th for Fall and October 15th for Spring entry. The Graduate School has varying deadlines at least four weeks before term starts. The M.S. Marine Science considers candidates until April 5th, July 19th, and November 15th. Doctor of Pharmacy cohorts must file before April 1st yearly. The College of Dental Medicine closes on September 1st. Accordingly, complete the NSU or Common Application online with a $50 fee. Official transcripts are sent via Naviance or to 3301 College Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314. Test scores are self-reported with SAT/GRE code 5514 or ACT code 6706. Program-specific materials include the 1-3 recommendations, school report, teaching certificate verification, RN license copy, experience résumé, personal essay, and art portfolio. Learn more by contacting (800) 338-4723 or admissions@nova.edu.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, Nova Southeastern University charged full-time undergrads $14,970 per term or $29,940 annually. Traditional part-time study incurred $998 per credit. Online eArmy courses cost $590 per credit. Bachelor’s students paid the $450 services fee each semester. Health insurance premiums were $1,329 by term. Living at the Fort Lauderdale campus’ dorms like Leo Goodwin Sr. Hall added $8,470 to $11,500 each year. NSU budgeted $250 per course for textbooks. Annual undergrad attendance equaled about $50,597 on-site and $40,441 at home. The Abraham Fischler College of Education had M.S. tuition of $995 per credit. The College of Engineering & Computing billed $820 per master’s and $1,150 per doctoral credit. Online M.S. Counseling cohorts spent $750 per credit. The D.M.D. Program was priced $64,106 yearly.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the One-Stop Shop in the Horvitz Administration Building links 86 percent of full-time NSU Sharks to financial aid averaging $15,289 each for $56.71 million combined. University funds include the Burkhardt Scholarship, McCahill Scholarship, Falcone Group Scholarship, Clarence Pohlman Scholarship, Changing Lives Scholarship, Horvitz Presidential Scholarship, Janice Goldstein Scholarship, Marc & Catherine Crocquet STEM Scholarship, Geri Malloy Maliner Scholarship, Stolzenberg-Doan Scholarship, and Zachariah Family Scholarship. The Edward Lieblein Memorial Scholarship gifts $2,000 to federal government employees earning graduate degrees with GPAs above 3.0. The $18,000 Huizenga Business Innovation Academy Scholarship supports B.S. and M.B.A. Entrepreneurship majors. Filing FAFSA forms coded 001509 by April 15th unlocks federal assistance, including low-interest loans. The William L. Boyd Effective Access to Student Education Program also helps Floridians at private schools like Nova.
Search through 150+ programs across 18 accredited colleges ranked 347th by Times Higher Education at the Nova Southeastern University website.