The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA)

Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA)

When it comes to financing your student’s NSU education, you are not alone. The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) offers need-based and merit-based financial assistance through state, federal, and institutional aid including grants, scholarships, student employment, and loans to new and continuing students.

For detailed information on applying for financial aid and sources of aid, visit the Financial Aid web site.

Please note that OSFA’s official means of communication with students is via NSU’s interactive online portal, WebSTAR, and NSU (SharkLink) email. Encourage your student to check his or her NSU email account and WebSTAR account frequently for important financial aid updates and messages.

Reshape Your Relationship to Stay Involved

Sending your son or daughter off to college may be the hardest transition that you and your student will ever make. Now is the time to reshape your parent-child relationship into a parent-young adult relationship and to assist your teen in making responsible financial decisions. The OSFA provides students and their families with information and counseling services on budgeting, strategies on stretching dollars, and maintaining good credit.

More information on debt management is available.

The University Call Center, (800) 806-3680, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to answer any financial aid, payment, or student account questions.

However, in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the university is not permitted to release any confidential information to you in person or over the phone without your student’s written consent.

To stay involved, encourage your student to:

• Complete an Authorization for Release of Information Form.
  This allows your student to grant you access to academic, financial aid, student account, disability-related, and disciplinary-related information.
  It is available on the Registrar’s web site.
• Sign you on as an authorized user for your student’s NSU eBill account.
  Electronic bills are sent the middle of each month via email to the student’s NSU email address. Your student can authorize you to receive NSU eBill notifications via email by signing you on as an authorized user. This will allow you to view account details and make payments.

Payment Information

The Office of the University Bursar is responsible for billing students, collecting payments, setting up payment and deferment plans, issuing refunds from excess financial aid funds, and verifying students’ eligibility for a student loan.

Please be aware of the following policies:

• If a student owes a balance 30 days after the start of the semester, a hold and a $100 late fee will be placed on the account. This hold prevents future registrations, the viewing of grades, the receipt of transcripts, and access to the gym at the University Center.
• If a balance exists after 90 days, the account will be placed in collections.

Method of Payment

NSU accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express as well as payments made by traveler’s checks, cashier’s checks, personal checks, money orders, and wire transfer.  International checks must be in U.S. funds only and drawn on a U.S. bank.  For more information, visit our web site.

Payment Plans

Payment for tuition, fees, and other NSU charges are due in full at the time of registration. However, the NSU Office of the University Bursar offers a variety of payment plan options to assist students and their families in paying the balance. For information on 3-month and 10-month payment plans, visit the Bursar (payments) web page.

Florida Prepaid College Plan

NSU accepts and bills the Florida Prepaid College Plan for tuition, fees, and on-campus housing costs. However, the plans are based on the tuition rates of the tax-assisted Florida public colleges and universities. The difference between NSU tuition, fees, and on-campus housing costs and the allocations through the Florida Prepaid College Plan is the sole responsibility of the student. If a student is on the unrestricted plan, the student must designate a dollar amount up to the cost of tuition and fees.

Students new to NSU must contact:
Florida Prepaid at (800) 552-GRAD to authorize payments to NSU.

Additionally, each semester, the student must submit a copy of the front and back of the ID card with a signed statement indicating the number of credits or the amount to be invoiced.

Learn more about the Florida Prepaid College Plan.

Book Advance Purchase Program (BAPP)

The Book Advance Purchase Program (BAPP) allows financial aid recipients to use approved financial aid funds in excess of the charges on their student account to purchase books and supplies from the NSU Bookstore before their scheduled disbursement date. For more information and for your student to sign up for BAPP.

NSU offers significant scholarships each academic year. Visit our Scholarship Opportunities  web page.