Nova Southeastern University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It enrolls 7,240 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarTrimester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
58/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes55
Value18
Affordability36
Selectivity55
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 73.2%, Nova Southeastern University is moderately selective.
Acceptance Rate
73.2%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1030 – 1300
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
19 – 28
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Nova Southeastern University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Getting more selective ↓
7.4 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Nova Southeastern University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $30,371 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$30,371
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
36%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
45%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$38,700
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,840
Room & Board (off-campus)
$18,018
Books & Supplies
$2,128
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,520
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$7,912
Total Cost of Attendance
$56,692
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$26,603
$30,001 – $48,000
$27,048
$48,001 – $75,000
$29,953
$75,001 – $110,000
$34,277
Over $110,000
$35,443
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,75010%percentile
$8,25025%percentile
$24,250Medianpercentile
$31,25075%percentile
$42,81490%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $19,372
↓ $4,878
No Pell $12,498
↓ $11,752
Dependent students $14,750
↓ $9,500
Independent students $25,000
↑ $750
Female students $18,250
↓ $6,000
Male students $12,500
↓ $11,750
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,000, less than completers ($24,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
60% of full-time students who enrolled at Nova Southeastern University graduate within six years, and 76% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
60%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
76%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Nova Southeastern University earn a median of $59,209 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$59,209
Earning > $25K
78%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$50,800
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$68,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$49,500
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$58,000
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$64,900
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $18,000, about 26% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
13.7 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 67% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Nova Southeastern University is home to 7,240 students, a large student community. Some distinctive traits: 37% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
7,240
Part-Time
6%
First-Generation
37%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 32.6%2,357
White 27.3%1,973
Black 15.2%1,102
Asian 12.2%880
International 7.2%518
Other 3.2%233
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Nova Southeastern University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Large SuburbFort Lauderdale, Florida
Housing
Partly residential2,736 beds available
Adult Learners
8%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Trimesterscheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
What You Can Study
Nova Southeastern University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
142 distinct programs across
23 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Nova Southeastern University is 17:1, on the higher side.
Student : Faculty
17:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$1.1B
Strong financial cushion supports aid and stability
Avg Faculty Salary
$102,032
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
879 instructional faculty across 6 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
199
23%
$124,880
Associate Professors
243
28%
$98,589
Assistant Professors
388
44%
$80,846
Instructors
46
5%
$71,704
Lecturers
2
0%
$64,324
No Rank
1
0%
$38,250
Pros & Cons of Nova Southeastern University
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Nova Southeastern University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
Above-average net price
Class sizes are on the higher side
Modest first-year retention
Frequently Asked Questions about Nova Southeastern University
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Nova Southeastern University.
Is Nova Southeastern University hard to get into?
Admissions at Nova Southeastern University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 73.2%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Nova Southeastern University?
Nova Southeastern University has an acceptance rate of 73.2%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
What SAT score do you need for Nova Southeastern University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Nova Southeastern University scored between 1030 and 1300 on the SAT (Reading + Math combined). Scores at the higher end of that range improve admissions odds materially. Per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
What ACT score do you need for Nova Southeastern University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Nova Southeastern University scored between 19 and 28 on the ACT composite. Scores in the upper half of that range strengthen an application. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Nova Southeastern University cost?
The average net price after aid at Nova Southeastern University is $30,371 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Nova Southeastern University worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $59,209 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $30,371 per year. That's roughly 1.9x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Nova Southeastern University known for?
Nova Southeastern University is best known for its programs in Medicine, Counseling Psychology, Nursing. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Nova Southeastern University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Nova Southeastern University are $59,209, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Nova Southeastern University accredited?
Yes. Nova Southeastern University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Nova Southeastern University?
Nova Southeastern University enrolls 7,240 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Nova Southeastern University?
Nova Southeastern University graduates 60% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Nova Southeastern University a public or private college?
Nova Southeastern University is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Nova Southeastern University located?
Nova Southeastern University is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
What programs does Nova Southeastern University offer?
Nova Southeastern University offers 142 distinct programs. The most popular include Medicine, Counseling Psychology, Nursing.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Nova Southeastern University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Nova Southeastern University is 17:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Florida
Other colleges in Florida share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Ecology
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Zoology
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Rankings That Feature Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University appears in these rankings, built from the same federal data and the UCD Score.
Best Biology Colleges in Florida
The top Biology colleges in Florida, ranked by UCD Score on outcomes, value, and net price.
93 UCD Score
37 Colleges
$1,471 Lowest Net
$75,328 Top Earn
Best Computer Science Colleges in Florida
The top Computer Science colleges in Florida, ranked by UCD Score on outcomes, value, and net price.
89 UCD Score
20 Colleges
$9,364 Lowest Net
$84,131 Top Earn
Best Psychology Colleges in Florida
The top Psychology colleges in Florida, ranked by UCD Score on outcomes, value, and net price.
93 UCD Score
41 Colleges
$4,815 Lowest Net
$75,328 Top Earn
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
