Private nonprofit · University

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Large suburb

73.2%
Admit rate
$30,371
Avg net price
63%
Graduation rate
$59,209
Median earnings

Nova Southeastern University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (large suburb setting), enrolling 7,240 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Private nonprofitMidsize · 7,240 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 73% admitNCAA Division II without footballMild wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Nova Southeastern University's admitted students.

Admit rate
73.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
1030–1300
Avg GPA (est.)
3.34

Enter a test score to see where you land against Nova Southeastern University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Nova Southeastern University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, 30 miles (48 km) north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. Contact with Spanish explorers in the 16th century contributed to the decline of Native populations in South Florida through the introduction of Eurasian diseases, including smallpox, to which Indigenous communities had little immunity. Like many parts of Florida, the city's population has a strong seasonal variation, as "snowbirds" from the northern United States, Canada, and Europe spend the winter and spring in Florida. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
22 miles to Miami, FL
To the ocean
8 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood (FLL) · major hub

How Nova Southeastern University compares

Selectivity73.2%

More selective than 58% · #32 most selective of 49 in Florida

SAT average1157

Higher than 47%

Graduation rate63%

Higher than 66% · #22 of 62 in Florida

First-year retention76%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,209

Higher than 65% · #13 of 60 in Florida

Average net price$30,371

Cheaper than 15% · #47 cheapest of 62 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$24,250

Lower than 43%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment7,240

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare Nova Southeastern University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Florida.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

20,839students
  • Undergraduate7,24035%
  • Graduate13,59965%

Undergraduates by gender

7,240undergrads
  • Women5,40075%
  • Men1,84025%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White27%
  • Black15%
  • Hispanic33%
  • Asian12%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,240
Graduate enrollment
13,599
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$31,002
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$103,158
Endowment
$252,077,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
73.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1030–1300
SAT average
1157
SAT reading
530–650
SAT math
500–650
ACT composite
19–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.34

Cost

In-state tuition
$38,700
Room & board
$16,840
Books & supplies
$2,128
Total cost of attendance
$56,692
Average net price
$30,371

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
63%
Graduated on time (4 years)
55%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
28%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$58,153
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,209
Median debt at graduation
$24,250
Students with federal loans
45%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
40%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
55%
Low-income (Pell)
59%
First-generation
59%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,736
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$12,500
Meal plan (year)
$3,450
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
334 (130 men · 204 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)86
Soccer52
Swimming46
Baseball36
Basketball26
Rowing24
Golf19
Softball18
Volleyball18
Tennis9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
32
Property offenses (2022–2024)
20

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 11 campuses (20,910 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

17reported offenses a year
11 violent a year6.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
5.7
Rape
5.3
Fondling
3.3
Aggravated assault
1.7
Burglary
1.0
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$26,603
$30–48k
$27,048
$48–75k
$29,953
$75–110k
$34,277
$110k+
$35,443

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$125,586

$29,953/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$18,736
average award, among those who get one

Nova Southeastern University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,736. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,960 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$59,209
Typical debt at graduation
$24,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
71%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$58,149
Men
$62,482

Men out-earn women by $4,333 (7%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
58°F
Annual rain
68.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
50°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.05.010JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, FT Lauderdale, FL US station (3.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Nova Southeastern University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Nova Southeastern University side by side →

Colleges near Nova Southeastern University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.