Financial Aid Enrollment Status Definitions Policy
Purpose
To define full-time, three-quarter-time, half-time or less than half-time enrollment for students at each academic level in which they are enrolled. Enrollment status for a term is required to determine financial aid eligibility and for reporting enrollment status to the National Student Clearinghouse and National Student Loan Data System.
Scope
The scope of this policy applies to all students in all programs including degree, certificate, and non-degree.
Policy
Enrollment status at Northwestern Health Sciences University is defined as either full-time, three quarter-time, half-time or less than half-time. A student’s enrollment status is based on the number of credit hours in which the student is enrolled for a term, excluding all courses dropped without penalty grades.
Effective: September 4, 2024
Procedure
Definitions:
Financial Aid enrollment status
Financial aid definitions require classification of Undergraduate students as full-time at 12 credits but allow school-specific definitions for Graduate level students. Those definitions determine financial aid eligibility.
Graduate certificate-seeking and non-degree student enrollment status
Full-time Greater than or equal to 6 credits
Three-quarter time 4.50 to 5.99 credits
Half-time 3.00 to 4.49 credits
Less than half-time Fewer than 3.00 credits
Graduate degree-seeking student enrollment status
Full-time Greater than or equal to 9 credits
Three-quarter time 6.75 to 8.99 credits
Half-time 4.50 to 6.74 credits
Less than half-time Fewer than 4.50 credits
Undergraduate student including degree, certificate, and non-degree student enrollment status
Full-time Greater than or equal to 12 credits
Three-quarter time 9.00 to 11.99 credits
Half-time 6.00 to 8.99 credits
Less than half-time Fewer than 6.00 credits
IPEDS enrollment reporting exception
Federal IPEDS and related state enrollment reporting follow IPEDS definitions in which Undergraduate level students are full-time at 12 credits and Graduate level students are full-time at 9 credits. That determination of enrollment status is not addressed in this policy.