2024-2025 University Catalog

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.