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CONSUMER INFORMATION

Consumer information is provided by Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center in compliance with Standard 509 of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

• Admissions Data
• Tuition, Fees & Living Costs
• Financial Aid, Scholarships & Refunds
• Enrollment Data
• Faculty & Administration
• Curricular Offerings
• Academic Calendar
• Academic Requirements
• Transfer of Credit Policies
• Library Resources
• Facilities
• Employment Outcomes
• Bar Passage Data

ADMISSIONS DATA

Fall 2012 Entering Class

STUDENTS	Full Time	Part Time	Total
Applications	1719	325	2044
Offers	933	100	1033
Enrolled	315	54	369

 

  

LSAT and GPA	75th Percentile	Median	25th Percentile
LSAT	153	150	147
GPA	3.39	3.13	2.93

 

Range of LSAT scores: 139-165
Range of Undergraduate GPA: 2.00-4.00

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TUITION, FEES AND LIVING COSTS

Full Time Day Division, Fall & Winter 2012-2013

COST OF ATTENDANCE	Living With Parents	Living On-Campus	Living Off-Campus
Tuition	$33,730	$33,730	$33,730
Student Fees	754	754	754
Room & Board	3,060	14,938	17,028
Books & Supplies	2,356	2,356	2,356
Transportation	4,302	1,692	4,302
Personal	2,808	2,808	2,808
TOTAL	$47,010	$56,278	$60,978

 

Part Time Evening Division, Fall & Winter 2012-2013

COST OF ATTENDANCE	Living With Parents	Living On-Campus	Living Off-Campus
Tuition	$25,295	$25,295	$25,295
Student Fees	754	754	754
Room & Board	3,060	14,938	17,028
Books & Supplies	2,356	2,356	2,356
Transportation	4,302	1,692	4,302
Personal	2,808	2,808	2,808
TOTAL	$38,575	$47,843	$52,543

 

Both Divisions, Summer 2012

COST OF ATTENDANCE	Living With Parents	Living On-Campus	Living Off-Campus
Tuition	$8,490	$8,490	$8,490
Student Fees	377	377	377
Room & Board	680	3,359	3,784
Books & Supplies	600	600	600
Transportation	956	376	956
Personal	624	624	624
TOTAL	$11,727	$13,826	$14,831

 

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FINANCIAL AID, SCHOLARSHIPS AND REFUNDS

Financial Aid

Except for merit scholarships, financial aid is in the form of student loans. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the sole application used. US citizens and eligible non-citizens may apply. Need is defined as the cost of attendance, less student contribution as calculated by FAFSA, less merit scholarship. Need is then met in a financial aid package consisting of Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans and student's option of either GradPLUS or alternative loans.

Scholarships

Merit scholarships are awarded to 1) full-time entering first-year students based on their LSAT score and then undergraduate GPA and 2) second-year students, full-time and part-time, who achieved cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude at the end of the first year at NSU Law Center. Cum laude starts at 3.20 GPA, magna cum laude starts at 3.40 GPA, and summa cum laude starts at 3.60 GPA.

Year of Matriculation	#Entering with Conditional Scholarship Award	# Whose Conditional Scholarship Has Since Been Reduced or Eliminated
		Reduced	Eliminated	Total
2012	120
2011	41	4	15	19
2010	59	1	17	18

 

Refunds

If a returning student withdraws from all classes after classes have begun, but before drop/add has ended, tuition is refunded. If a student withdraws from all classes after drop/add has ended, tuition will be refunded according to the following schedule:

• 1. Withdrawal within 5 business days from the end of drop/add, 25% of tuition is retained by the Law Center.
• 2. Withdrawal within 10 business days from the end of drop/add, 50% of tuition is retained by the Law Center.
• 3. Withdrawal within 15 business days from the end of drop/add, 75% of tuition is retained by the Law Center.
• 4. Withdrawal on or after 15 business days from the end of drop/add, 100% of tuition is retained by the Law Center.

For Intensive Trial Advocacy, all portions of the tuition for this special class are nonrefundable. For International Programs, contact International Programs for exact policy.

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ENROLLMENT DATA

	JD, 1st Year	JD, 2nd year	JD, 3rd Year	JD, 4th Year	Total
Full Time	325	245	259	0	829
Part Time	60	49	39	52	200
Total	385	294	298	52	1029

Non-JD Enrollment: 116

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FACULTY & ADMINISTRATION

Full Time Faculty: 60
Part Time Faculty: 130
Administrators:16

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CURRICULAR OFFERINGS

Course Title	Course #	Credits
Administrative Law	LAW0695	3
Admiralty	LAW0800	3
Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic	LAW1036	8
Advanced Criminal Law: Federal Crimes	LAW0776	2
Advanced Legal Analysis Lab	LAW1013	0
Ad vanced Legal Analysis Workshop	LAW1014	0
Advanced Legal Research Techniques	LAW0677	2
Advanced Legal Research: Special Topics	LAW002X	1
Advanced Professional Responsibility Workshop	LAW0697	2
Advanced Trial Advocacy	LAW0893	3
Agency	LAW0920	2
American Legal History Seminar	LAW0794	2
Animal Law	LAW0526	2
Animal Law Legislation Seminar	LAW0795	2
Antitrust Law	LAW1019	3
Appellate Practice Workshop	LAW0874	2
Art Law Seminar	LAW0643	2
Banking Law	LAW0781	3
Bankruptcy Law	LAW0783	3
Bankruptcy Workshop	LAW0601	2
Bioethics Seminar	LAW0897	2
Business Entities	LAW0516	4
Business Planning Workshop	LAW0807	3
Business Practice Clinic Full Time	LAW0947	12
Business Practice Clinic Part Time	LAW0948	6
Caribbean Law Seminar	LAW4674	2
Charitable Organizations Workshop	LAW1051	2
Children and Families Clinic Fall or Winter	LAW005X	12
Children and Families Clinic Winter Part Time	LAW006X	6
Civil Pre-Trial Practice	LAW0517	4
Civil Procedure	LAW0652	4
Civil Rights Litigation Seminar	LAW0615	2
Civil Rights Practice Workshop	LAW4673	2
Collaborative Family Law Workshop	LAW2005	2
Comparative Corporate Governance Seminar	LAW1060	2
Condominium Law	LAW0866	3
Conflict of Laws	LAW0693	3
Constitutional Decision Making	LAW0797	2
Constitutional Law I	LAW0625	4
Constitutional Law II	LAW0629	2
Construction Law	LAW0919	2
Consumer Protection	LAW0504	3
Contracts	LAW0612	4
Copyrights and Trademarks	LAW0816	3
Corporate Finance	LAW1047	3
Corporate Tax	LAW0769	3
Corporate Workshop	LAW0748	2
Criminal Justice Clinic Fall or Winter	LAW0933	12
Criminal Law	LAW0670	4
Criminal Pre-Trial Practice	LAW0711	2
Criminal Procedure	LAW0645	3
Current Constitutional Issues Seminar	LAW0796	2
Current Supreme Court Cases Workshop	LAW0509	2
Defamation, Privacy and Publicity	LAW0642	3
Dependency Workshop	LAW2001	2
Domestic Violence Workshop	LAW0694	2
Education Law Seminar: Higher Education	LAW0923	2
Education Law Seminar: K-12	LAW0901	2
Elder Law Seminar	LAW0737	2
Electoral Process	LAW0602	2
Elements of Legal Analysis I	LAW1088	0
Elements of Legal Analysis II	LAW1089	0
Eminent Domain	LAW1075	3
Employee Benefits Law Workshop	LAW1053	2
Employment Discrimination	LAW0633	3
Employment Law	LAW0632	3
Energy Law	LAW4676	2
Entertainment Law	LAW1048	2
Environmental Enforcement Seminar	LAW0780	2
Environmental and Land Use Clinic Fall or Winter	LAW008X	12
Environmental Law	LAW0771	2
Estate and Gift Tax	LAW0715	3
Estate Planning Workshop	LAW0725	3
Evidence	LAW0614	4
Family Law	LAW0635	3
Family Law Litigation Workshop	LAW0686	3
Federal Jurisdiction	LAW0685	3
Florida Law Certificate Program	LAW1100	0
Florida Bar Auxiliary Program	LAW1200	0
Florida Constitutional Law	LAW0775	3
Florida Land Development Workshop	LAW1016	2
Gambling Law	LAW0525	2
Goodwin Seminar	LAW1078	2
Health Care Organizations, Regulations and Access	LAW0997	3
Health Law Workshop	LAW1044	3
Immigration, Nationality and Refugee Law	LAW0726	2
Income Tax	LAW0701	3
Insurance	LAW0830	3
International Business Transactions	LAW0837	3
International Law	LAW0840	3
International Law Seminar	LAW0843	2
International Litigation	LAW0842	3
International Practice Clinic Full Time	LAW0980	12
International Practice Clinic Part Time	LAW0981	8
International Protection of Human Rights	LAW0722	3
International Regulation of Trade	LAW0514	2
International Sales and Arbitration	LAW0833	3
Interviewing and Counseling	LAW1062	2
Introduction to European Union Law	LAW1071	2
Introduction to Spanish Law	LAW0513	1
Introduction to the Fourth Amendment	LAW0020	0
Jewish Law Seminar	LAW1074	2
Jurisprudence Seminar	LAW0735	2
Juvenile Law	LAW0506	3
Labor Law	LAW0750	3
Landlord Tenant Workshop	LAW1070	2
Law and Psychiatry	LAW0894	3
Law and Literature Seminar	LAW0718	2
Law and Medicine Seminar	LAW0895	2
Law of E-commerce	LAW0500	3
Law Office Management Workshop	LAW0651	2
Lawyering Skills and Values I	LAW0753	3
Lawyering Skills and Values II	LAW0754	3
Lawyers as Advocates: Rhetoric, Modes of Persuasion and Public Policy Campaigns	LAW1000	2
Legal Drafting Workshop	LAW0752	2
Legal Study Skills I	LAW0523	0
Legal Study Skills II	LAW0527	0
Legislation Seminar	LAW0859	2
Mediation Workshop	LAW0522	2
Medical Malpractice	LAW0873	2
Negotiating Workshop	LAW0672	2
Nonprofit Organizations	LAW0679	3
Ocean and Coastal Law	LAW0503	2
Patents	LAW0815	2
Personal Injury Litigation Clinic	LAW0985	12
Post-Conviction Relief Workshop	LAW1001	2
Probate Law Workshop	LAW0713	2
Products Liability	LAW0820	3
Professional Responsibility	LAW0649	3
Property	LAW0653	4
Real Estate Transactions	LAW0865	3
Real Property Closing Workshop	LAW0751	3
Real Property Complex Transactions Workshop	LAW1151	2
Remedies	LAW0755	3
Securities Regulation	LAW0850	3
Selected Topics in Czech Law	LAW1700	1
Selected Topics in Italian Law	LAW7000	1
Selected Topics in Spanish Law	LAW0508	1
Sentencing Workshop	LAW1076	2
Sports Law	LAW1017	2
Street Law	LAW1004	2
Student Competition Credits	LAW00FX
Student Publication Credits	LAW00GX
Supervised Research	LAW0814	1
Supervised Research	LAW0809	1
Theater Law	LAW0518	2
Torts	LAW0648	4
Travel Law Seminar	LAW0521	2
Trial Advocacy	LAW0890	3
Trusts	LAW0956	2
UCC: Negotiable Instruments Law	LAW0691	3
UCC: Negotiable Instruments Law AAMPLE®	LAW1691	0
UCC: Negotiable Instruments Law Online	LAW4691	3
UCC: Sales	LAW0688	2
UCC: Sales and Secured Financing	LAW4675	4
UCC: Secured Transactions	LAW0687	2
Wetlands Regulation Law	LAW1015	2
Wills	LAW0955	2
Wills and Trusts	LAW0655	4
Wills Drafting Workshop	LAW0524	2
Women and the Law Seminar	LAW0812	2
Workers Compensation	LAW0520	3

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ACADEMIC CALENDAR

	DATE
Drop/Add Opens for the Fall 2012 Semester	August 6, 2012
New Student Orientation	August 12-17 2012
Fall Classes Begin	August 20 2012
Drop/Add Closes for the Fall 2012 Semester	August 24 2012
Labor Day, No Classes	September 3, 2012
No Classes	September 17, 2012
No Classes	September 26, 2012
Thanksgiving Holiday, No Classes	November 22-23, 20012
Make-Up Day, Monday Classes Meet Instead of Tuesday	November 27, 2012
Last Day of Classes	November 30, 2012
Reading Days	December 1-3, 2012
Exams	December 4-16, 2012
Winter Closure	December 24,2012-January 1,2013
Winter Classes Begin	January 7, 2013
Martin Luther King Holiday, No Classes	January 21, 2013
Winter Break, No Classes	March 4-10, 2013
Make-Up Day, Friday Classes Meet Instead of Monday	March 25, 2013
No Classes	March 26, 2013
No Classes	March 29, 2013
Make-Up Day, Monday Classes Meet Instead of Wednesday	April 24, 2013
Last Day of Classes	April 24, 2013
Reading Days	April 25-28, 2013
Exams	April 29-May 10, 2013
Summer Classes Begin	May 13, 2013
Memorial Day, No Classes	May 27, 2013
Independence Day Holiday, No Classes	July 4, 2013

 

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ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Candidates for the J.D. degree are subject to requirements concerning

• (A) minimum GPA;
• (B) credit hours earned;
• (C) terms of enrollment;
• (D) maximum time for completion;
• (E) required course;
and

• (F) approval by the Board of Trustees.

Those requirements are explained below. Transfer students, foreign attorneys, and students who visit at other law schools are also subject to the course and credit hour rules in (H). Joint degree students are subject to the rules in (I).

A. Minimum GPA: Students must attain a minimum cumulative average of 2.00 or higher.

B.Credit Hours Earned: Students must earn at least 90 credits.
Three limitations apply to those credits:
1. At least 76 must be "classroom credits".Credits earned in the following are not classroom credits: Clinics (other than the associated classroom pre-courses); Guardian Ad litem (offered before Fall 2005); Judicial Internship (the 2-credit placement); Consumer Protection Internship (the 2-credit placement); non-law courses; Street Law; Student Activity credits; and Supervised Research. See V.F (Earning Academic Credit) for individual limitations on non-classroom credits.
2. No more than 12 can be in courses designated as distance learning courses.
3. At least 60 credits must be earned at NSU Law Center. No more than 30 credits can be earned for courses take in other graduate programs or at other law schools. Even if taken through NSU Law Center, no more than 30 credits can be earned for foreign study. Foreign study credits are credits earned from foreign law schools and credits earned from foreign program sponsored by U.S. law schools.

C. Terms of Enrollment: Students must complete at least 6 regular semesters (or at least 5 regular semesters and 2 summer terms). To substitute two summer terms for one regular semester, a student must earn at least 10 credits combined for the two summer terms. Students must spend the last four regular semesters as a resident student at the Law Center. Student Affairs can grant exceptions for a legitimate academic purpose or in cases of personal or family hardship, but a student must spend at least two of the last four semesters in residence at the Law Center, and must spend at least four semesters in total in residence at the Law Center.

D. Maximum Time for Completion: Unless waived by the faculty for good cause, students must complete all degree requirements within 5 years of beginning studies as a full-time student (6 years of beginning as a part-time student). The faculty will not grant a waiver that would result in a student completing the program more than 7 years after beginning.

E. Required Courses: Pass all of the course listed in Categories 1, 2, and 3 below:

• Category 1 Courses Required of All Students:
• Category 2 Courses for Which Students Must Satisfy Requirements from Each of Three Menus:

First Year Full-Time Division
Fall Semester	Winter Semester
Contracts	Civil Procedure
Criminal Law	Constitutional Law I
Lawyering Skills and Values I	Lawyering Skills and Values II
Legal Study Skills I	Legal Study Skills II1
Torts	Property

 

First Year Full-Time Division
Fall Semester	Winter Semester
Contracts	Civil Procedure
Criminal Law	Constitutional Law I
Lawyering Skills and Values I	Lawyering Skills and Values II
Legal Study Skills I	Legal Study Skills II1
Torts	Property

¹ May be waived if cumulative 2.70 or higher for first semester.

Second Year Full-Time Division (see also Category 3)
Fall Semester	Winter Semester
Business Entities	Two of three upper class menu courses
Constitutional Law II
Evidence

 

Second Year Part-Time Division (see also Category 3)
Fall Semester	Winter Semester
Constitutional Law I	Two of three upper class menu courses
Criminal Law

 

Third Year Part-Time Division
Fall Semester	Winter Semester
Business Entities
Constitutional Law II
Evidence

Before Graduation, Both Divisions: Professional Responsibility
Final Semester, Both Divisions: Advanced Legal Analysis
Critical Skills Program (CSP) Requirements:  Students will not be allowed to graduate until Student Affairs receives a certificate of completion with regard to their CSP requirements.
Advanced Lawyering Skills and Values (ALSV) Menu: Students must pass at least 2 courses from a single track: general practice; litigation; or transactional.  A list of qualifying ALSV offerings appears on the Academic Affairs page of the Law Center website.  (Notes:  A student cannot satisfy this requirement by taking both Negotiating Workshop and Interviewing & Counseling.  Litigation track students must pass Civil Pre-Trial Practice.)
Upper Class Course Menu: Students must pass at least 2 of the following 3 courses: Criminal Procedure; Family Law; and Wills & Trusts.  These three courses are offered every winter semester in both day and evening division.  (Notes: A student who takes Criminal Procedure AAMPLE® (in summer 2007 or earlier) is deemed to have successfully completed Criminal Procedure but is eligible to retake the course for P/D/F credit. A student who takes Introduction to Fourth Amendment AAMPLE® (in summer 2008 or thereafter) is not deemed to have successfully completed the Criminal Procedure menu course and will be graded on the regular law school grading scale if he/she enrolls in Criminal Procedure.  A student will be treated as passing Wills & Trusts by passing either the combined Wills & Trusts course or both of the separate courses in Trusts and Wills.)
Upper Class Writing Requirement:  Students must earn at least a C+ in a Seminar or have a full-time Shepard Broad Law Center faculty member certify that a note or comment written for Nova Law Review or Journal of International & comparative Law is of comparable quality.  (Notes:  A Seminar must be taught by a full-time Shepard Broad Law Center faculty member or an NSU emeritus/emerita faculty member.  Seminar will appear in the course title.  A student who will be attending another law school as a transient student may petition the Associate Dean—Academic Affairs for permission to count a seminar taught at that other school for writing requirement credit.  If the Associate Dean grants permission, a full-time NSU Law faculty member must read the seminar paper and certify that it satisfies the writing requirement.  Supervised Research does not satisfy the upper class writing requirement for any student who enrolled after Fall 2002.)

• Category 3 Critical Skills Program Second Year Program:

Students whose overall first year grade point average is below 2.60 must pass Elements of Legal Analysis I.  Second year students whose overall average is below 2.60 after the first semester of second year must also successfully complete Elements of Legal Analysis II.   Second year students who did not earn at least a 2.60 in either first year semester must successfully complete Elements of Legal Analysis II even if their overall average is at least 2.60 after the first semester of second year.

• F.Approval by the Board of Trustees. A student can graduate with a J.D. degree from the Law Center only upon recommendation of the Law Center forwarded through the Dean’s Office to the President and Trustees of the University.  The University will not confer a degree until the Law Center’s Student Affairs Office determines the student has met all requirements, both academic and financial, and has forwarded the student’s name to the University.  A student must pay all debts owed to the University before graduating, receiving grades or transcripts, receiving a Dean’s Certificate to take any bar examination, or receiving any other administrative services from the University.  A student will graduate on the degree conferral date determined by the University Board of Trustees.

 

 

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TRANSFER OF CREDIT POLICIES

Advanced Standing
To receive credit for work done at an ABA approved (or state accredited) law school, a transfer student must earn the greater of a C or minimum grade that school requires as its graduation average.The transfer of credit form will indicate how many additional credits and which courses are required for graduation.A transfer student must earn at least 60 credits at the Law Center.The Associate Dean cannot reduce the number of credits earned at the Law Center below 60.

Foreign Attorneys
Foreign Attorneys will receive credit for no more than 30 credits of prior coursework.The transfer of credit form will indicate how many additional credits (60 or more) and which courses are required for graduation.Foreign attorneys in their final year at the Law Center will retain second year preference status for second year preference and required courses but will otherwise be treated as third year full-time and fourth year part-time students.

Visiting at Other Law Schools
To receive credit for work done as a visiting (transient) student at an ABA approved law school, an NSU Law Center student must earn the greater of a C or the minimum grade that school requires as its graduation average.The transfer of credit form will indicate whether an NSU student will be permitted to use a course taken elsewhere in satisfaction of a course that is required by the Law Center (an option only for students with at least a 2.60 cumulative grade point average) or to satisfy a Law Center prerequisite.The transfer of credit form will also indicate if a course will be subject to the 14-credit limit on nonclassroom courses.No credit will be given for credits earned at other law schools if those credits would result in the student earning less than 60 credits at NSU Law Center.

Joint Degree Students
Joint degree students may count up to eight (8) credits in the other program toward their law degree (instead of the normal limit of four (4)).The increased limit applies only if the student completes the other degree before (or in the same semester) as the law degree.The additional four (4) credits will not count as nonclassroom credits but is included in the overall 30 credit limit on courses taken other than at NSU Law Center.

ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS
NSU Law Center has an articulation agreement with Florida Atlantic University for the joint degree JD/MURP with that University’s Urban and Regional Planning program.

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LAW CENTER FACILITIES

Shepard Broad Law Center is housed in Leo Goodwin Sr. Hall on Nova Southeastern University’s main campus in suburban Fort Lauderdale.The Law Center’s address is 3305 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314.The facilities of the Law Center include:

• Atrium: A central gathering point used for study and social space, dining, special events, and access to classrooms and administrative offices.The Supreme Court Cafe is located in the Atrium.


• Courtrooms: There are two courtrooms, both outfitted with the latest technology that is used in federal and state courtrooms in Florida.The courtrooms host a variety of activities including practice and competition space for moot court teams.


• Large Lecture Room: One room that seats about 120 persons.


• Lecture Rooms: Five rooms that seat approximately 60 persons.


• Classrooms: Three rooms that seat approximately 40 persons.


• Seminar Rooms: Three rooms seating approximately 20 persons each.


• Critical Skills Program Wing: Offices and conference room for instructors and students in our comprehensive academic support program.


• Faculty Office Wing: The second floor of Goodwin Hall’s west wing houses offices and conference rooms for full-time faculty and faculty assistants.Within this space is a Faculty Lounge and Faculty Terrace which provide activity and meeting space for student organizations, faculty development and scholarship,and collaborative student-faculty ventures.


• Law Library & Technology Center: Occupies much of the east wing of Goodwin Hall.The three-story library contains print materials, technological services, seminar space, study tables, study carrels, and group study rooms, some faculty offices, and the International Programs Office.


• Administrative Offices: Located on the east side of the Atrium are the Dean’s Suite, the Career Resources Office, and the Office of Student Services.


• Student Lockers: Located on the first floor’s west side, adjacent to the Atrium.


• Student Lounge: Space for student relaxation, student organizations, a refrigerator and vending and microwave near to classrooms.


• Legal Clinic: Offices and conference space for the Law Center’s Legal Clinics is on the west end of the first floor.

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EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES

Class of 2012 ABA Employment Summary
Class of 2011 ABA Employment Summary
Comprehensive Annual Employment Report

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BAR PASSAGE DATA

First time bar passage rate for NSU Law Center graduates on Florida Bar Exam:

July 2012   81.0%
July 2011   87.5%
July 2012   81.0%
July 2009   86.0%
July 2008   86.0%
July 2007   82.0%

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