Nursing Award Header

Strengthening Our Future Nurses with On-Campus Residence Assistance

Advance Your Nursing Career at Saint Leo University 

At Saint Leo University, we are committed to supporting our nursing students in their pursuit of a rewarding career in healthcare. We are thrilled to introduce the Nursing Housing Award for undergraduate students enrolled in our Pre-Nursing and bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) programs. By providing financial assistance for on-campus housing, this award enables nursing students to concentrate on their education and personal growth in our nurturing community. 

Bachelor of Science in Nursing 

 

Recipients and Eligibility 

The Nursing Housing Award is designed for new and continuing undergraduate students on our university campus participating in either the Pre-Nursing or BSN programs. 

  • Be fully admitted into the Pre-Nursing and BSN degree programs and maintain full-time enrollment each semester (12 credit hours or more) 

  • Meet the Pre-Nursing admission requirements for the first two years and the BSN school admission requirements for the last two years of the program  

 

Award Features and Value 

Qualified students will receive a housing-specific financial award of up to $7,680.00 for the academic year. The award can be renewed yearly throughout the program, up to a maximum of four years, provided all eligibility criteria are consistently met. 

The award rate is based on the 2025-2026 Alumni Double Residence Hall rate. This rate will be evaluated and adjusted yearly based on Board approved charges.  

If a student chooses to live in a different residence hall, other than Alumni Double Residence Hall, they will be responsible for the difference in cost between the Alumni Double Residence Hall rate and their selected room type.  

 

Maintaining Award Eligibility 

To continue receiving the Nursing Housing Award, students must: 

  • Meet all academic performance requirements and maintain good standing in their program from an attendance, student conduct, and more, standard

  • Fulfill all student financial obligations to the University 

  • Remain enrolled in the Pre-Nursing and BSN degree programs to maintain eligibility 

  • Enroll full-time each semester (12 or more credit hours) 

  • Maintain continuous enrollment for each academic year (Fall and Spring) 

  • Be in good standing with the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard as dictated by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy 

  • Carry a 19-meal plan regardless of housing type (meal plan exemptions must be approved by the Meal Plan Exemptions Committee or be because of an Accessibility accommodation) 

 

Application Process 

Students interested in the Nursing Housing Award should begin by submitting their application. Once accepted, they must submit their admissions deposit and housing application. 

Apply Now 

 

Admission Requirements 

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a limited-access program. Freshmen are admitted to Saint Leo as Pre-Nursing students. Admission as a Pre-Nursing major requires a 2.7 or better high school grade point average (GPA) and an acknowledgment of background check requirements. Students can be admitted into the Pre-Nursing program during both the Fall and Spring Semesters.

To be considered for admission to the Saint Leo Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, applicants must apply the semester before the junior year and meet minimum admission requirements for consideration. The strongest applicants will be selected; meeting minimum requirements to apply does not guarantee selection. 

The Saint Leo University Explorations requirements and BS Nursing program prerequisite/support courses may be completed through the A.A. degree from a Florida College System institution only if the required BSN prerequisites and support courses are included. If a student wishes to transfer without an A.A. degree and has fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the student must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements for Pre-Nursing status which includes a 2.7 or better GPA and an acknowledgement of an acceptable background check. Catalog course descriptions and a copy of the course syllabus are required for review to determine if the prerequisite courses requested for transfer satisfy the prerequisite requirements. Transfer students may not apply to the BS Nursing program if they are not in good standing with their previous nursing program.

Only students who have formal, written unconditional acceptance into the BS Nursing program will be allowed to register for nursing courses and complete work for the major. 

To be considered for admission to the Saint Leo University nursing program, applicants must meet the following minimum conditional admission requirements: 

  • Earn a grade point average of 3.30 or better for all coursework taken by the end of the semester prior to the semester for which application is made. 

  • Complete all required non-nursing courses for a total of 60 credits prior to beginning nursing program courses. Earn a grade of ‘C’ or better for all courses except MAT 151, BIO 140 and BIO 140 Lab and BIO 150 and BIO 150 Lab which require a B or better. Prerequisite courses may be repeated only one time. 

  • Take all parts of the ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) exam and upload into the NursingCAS portal with the nursing application. A minimum composite score of 68 or greater is required. To be considered competitive, higher scores are recommended.  The most current version of the TEAS exam may be attempted three times in a calendar year with 30 days in between attempts.

  • Matriculation into the nursing courses is contingent upon receipt of a satisfactory history and physical signed by a provider and completion of required immunizations and other health requirements, including drug screening, completion of American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification, and completion of an acceptable background check and fingerprints within seven days of receiving the conditional admission email. 

Housing Award Policy FAQ

Housing Award Policy FAQ – Nursing 

This recruiting and retention campaign is a pilot program for the 2024-2025 academic year beginning with the fall 2024 semester. This campaign is for undergraduate University Campus students.  

How much funding will the student receive as part of the program? 

Students will receive a housing specific award of up to $7,680.00 for the academic year. This award is based on the 2024-2025 board approved rate for the Alumni Double Residence Hall. This rate will be reevaluated and adjusted yearly based on Board approved charges.  

Are upper-class students able to live in Alumni Hall? 

No.  Alumni Hall is for freshmen only.  The Nursing Living Learning Community is located in Alumni Hall.  Transfer students and continuing students are eligible for $7680 off their housing rate.  However, all award recipients are required to have the 19 meal plan. 

Is the award renewable? 

Yes, the award is renewable yearly for the length of the program as long as all eligibility criteria is met. Student can receive award for a maximum of 4 years. 

Can a student elect to live in a different building and still receive the award?  

Yes. Students can live outside of the Alumni Residence Hall but will be responsible to pay the difference in housing costs beyond the approved award amount.  

Are there exceptions to the 19 meal plan requirement? 

Yes. If the student has extenuating circumstances a student can submit a meal plan exemption via Residence Life. Any meal plan exemptions must be approved by the appointed Meal Plan Exemptions committee. Also, if a student has a meal plan exemption accommodation approved by Accessibility Services, they are exempt from this requirement. 

Are students that are already enrolled for fall 2024 eligible to participate in this program? 

Yes, full-time new and continuing students that are fully admitted into the Pre-Nursing (Pre-BSN) and Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN) can qualify. 

What does the student have to do to receive the award? 

  • Students must be enrolled Full Time and fully admitted into the Pre-BSN or BSN.

  • Enroll Full Time each semester (12 credit hours or more).

  • Students must meet Pre-BSN admission requirements for the first two years and BSN school admission requirement for the last two years of the program. 

  • Students must meet all academic performance requirements and maintain good standing in their program from an attendance, university student conduct, university standards, etc.

  • Students must meet all student financial obligations to the University.

  • Students must remain in the Pre-BSN and BSN degree programs to be eligible. 

  • Student must maintain continuous enrollment for each Academic Year (Fall and Spring). 

  • Students must be in good standing with the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard as dictated by the policy. Satisfactory Academic Progress | Saint Leo University 

What happens if a student wants to change their program in the middle of the academic year or stop out of the program? 

A student must have continuous enrollment to receive the award unless extenuating circumstances such as medical reasons or military service. If a student changes their program or drops below full-time status of 12 or more credits, the award will be removed from the student’s account. The student will be responsible to cover the balance owed as a result of the reduced financial aid offer.  

Are there award restrictions to receiving the housing award? 

  • Student Athletes receiving athletic scholarships are not eligible for the housing award. The award is not stackable with an athletic scholarship. 

  • The housing award does not count toward total institutional aid when calculating the limit of tuition for the maximum amount of total institutional aid.  This will not count because it is a housing award.  

  • Limit of 5 students on Tuition Remission or Tuition Exchange will be allowed to participate and receive both the Tuition Remission/Tuition Exchange and Nursing Housing award.  

Are international students eligible for the housing award? 

  • There are 10 available spots in this program for international students.

  • A waitlist will be maintained internally for international students in the Pre-BSN and BSN programs.

  • If space becomes available, eligible students will be notified and awards added the first term of eligibility forward.  

When will eligible students see the award on the account? 

Student Financial Services will continuously evaluate and award students for the 2024-2025 year. Student that have already received financial aid offers will receive revised copies sent via email to students to show the additional award.   

Student Financial Services will program the fund so that the award will not disburse if student drops below full-time status at the end of add/drop for fall 2024 and spring 2025