FAQ

NUSTEP courses are $95 per credit hour (3 credit hours = $285, 4 credit hours = $380). That's a FRACTION of what you would pay on a college campus as an undergraduate student!

If you are on free or reduced lunch, you simply need to provide documentation verifying your participation in the program, and your tuition will be reduced to $15 per credit hour (3 credit hours = $45, 4 credit hours = 60).  If all the students in your school receive free/reduced lunch YOU STILL HAVE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION THAT YOU QUALIFY FOR THE PROGRAM. Forms are usually available in your school's Main Office; speak to your NUSTEP Teacher or Guidance Counselor. 

Annually, NUSTEP students are surveyed at the end of their first semester of college. Every year, over 98 percent of the respondents indicate they would recommend NUSTEP courses to current high school students, and 90 percent felt better prepared academically for college.  

Only you will know if NUSTEP is right for you, but for thousands of students, it has been the right choice. With AP courses, there is no guarantee that you will score high enough on the final exam to receive college credit, or that your intended college/university will accept your score. NUSTEP is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) making our credits transferrable to colleges/universities across the US. With AP your potential college credit is based on one final exam; what could possibly go wrong? With NUSTEP your college credit is based on an entire semester or year's worth of coursework. The decision is up to you. It is your future – make the most of it!

Each participating high school offers courses that they feel will complement their high school curriculum. 

Courses that are available through NUSTEP include:

• French / Spanish
• Hospitality
• Business (Economics & Business Law)
• Natural Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Forensics)
• Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology)
• Government
• Mathematics
• Communications
• History
• And more!

Contact us and we’ll talk to a representative about offering NUSTEP in your school.

If you choose to attend Niagara University, you need not worry. Your NUSTEP courses will already be on your transcript! However, if you choose to attend another school, you will have to request your official NU transcript be sent to that school. When you know where you are going to attend, you will need to order a transcript through the order site:  www.niagara.edu/transcript.  Or you can visit the NUSTEP webpage and follow the link to “Request a Transcript."  When the Records Office receives your request, an official copy of your NU transcript will be sent to the school you requested.

Your instructor will monitor your progress in class. If it appears that you will be unable to successfully complete the course, you will need to speak with your instructor about withdrawing from the course. If your instructor agrees, contact the NUSTEP Office and the University Registrar to officially withdraw from the course. A "W" will appear on your official transcript, and no refund will be given. 

You are welcome to navigate around the website – it has a lot of good information for you. 

You can always call or email the office – we’d love to hear from you! Either way, someone will get back to you. Please email agruhalla@niagara.edu or call 716.286.8185.

If you would like to visit the campus, sit in on a class, have lunch in the dining hall, shadow a student or take a tour, just give us a call. We would be happy to arrange it. You are also welcome to reach out to the Admissions Office to set up at visit at 716.286.8700

Concurrent enrollment is the opportunity to take college level classes while you are still in high school. Niagara University has partnered with many schools in Western New York to offer some of its entry-level courses in high school. The instructors are high school teachers who have applied and been approved to teach NUSTEP courses in the high school. 

The syllabus is the same as is used on campus. The list of participating schools is on the NUSTEP website, and the courses offered at each high school varies. For example, your high school might offer MAT 102, a math class (statistics), through NU. The same course is taught on the NU campus. You will receive high school credit for the course and, concurrently, if you register, pay for and pass the course, you will receive college credit for it as well.

YES! New for the 2022-2023 academic year is our NUSTEP Scholarship. 

All students registered for NUSTEP, who receive at least a B- (80) in their NUSTEP courses, and enroll at Niagara University the fall semester after their senior year of High School, are eligible to receive a $3,000 Scholarship per year.

Participating students who are admitted and decide to enroll at Niagara University immediately after high school graduation become eligible for the NUSTEP Scholarship, applicable for up to four years of full-time, continuous undergraduate study at Niagara University. In addition, all completed NUSTEP courses, including the grades received, will be part of the student’s academic record at Niagara University and will be reflected on the student’s transcript and factored into the student’s cumulative GPA.

Please note that applicability of credits toward the participating student's Niagara University degree will be dependent upon the student's chosen program of study at NU.