Student Resources

Mission

The Student Services offices are responsible for providing pre-admission, admission, registration, and financial services to prospective students, current students, and alumni. The offices oversee, coordinate, and administer multifaceted activities and student-centered services that include recruitment programs, preadmission advisement, admissions, advising and registrar functions, and career and alumni services. The staff value excellent customer service, timely and accurate communication, professionalism, and teamwork.

Advisors

Student Success Advisors

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is committed to student success. With this in mind, students are connected to an Advisor who is available to support students in many ways leading up to the first class and throughout the duration of the academic program.

Advisors provide concierge support and help students navigate through the University. They assist students in completing required forms, understanding USAHS policies and procedures, adjusting schedules, and much more. Advisors also have access to resources that can assist students with study strategies, time and stress management techniques, and organizational tips.

Advisors partner with students to proactively help them achieve their academic and professional goals. They monitor student progress and check in with students to ensure they are progressing academically and see how they can best support student’s needs. Advisors are on the front lines of student services and are always willing to answer questions and provide support.

Alex Rouse, Manager, Student Advising
Phone: 800-241-1027
Email: advising@usa.edu
MyUSA Academic Advising

Faculty Advisors

A Faculty Advisor is assigned to each student. This advisor serves in two capacities. The first is to advise the student on academic matters, and the second is to assist in professional development. Students who wish to change faculty advisors should meet with their Program Director.

Enrollment Office

The Enrollment team assists prospective students from initial inquiry through the entire application process, including guidance on selecting the appropriate start date and modality, submitting required documents, and preparing the most competitive application.

Email: enroll@usa.edu
Phone: 800-241-1027, ext. 2499.

Registrar’s Office

The main Registrar’s Office for all degree programs is located on the St. Augustine campus with Registrar staff also located at other campus locations to assist students and faculty. Inquiries or requests for student information should be sent by mail to the Registrar, USAHS, 1 University Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL 32086 or by email to registrar@usa.edu.

University, Registrar
Phone: 800-241-1027 ext. 1600
Email: registrar@usa.edu
MyUSA Registrar

Financial Aid Office

Financial aid information is available by going to Financial Information . Any inquiries or requests for student information should be directed to Department of Financial Aid Services, USAHS, 1 University Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL 32086; email: ContactFinancialAid@usa.edu; phone: (904) 423-2010; or by making an appointment.

Vanessa Flowers, Director, Financial Aid
MyUSA Financial Aid

Bursar’s Office

The Bursar’s Office manages the billing of tuition and fees, posts loans to students’ accounts, processes credit balance refunds, and manages student and third-party payments. The Bursar can provide information to students regarding the CASHNet Payment Plan, setting up refund preferences in BankMobile, and 1098-T Tuition Statements. The Bursar’s Office can also provide receipts upon request.

Bursar’s Office
Phone: 800-241-1027
Email: bursar@usa.edu
MyUSA Bursar

International Student Services

International applicants applying to a full-time Residential (excluding the MS-SLP and MSPAS programs) or Flex program in Miami, Florida; St. Augustine, Florida; Austin and Dallas, Texas; and San Marcos, California, may receive assistance obtaining the required I-20 form from a designated school official (DSO). A DSO may be reached by calling 800-241-1027, ext. 1600 or by emailing registrar@usa.edu for assistance. See International Students Applying for Admission  for additional details on the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP).

Alumni and Career Services

Alumni Association

USAHS alumni join the University in its mission to provide equitable access to exceptional healthcare practitioners throughout the country. To support the USAHS alumni community, the University provides a comprehensive alumni engagement program designed to provide meaningful opportunities for volunteerism, service, and partnership as well as continuing professional education and personal development. All USAHS alumni are invited to join the USAHS Alumni Association upon completion of a USAHS degree program.

Polly Crabtree, Director of Alumni Engagement
Phone: 904-770-3611
Email: alumni@usa.edu

Career Services

Career Services provides career advising and networking opportunities to students via the Skills First and Handshake platforms, through on-campus and virtual career fairs, and via online career coaching. Access Career Services by logging into the MyUSA portal, Student Services tab, Career Services link. 

In Skills First, students can create a résumé and cover letter and have them reviewed by a career coach, record a practice interview, create a career portfolio, and view informational videos on current career topics. Go to Optimal Résumé to create an account. 

Career Services sends an invite to new students to join Handshake. In Handshake, students can create a career profile and résumé, post it for employers to view, and apply to internships and job postings. Alumni retain access to Handshake to aid in securing employment after graduation.

Student referrals to prospective employers are not based on direct contact with the employer regarding current job openings. USAHS does not guarantee employment, and completion of the degree program is not a guarantee of employment.

Students may request individual career coaching via video conference by emailing the Manager of Career Services.

Kelly Fontana, Director, Career Services
Phone: 904-770-3457
Email: kfontana@usa.edu
MyUSA Career Services

Continuing Professional Education Office

The Continuing Professional Education department registers students for live seminars, online webinars/seminars, and certification preparation and examination.

Lori Hankins, Director of Continuing Education
Phone: 800-241-1027, ext. 1400
Email: lhankins@usa.edu
Continuing Professional Education

Office of Student Welfare and Accessibility

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title IX and other federal and state laws, and the University’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Office of Student Welfare and Accessibility is dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to qualifying students. Please see Accessibility & Accommodations  for more information. 

The Office of Student Welfare and Accessibility generally operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST and EST; however, office hours may vary to meet student needs. Information on scheduling an appointment can be found by going to the MyUSA portal.

Candice Vasquez, Director, Student Welfare and Accessibility
Email: cvasquez@usa.edu
MyUSA Accommodations

Student Assistance Program

Counseling Services

Students can contact their Student Success Advisor or the Office of Student Welfare and Accessibility for information about counseling services.

In partnership with ComPsych (a Student Assistance Program provider), USAHS offers free counseling services and online resources to students as needed and provides access to free and confidential support resources via phone 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Students (and members of the same household) may call 844-819-4777 toll free to be connected to highly trained, masters-level clinicians. These licensed counselors can provide resources to help with anxiety, depression, stress, grief, relationship conflict, substance abuse, or other personal issues a student may be experiencing. If needed, the counselor is able to refer the student to meet with a counselor for up to three complimentary therapy sessions.

Online Resources

Students and household members also have unlimited access to guidanceresources.com. Students can use “USAHS” as the Web ID to create a free account. This website provides information, tools, and support on a variety of subjects including wellness, legal, financial, and relationship topics. Students can view articles, podcasts, videos, or slideshows and can utilize Ask the Expert to receive personal responses to questions. 

Health Services

All students are required to carry health insurance. Proof of health insurance must be provided to the Clinical Services department each trimester.

The University is not licensed to provide healthcare services.

San Marcos Campus

Emergency services are available at the following locations:

St. Augustine Campus

Emergency services are available at the following locations:

Nonemergency services are available at the following location:

Miami Campus

Emergency and nonemergency medical services are available at the following Miami locations:

Austin Campus

Emergency and nonemergency medical services are available at the following Austin locations:

Dallas Campus

​​Emergency and nonemergency medical services are available at the following Irving locations:

Academic Resources

Library and Information Resources

The USAHS Library is made up of a physical branch at each campus as well as a robust collection of online resources and services. The library offers students and faculty members convenient access to current health sciences information through the library’s collection of online journals, online databases, eBooks, digital videos, anatomy models, medical equipment, print books, and more, supporting and supplementing the University’s curricula. Digital resources are accessible online 24/7. In addition to resources, the library provides a variety of services, including individual search consultations with professional librarians, information literacy education and instruction, checkout services for physical materials, and reference services. Physical campus libraries are each open and staffed more than 100 hours per week during regular academic terms and provide physical study space, reference services, and printing/copying/scanning services. Virtually, library staff members comprised of professional librarians and trained support staff are available through email, library chat, virtual office hours, and phone. In all, library staff aree available more than 110 hours per week, including nights and weekends. Full details of all library resources and services are available at https://library.usa.edu/.

Innovation, Learning Excellence, and Academic Resource Network (iLEARN)

iLEARN is a hub for USAHS students to connect to university-sponsored live and recorded training events to enhance academic, personal, and professional development. The mission of iLEARN is to enhance student success through learning opportunities that strengthen scholarly skills, digital literacy, and leadership development. More information, including the iLEARN calendar of events and event registration, is available at ilearn.usa.edu/.

Writing Center

The mission of the Writing Center at USAHS is to provide exceptional service to students across programs by providing individualized instruction and resources to solidify their writing skills as practicing scholars and emerging professionals in the field of health sciences. The Writing Center is not a drop-off editing service; instead, Writing Center personnel seek to develop students into strong writers and editors through continued engagement with the writing process.

The Writing Center offers live and asynchronous, individual or small group appointments as well as style guide workshops. Appointments are made online via the Online Writing Center Schedule. Live online meetings allow students and writing coaches to communicate directly with one another in real time. Asynchronous (recorded) reviews provide scheduling flexibility; rather than a meeting with a writing coach in real time, a recorded review is prepared and emailed within 24 hours of the appointment.

Detailed information about making appointments, links to drop-in workshops, various tip sheets and writing resources are located on the MyUSA, Student Services tab, Writing Center page.

Writing Center Visitation Policies

First-time visitors to the online schedule must create an account using their USAHS email address. Non-degree seeking students without a university-issued email address should notify the director when creating an account with their personal email address.

• Students are limited to any combination of two live or asynchronous sessions per calendar month. This limit supports equitable opportunities for all students to benefit from the service and encourages students’ development as independent scholarly and professional writers.
• Students are not able to reserve same-day appointments on the Writing Center online schedule. Students should email WritingCenter@usa.edu to request a same-day appointment.
• All students are welcome to submit waitlist requests, even beyond the two sessions per calendar month limit. Please contact the Writing Center to inquire about submitting waitlist requests.
• Reasonable accommodation requests for increased appointment allowances can be submitted to accommodations@usa.edu. See Accessibility & Accommodations  for more information.
• Workshop attendance does not require an appointment, and students may attend as many workshops as they like. The schedule of offerings and links to connect are located on MyUSA, Academic Support tab, Writing Center page.

Students must upload the documents for their review before midnight (EST) on the day before their scheduled appointment. Asynchronous feedback is sent to students via email within 24 hours of the day of their reservation.

• If no document is submitted, then the appointment will be marked as missed.
• Students do not need to have a document completed to reserve an appointment. (Planning ahead and reserving appointments early is a good idea.)
• Documents can be uploaded to previously created appointments using the “Edit Appointment” option in the appointment details on the Writing Center online schedule.

Any combination of two missed or same-day-cancelled appointments results in the suspension of a student’s Writing Center account.

• Students should cancel appointments as soon as possible when missing a scheduled appointment becomes inevitable.
• Students must contact the Writing Center to have a suspended account reactivated.
• Students whose Writing Center accounts are suspended more than one time may have their visitation privileges revoked.

Students may email the Writing Center at WritingCenter@usa.edu. Emails are continuously monitored during university operating hours.

Hideki Nakazono, Director, Tutoring Services and Writing Center
Phone: 760-410-5327 ext. 2427
Email: hnakazono@usa.edu
MyUSA: my.usa.edu/ICS/Student_Services/Writing_Center/

Tutoring Services

As part of its student retention efforts, USAHS offers a variety of free tutoring services, including weekly large and small group sessions. Students are encouraged to regularly take advantage of self-directed learning, group tutoring, and faculty office hours.

Students who need the additional help of individualized tutoring may request a free 1:1, peer-to-peer tutor by completing the Individual Tutoring Request Form found on MyUSA, Academic Support tab, Tutoring link. To help to identify areas of need and ensure individual tutoring sessions are most effective for the student, students must complete the form with their course faculty member before submitting it to their Student Success Advisor.

Students who have a demonstrated need should request a tutor as soon as possible. Peer tutors experience increased demand during midterm and final exam periods and their availability is limited. The University is committed to placing students who have a demonstrated need with a peer tutor; however, the availability of peer tutors for all students or all courses is not guaranteed.

Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews all research proposals involving the use of human subjects. The purpose of the IRB is to protect the human rights and confidentiality of research subjects and to minimize harm during the study. All students participating in research projects that involve human subjects (including Case Reports) are required to submit the appropriate IRB application for review and/or approval. Students must have a faculty advisor for their research project (the supervising principal investigator) and should submit proposals to the IRB that is located geographically closest to their faculty advisor. The IRB committee meets once each month to review convened protocols. Expedited and exempt protocols are reviewed on a rolling basis. For IRB policies, procedures, forms, and committee review dates, go to the MyUSA portal, Academics tab.

Student Associations and Organizations

Membership in Professional Associations

All USAHS students in the DPT, MOT, OTD, MS-SLP, and MSPAS programs are required to join their respective national professional associations (American Physical Therapy Association [APTA], American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], National Student Speech Language Hearing Association [NSSLHA], American Academy of Physician Assistants [AAPA]). Current physical therapy students are asked to show proof of membership as part of the practicum or physical therapist practice courses; occupational therapy students must provide evidence of state association membership; speech-language therapy students must show proof of membership with an NSSLHA number; physician assistant students are group registered by the program.

Student Associations

Physical therapy students are members of SPTA; occupational therapy students are members of SOTA. Speech-Language pathology students are members of the USAHS NSSLHA chapter, and physician assistant students are members of SAAAPA. Student representatives from these associations meet monthly with Program Directors to discuss ideas and solve student issues. The SPTA, SOTA, NSSLHA, and SAAAPA organizations operate independently; however, financial support may be provided upon agreement of the supporting organization.

In the first trimester, students are assessed a one-time mandatory student activity fee of $20.00 (fee is subject to change). This fee is allocated for the campus-based, student professional associations. Examples of activities covered by the student activity fee include but are not limited to the following activities:

• authorized University functions
• community awareness programs
• miscellaneous preapproved events

Any use of funds requires two signatures from current officers of the respective organizations. All student events are to be coordinated through these associations with all allocated monies to be controlled by the SPTA, SOTA, NSSLHA, and SAAAPA organizations. 

All functions/events involving the University or the use of its name require prior review and written approval; any requests to use the University logo on clothing or other items also require the same approval. Possible examples of University-sanctioned events might include community/charitable events such as the annual 5K run and University or departmental picnics/celebrations. A student-organized off-site baseball team would be an example of a non-University event that could be supported by the student associations but would need approval if the University name were used. Event organizers should submit the Event Request Form to the appropriate Campus Director for approval at least 30 days prior to the event. Event Request Forms are located on MyUSA, Student Services tab, under Clubs&Orgs.

Student Organizations

Student organizations are a vital part of campus life and offer significant opportunities and benefits to their members, the institution, the professional network, and the community. Through participation in student organizations, students have opportunities to develop leadership skills, enhance their understanding of professional perspectives, and have a profound positive impact on their classmates, their profession, and the community. 

A student organization is defined as a registered, student-led group of at least 10 actively enrolled students with a common interest and purpose. Generally, only registered student organizations are recognized by USAHS and eligible to use campus resources. In order to be recognized, to conduct USAHS-sanctioned activities, and to be eligible to access resources within the University community, student organizations must meet the following criteria:

• Be open to all students actively enrolled in the organization’s campus.
• Contribute to the advancement of the health sciences mission of the University.
• Serve a purpose not already met by another student organization or department on campus where the organization is seeking recognition.
• Assume responsibility for their actions and the activities they sponsor.

To be considered for recognition as a student organization, the organization representative must submit a proposal and if approved, complete the registration process. Registration forms are accepted during registration periods and due by October 1 each year. Upon recognition, organizations must comply with USAHS policies and renew registration annually to continue to conduct activities and access resources of the University. The University reserves the right to deny or suspend registration for student organizations that do not promote and adhere to the mission, values, and policies of the institution, including those student organizations that primarily have a social, religious, political, or athletic focus rather than a health sciences mission.

For detailed guidelines and access to forms and templates, go to the MyUSA, Student Services tab, Clubs&Orgs link.

Student Events

Students who would like to plan an event should submit an Event Request Form to their Campus Director for approval at least 30 days prior to the event. Event Request Forms are located on MyUSA, Student Services tab, under Clubs&Orgs.

Off-Campus Housing

Students are responsible for their living accommodations while attending USAHS. There are a variety of housing options near all campuses, and prospective students can access a list of potential housing by campus by going to housing.usa.edu.* 

Students receive full access to the University’s Housing Portal upon admission and activation of their student email address. On this portal, students can connect with other current or incoming students, look for potential roommates, and see a list of apartment complexes near campus that have vacancies. Additional information about how to use the Housing Portal is available from Student Success Advisors.

*Students should also refer to the Cost of Attendance  section for their campus and program. Monthly rental rates in the San Marcos area typically range from $850–1800/month for an individual to $1825–2500/month and more for apartment rentals. Please note this information is subject to change.

Student Employment

Outside employment is strongly discouraged for residential MOT, OTD, DPT, MS-SLP, and MSPAS students.

Students wishing to be employed in on-campus student employee positions must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum 3.0 USAHS GPA
• In good standing at USAHS
• Second term or more (some exceptions may apply)

MSPAS students may not be employed in positions within the PA program and may not act as an instructor or substitute for instructional faculty or administrative staff. Students should see the student employment policies in the PA Program Student Handbook for detailed information.

Students should refer to Careers for more information and an application.