NVIT Jacobs Levy Large Cap Growth
Fund
Summary Prospectus April 30, 2026
Class I / Class II
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains information about the Fund and its risks. This Summary Prospectus is intended for use in connection with variable insurance contracts, and is not intended for use by other investors. The Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, each dated April 30, 2026 (as may be supplemented or revised), are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. For free paper or electronic copies of the Fund’s Prospectus and other information about the Fund, go to nationwide.com/mutualfundsnvit, email a request to web_help@nationwide.com or call 800-848-0920, or ask any variable insurance contract provider who offers shares of the Fund as an underlying investment option in its products.
Objective
The NVIT Jacobs Levy Large Cap Growth Fund seeks long-term capital growth.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund.
Sales charges and other expenses that may be imposed by variable insurance
contracts are not included. If these charges were reflected, the expenses listed below would be higher. See the variable insurance contract prospectus, which may impose sales charges and other additional contract-level
expenses.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
| |
Class I
Shares |
Class II
Shares |
| Management Fees |
0.40% |
0.40% |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
0.25% |
| Other Expenses |
0.32% |
0.32% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.72% |
0.97% |
| Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement(1) |
(0.02)% |
(0.02)% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense
Reimbursement |
0.70% |
0.95% |
(1)
Nationwide Variable Insurance Trust (the “Trust”) and Nationwide Fund Advisors (the “Adviser”) have entered into a written contract limiting annual fund
operating expenses to 0.45% until at
least April 30, 2027. Under the expense limitation
agreement, the level to which operating expenses are limited applies to all share classes, excluding any taxes, interest, compensation payable
to parties not affiliated with the Adviser for the recovery of tax reclaims, brokerage commissions,
Rule 12b-1 fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, short-sale dividend expenses, administrative services fees, other expenses which are capitalized in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with any merger or reorganization, and may exclude other nonroutine expenses not incurred in the
ordinary course of the Fund’s business. The expense limitation agreement may be changed or eliminated only with the consent of the Board of Trustees of the Trust. The Adviser
may request and receive reimbursement from the Fund for advisory fees waived or other expenses reimbursed by the Adviser pursuant to the expense limitation agreement at a date not
to exceed three years from the date on which the corresponding waiver or reimbursement to the Fund was made. However, no reimbursement may be made unless: (i) the Fund’s
assets exceed $100 million and (ii) the total annual expense ratio is no higher than the amount of the expense limitation that was in place at the time the Adviser waived the fees
or reimbursed the expenses and does not cause the expense ratio to exceed the current expense limitation. Reimbursement by the Fund of amounts previously waived or reimbursed by the
Adviser is not permitted except as provided for in the expense limitation agreement.
Example
This Example is intended to help you to compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual
funds. The Example, however, does not include charges that are imposed by variable insurance contracts. If these charges were reflected, the expenses listed below would be higher.
This Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those time periods. It assumes a 5% return each year and no change in expenses, and any expense limitation or fee waivers
NSP-LCG
(4/26)
Summary Prospectus April 30, 2026
1
NVIT Jacobs Levy Large Cap Growth Fund
that may apply for the periods indicated above
under “Fees and Expenses.” Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| |
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
| Class I Shares |
$72 |
$228 |
$399 |
$893 |
| Class II Shares |
97 |
307 |
534 |
1,188 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or
“turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating
Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 97.60% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund takes long and short positions in large-capitalization companies (i.e., companies with market capitalizations that are similar to those included in the Russell 1000® Growth Index) using the subadviser's dynamic multidimensional investment process that combines human insight and intuition,
finance and behavioral theory, and quantitative and statistical techniques. Approximately 30% of the Fund's net assets will be in short positions (i.e., stocks that the subadviser
deems unattractive), and approximately 130% of the Fund's net assets will be in long positions (i.e., stocks that the subadviser deems attractive), resulting in approximately 100% net equity exposure. To execute this strategy, the Fund currently intends to gain its short equity exposure entirely through the use of swap contracts (e.g., total return swaps) and its long equity exposure, in an amount of approximately 100% of the Fund’s net assets, by investing directly in stocks and, in an amount approximating the amount of the Fund’s short exposure at the time, through the use of swaps. This investment technique creates leverage, which will exaggerate increases or
decreases in the value of the Fund's overall portfolio. There is a risk that the Fund will lose money on both its long positions and its short positions at the same time.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity
securities issued by large-capitalization companies or derivatives the value of which are linked to equity securities issued by large-capitalization companies. For these purposes, equity securities represent an ownership interest in an issuer, and large capitalization companies are those with market capitalizations similar to those of companies included in the Russell 1000® Growth Index.
The Fund employs a growth style of investing. In other words, the Fund seeks companies whose earnings are expected to grow faster than those of other companies. In selecting stocks for either the Fund's long portfolio or short portfolio, the subadviser employs an evaluation process that focuses on modeling a large number of stocks and proprietary factors, using financial
statements, security analyst forecasts, corporate management signals, economic releases, and security prices. This investment approach is intended to seek diversification across market inefficiencies, securities, industries, and sectors, while seeking to manage risk exposures relative to the Russell 1000® Growth Index. The range of models is designed to allow each portfolio to be diversified across exposures to numerous
potential opportunities. Nevertheless, the Fund may invest in any economic sector and, at times, emphasize one or more particular industries or sectors. The subadviser generally
considers closing a position (either by selling a stock held long or closing a swap position) when its return prediction generated by the models, adjusted for risk and expected transaction costs, is notably surpassed on the positive side for a long position (or on the negative side for a short
position) by another stock's return prediction. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.
Principal Risks
The Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective.
As with any fund, the value of the Fund’s investments—and therefore, the value of
Fund shares—may fluctuate. These changes may occur because of:
Equity securities risk – stock markets are
volatile. The price of an equity security fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions.
Long/short strategy risk – in situations where the Fund takes a long position (i.e., owns a stock outright or gains long exposure through a
swap), the Fund will lose money if the price of the stock declines. In situations where the Fund takes short positions, the Fund will lose money if the price of the stock
increases. It is possible that stocks where the Fund has taken a long position will decline in value at the same time that stocks where the Fund has taken a short position increase
in value, thereby increasing potential losses to the Fund.
Summary Prospectus April 30, 2026
2
NVIT Jacobs Levy Large
Cap Growth Fund
Short sales
risk – the Fund will incur a loss from a short position if the value of the security held in a short
position increases after the Fund has entered into the short position. Short positions generally involve a form
of leverage, which can exaggerate the Fund’s losses. The Fund may lose more money than the actual cost of
the short position and its potential losses may be unlimited. Any gain from a security held in a short position
will be offset in whole or in part by the transaction costs associated with the short position.
Leverage risk – leverage risk is a direct risk
of investing in the Fund. Leverage is investment exposure that exceeds the initial amount invested. Derivatives
and other transactions that give rise to leverage may cause the Fund’s performance to be more volatile
than if the Fund had not been leveraged. Leveraging also may require that the Fund liquidate portfolio securities
when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. Certain derivatives provide the potential
for investment gain or loss that may be several times greater than the change in the value of an underlying
security, asset, interest rate, index or currency, resulting in the potential for a loss that may be
substantially greater than the amount invested. Some leveraged investments have the potential for unlimited
loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment.
Derivatives risk – derivatives may be volatile and may involve significant risks. The underlying security, measure or other instrument on which a derivative is based, or the derivative
itself, may not perform as expected. Normally derivatives involve leverage, which means that their use can
magnify significantly the effect of price movements of the underlying securities or reference measures,
disproportionately increasing the Fund’s losses and reducing the Fund’s opportunities for gains.
Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, including a loss that may be greater than the amount invested. They also present default risks if the counterparty to a derivatives contract fails to fulfill its obligations to the Fund.
Certain derivatives held by the Fund may be illiquid, including non-exchange-traded or over-the-counter
derivatives that are linked to illiquid instruments or illiquid markets, making it difficult to close out an
unfavorable position. Derivatives also may be more difficult to purchase, sell or value than other
instruments.
Total return swaps – total return swaps are leveraged and the Fund may experience substantial gains or losses in value as a result of relatively small changes in the value of the underlying asset. In addition, total return swaps are subject to
credit and counterparty risk. If the counterparty fails to meet its obligations the Fund could sustain
significant losses. Total return swaps also are subject to the risk that the Fund will not properly assess the
value of the underlying asset. If the Fund is the buyer of a total return swap, the Fund will lose money if the
total return of the underlying asset is less than the Fund’s obligation to pay a fixed or floating rate
of interest. If the Fund
is the seller of a total return swap, the Fund will lose money if the
total returns of the underlying asset are greater than the fixed or floating rate of interest it would receive.
Market risk – the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility
that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. This occurs due to numerous factors, including
interest rates, the outlook for corporate profits, the health of the national and world economies, and the
fluctuation of other securities markets around the world. These risks may be magnified if certain social,
political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics,
terrorism, conflicts, trade disputes and social unrest or rapid technological developments such as artificial
intelligence) adversely interrupt the global economy.
Selection risk – the risk that the securities selected by the Fund’s subadviser will underperform the markets, the relevant indexes or the securities selected by other funds with
similar investment objectives and investment strategies.
Quantitative analysis strategy risk – the success of the Fund's investment strategy depends in part on the effectiveness of the subadviser's quantitative tools for screening securities.
These strategies may incorporate factors that are not predictive of a security's value. Additionally, a
previously successful strategy may become outdated or inaccurate, possibly resulting in losses.
Growth style risk – growth stocks are generally more sensitive to market movements than other types of stocks primarily because their stock prices are based heavily on future expectations. If the subadviser’s assessment of the prospects
for a company’s growth is wrong, or if the subadviser’s judgment of how other investors will value
the company’s growth is wrong, then the Fund will suffer a loss as the price of the company’s stock
may fall or not approach the value that the subadviser has placed on it. In addition, growth stocks as a group
sometimes are out of favor and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market
concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “value” stocks.
Sector risk – investments in particular industries or sectors may be more volatile than the overall stock market. Therefore,
if the Fund emphasizes one or more industries or economic sectors, it will be more susceptible to financial,
market or economic events affecting the particular issuers and industries participating in such sectors than
funds that do not emphasize particular industries or sectors.
Model and data risk – the Fund’s subadviser relies heavily on quantitative models and information and data supplied or made available by third parties (“Models and Data”).
Models and Data are used to construct sets of transactions and investments and, to provide risk management
insights.
When Models and Data prove to be incorrect or incomplete,
including because data is stale, missing or unavailable, any
Summary Prospectus April 30, 2026
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NVIT Jacobs Levy Large
Cap Growth Fund
decisions made in reliance thereon expose the Fund
to potential risks. Some of the models used by the subadviser for the Fund are predictive in nature. The use of
predictive models has inherent risks. Because predictive models are usually constructed based on historical
data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models depends heavily on the accuracy and
reliability of the supplied historical data. The Fund bears the risk that the quantitative models used by the
subadviser will not be successful in selecting companies for investment or in determining the weighting of
investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective.
All models rely on correct data inputs. If incorrect data is entered into even a well-founded model, the resulting information will be incorrect. However, even if data is inputted
correctly, “model prices” will often differ substantially from market prices, especially for
instruments with complex characteristics, such as derivative instruments.
The Fund is unlikely to be successful unless the assumptions underlying the models are
realistic and either remain realistic and relevant in the future or are adjusted to account for changes in the
overall market environment. If such assumptions are inaccurate or become inaccurate and are not promptly
adjusted, it is likely that profitable trading signals will not be generated, and major losses may result.
The subadviser, in its sole discretion, will continue to test, evaluate and add new models, which may result in the modification of existing models from time to time. There can be no assurance that model modifications will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective.
Portfolio turnover risk – a higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and may adversely impact the Fund’s performance.
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Performance
The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the volatility or variability of the Fund’s annual total returns over time and shows that Fund performance can change from year to year. The table shows the Fund’s average annual total
returns for certain time periods compared to the returns of a broad-based securities market index and an
additional index. The additional index has characteristics relevant to the Fund’s investment
strategy. Remember, however, that past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The returns shown in the bar chart and table do not include charges that will be imposed by variable insurance contracts. If these amounts were reflected,
returns would be less than those shown.
The Fund compares its performance to the Russell 1000 Index to
satisfy a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure requirement. The Fund's performance
prior to January 27, 2020, reflects returns pursuant to different principal investment strategies which took
long positions only and different subadvisers. If the Fund's current strategies and subadviser had been in place for the prior period, the performance information shown would have been different.
Annual Total Returns– Class II Shares
(Years Ended December 31,)
(Years Ended December 31,)
| Highest Quarter: |
25.89% |
– |
2Q 2020 |
| Lowest Quarter: |
-16.13% |
– |
4Q 2018 |
Average Annual Total Returns
(For the Periods Ended December 31, 2025)
(For the Periods Ended December 31, 2025)
| |
1 Year |
5 Years |
10 Years |
| Class I Shares |
14.20% |
19.09% |
18.02% |
| Class II Shares |
13.82% |
18.76% |
17.73% |
| Russell 1000® Index (reflects no deduction for
fees or expenses) |
17.37% |
13.59% |
14.59% |
| Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects no
deduction for fees or expenses) |
18.56% |
15.32% |
18.13% |
Portfolio Management
Investment Adviser
Nationwide Fund Advisors
Subadviser
Jacobs Levy Equity Management, Inc.
Summary Prospectus April 30, 2026
4
NVIT Jacobs Levy Large
Cap Growth Fund
Portfolio Managers
| Portfolio Manager |
Title |
Length of Service with Fund |
| Bruce I. Jacobs, Ph.D. |
Principal, Co-Chief
Investment Officer and
Portfolio Manager of
Jacobs Levy |
Since 2020 |
| Kenneth N. Levy, CFA |
Principal, Co-Chief
Investment Officer and
Portfolio Manager of
Jacobs Levy |
Since 2020 |
Tax Information
The dividends and distributions paid by the Fund to the insurance company separate accounts will consist of ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. Because shares of the Fund must be purchased through separate accounts used to fund variable insurance contracts, such dividends and distributions will be exempt from current taxation by contract holders if left to accumulate within a separate account. Consult the variable insurance contract
prospectus for additional tax information.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
This Fund is only offered as an underlying investment option for variable insurance contracts. The Fund and its related companies may make payments to the sponsoring insurance companies (or their affiliates) for distribution and/or other services, and to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries that distribute the variable insurance contracts. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the insurance companies to include the Fund as an underlying investment option in the variable insurance contracts, and by influencing the broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries to distribute variable insurance contracts that include the Fund as an underlying investment option over other variable insurance contracts or to otherwise
recommend the selection of the Fund as an underlying investment option by contract owners instead of other
funds that also may be available investment options. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your
variable insurance contract may contain additional information about these payments.
Summary Prospectus April 30, 2026
5
NVIT Jacobs Levy Large Cap Growth Fund