Before you embark on the step-by-step process of applying for financial aid, it's helpful to know who you can turn to for help, should you need it. Please take a moment to identify your Student Financial Services counselor. After all, we're here to help!
Be sure to stay in touch, particularly if your circumstances change. For example, if your parents or other relative or friend can no longer help you pay for college, your parents get divorced, or a loan falls through, let us know. We may be able to help.
Your personal Student Financial Services counselor is available to go over all your education funding options with you.
However, you may want to learn more on your own by reviewing our Financial Aid Glossary.
Undergraduate Students
Students pursuing bachelor's degrees.
New York- Last names A-C, I, Y, Z
Eric Schildt
516-463-6524
Email
New York- Last names E, H, O-R, T-V, X
Brian Alvarez
516-463-6829
Email
International, Domestic living abroad, New York F, S, W
Karel Griffith
516-463-4166
Email
CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT, Last name begins with G
Pamela Shapiro
516-463-6446
Email
New York- Last names J-N
David Drago
516-463-6832
Email
All Other, NY last name begins with D
Meagan Gross
516-463-4619
Email
Veterans or Students receiving VA benefits.
Nancy Metro
516-463-7228
Email
Law & Medicine
Deane School of Law
Dana Vitale
516-463-6706
Email
Zucker School of Medicine
Please contact us at:
516-463-7523
medicine.finaid@hofstra.edu
Special Circumstances
My parents are unmarried/separated/divorced/same gender but still living in the same household, whose information do I report on the FAFSA?
As long as your parents reside in the same household, you must report information for both parents regardless of marital status.
Separated or Divorced
My parents are separated and living apart but it is not a legal separation, do I report their marital status as separated or married on the FAFSA?
As long as your parents are living apart and consider their marital status as separated, you report their marital status as separated, it does not have to be a legal separation. File the FAFSA based on the parent you lived with the most the previous 12 months.
My parents are separated because my dad (or mom) works in another country so they are separated by distance but they are still in a married relationship, do I report them as married or separated?
Married, report both incomes. Foreign income must be reported. Even if only the parent still living in the U.S. files a U.S. tax return, convert the foreign income into U.S. dollars of the parent working outside the U.S. If neither parent files a U.S. tax return, convert the foreign income earned from work into U.S. dollars and report it on the FAFSA line that asks for income earned from work, not adjusted gross income or the untaxed income worksheets.
My parents are separated (or divorced) and live apart, how do I fill out the FAFSA?
The FAFSA must be filed based on the parent you lived with most the last 12 months regardless of who claimed you on their tax return. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, base it on the parent who provided the most financial support to you.
My parents are separated (or divorced) and living apart but filed a joint tax return, do I report both incomes as reported on their tax return?
No, you must separate the income and base the FAFSA on the information of the parent you lived with the most the last 12 months. You should ask a Student Financial Services counselor to help you do this because you will need to separate the income and taxes paid.
What do I do if my parents became separated/divorced and are living apart after I already filed the FAFSA?
Speak with your Student Financial Services counselor so we can help you make the changes. We will send you a "Request for Re-evaluation" form to complete and submit with the appropriate documentation.
Remarried
My biological parents are divorced, I live with my mother who is remarried, how do I fill out the FAFSA?
You must base the FAFSA on the parent you lived with the most the last 12 months, so if that parent is remarried, your stepparent’s information must be included as if they are your parent. Report any child support received from your biological parent where it asks for it.
My stepparent is not responsible for supporting me or having anything to do with my college education, why do I have to report his/her information?
Because it is a federal rule, there are no exceptions even if there is a prenuptial agreement, it does not exempt the stepparent from providing information required of a parent for financial aid purposes.
My parent is remarried as of the day I am filing the FAFSA but they weren’t married when they filed their tax returns, therefore they filed separate tax returns. How do I file the FAFSA?
Add the income from both tax returns together and report it as well as both asset information. On the question that asks what kind of tax return was filed, if they both filed a 1040, answer 1040. If one filed a 1040 and the other filed a 1040A or 1040EZ, answer 1040A or 1040EZ.
Common Law Marriage
How does the FAFSA treat common law marriages?
If your parents meet the criteria in their state for a common law marriage, their status should be reported as married and both parents' information must be reported.
Deceased
One of my parents recently died. Do I have to report his/her income on the FAFSA?
No. If they filed a joint tax return and/or you already filed the FAFSA, contact your financial aid counselor for help in separating the income and making the necessary changes. You will most likely need to submit copies of the income documentation and death certificate to the aid office.
What if my parent died after I already filed the FAFSA?
Ask the Office of Financial Aid for a "Request for Re-evaluation" form and submit the appropriate documentation as listed on the form.