As parents and family members of our students, YOU are also a part of the Hofstra Pride! We are happy to help you navigate the University and answer any questions you may have. If you have any questions, please call our Parent and Family Programs office at 516-463-4698 or email us.
Check out some of the explanations for common Hofstra terminology and resources below. For more helpful Hofstra information, check out the Hofstra Family Handbook and our glossary of Hofstra terms.
Center for Career Design and Development
What is the Center for Career Design and Development?
The Hofstra Center for Career Design and Development is a place for every student of every class year and every major. The Center helps students in many ways, from choosing a major based on their interests, skills, and personality, to obtaining shadowing and internship experiences in potential career fields, and giving them access to meet hiring employers at job fairs.
FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to protect the confidentiality of student education records. The law states that, except in specified circumstances, no one outside the institution shall have access to a student’s education records, nor will the institution disclose any information from those records without the written consent of the student. “Education records” contain information that is directly related to a student, and include but are not limited to grades, GPA, student schedule, financial information and records, and conduct records.
Students may wish to grant their family members access to this information by waiving their FERPA rights. The preferred method for students to allow access is by completing the FERPA Authorization Form available through the Hofstra portal, whereby students can, at their discretion, grant family members access to their entire record or select aspects of their record. A paper version of the FERPA Authorization Form is also available at the Student Financial Services and Registrar Suite, Room 206 Memorial Hall, and can be downloaded at hofstra.edu/arforms.
FAFSA
The FAFSA (or Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the form colleges and the government rely on to calculate how much financial aid students are eligible for. The FAFSA is the only required application for federal financial aid at Hofstra University. A FAFSA must be filed annually and can be completed after January 1 for the upcoming summer and/or fall semester. The application may be filed at fafsa.ed.gov and is best to be filed as soon as possible.
RA and RD
Residential students should get to know their RA and RD. An RA is a resident assistant of a residence hall and are typically undergraduate students. The RA’s responsibilities include providing general assistance to residential students; facilitating social, recreational, educational, and cultural programs in the residence halls; informing residents about campus life or referring a student to the appropriate campus resources; explaining and enforcing University policies; and maintaining a safe, orderly, and relatively quiet environment. Many residential students’ concerns can be addressed with their RA.
An RD is a resident director. The resident assistant staff reports to the RD in their respective area. RDs are full-time, master's-degree-level professional staff members in the Office of Residence Life. RDs respond to emergencies, coordinate the resident assistant staff, develop programming, and handle maintenance concerns for the building.
Add/Drop
The add/drop process is a brief period at the beginning of the semester when students may add or drop classes. Students may add/drop courses online until the last day of the first week of classes. After this time, a student must request permission to be signed in to a class by the professor or the department.
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