Office of the Bursar/Student Accounts: Billing, Payment and Refunds
The Office of the Bursar/Student Accounts is responsible for the billing, the processing of payments, refunds and the collections of receivables of all student accounts and the preparation of Tax Form 1098-T. The Office of the Bursar/Student Accounts works in conjunction with the Office of Admissions, the Office of Academic Records/Registrar, the Office of Financial Aid and the Student Financial Services Suite to deliver superior customer service to our students and families at Hofstra University.
The student account reflects all your registration, billing status, and financial aid information. All your account information is available online through your secure portal at http://my.hofstra.edu. When a student registers for classes each semester, either via paper or electronically, he/she must read and agree to the Acknowledgement of Financial Responsibility. To review the detailed information on the Acknowledgement of Financial Responsibility, please click the link below. No registration can be accepted for a student whose account remains unpaid for a prior semester. Hofstra University reserves the right to alter the schedule of charges without notice.
In accordance with Hofstra University policy, the student’s consent is required for a parent, or other individual, to see the student account balance and summary of transactions; note this is a different authorization from FERPA requirements. The student is responsible to register for classes, to review the student account summary and to ensure payment is made and applied to the student account on or before the due date each semester. Further, the student may choose to withdraw from a semester or request a refund from the student account. When refunds are the result of non-loan-related payments, the refund will be provided directly to the student, regardless of whether the original payor of the funds was the student. This is because payments credited to a student’s account are considered credits belonging to the student, and not to a parent, or other individual, who may have made a payment on the student’s behalf.
Billing
Billing statements are only available online to students and their designated authorized users. Paper billing statements are not mailed home.
Students must have at least one authorized user assigned to their eBill account so that the authorized user may also automatically receive emails when electronic billing statements are available online to view. Go to hofstra.edu/EbillAddUser for instructions on how to add an authorized user.
Payment
Hofstra University accepts payments via cash, check, or money order in person at the Student Financial Services Suite. Alternatively, payments may be made online via electronic check. For more information on Payment Options, click the link below.
Refunds
If the student account reflects a credit balance (negative amount), the student may sign up to receive the refund electronically via eRefund(direct deposit). Enrolling in eRefund is just designating the preferred method to receive the money; the student will still need to request the refund via the portal account at my.hofstra.edu. Follow online instructions on how to set up an eRefund Account and how to request a refund. For more detailed information on the Refund Policy, please go to www.hofstra.edu/refunds.
Delayed VA Payments
Under S2248 PL 115-407 Section 103, Hofstra University will not impose a late fee, denial of access to facilities, or other penalty against a veteran or eligible dependent due to a late payment of tuition and/or fees from the VA up to the certified benefit amount. Any portion of the student bill not covered by VA benefits is still expected to be settled by the due date.
Here are some quick links to help manage your student account, pay your bill and keep track of deadlines:
Quick Clicks
Tuition and Fees
Current tuition and fee rates will be available on the University’s website prior to the start of each term. Hofstra University reserves the right to alter this schedule and other fees without notice.
Tuition charges are based on the number of credit hours and the type of program for which the student is registered, at the rates set forth on the University’s website. Tuition charges do not change whether course instruction takes place in-person or online.
All charges must be paid in full on the date established by the University for each semester. The only exception to this policy is for students enrolled in a payment plan. Any unpaid balances will be subject to late payment fees in accordance with the University’s policy. In addition, Accounts Receivable holds will be assessed on all students accounts with unpaid balances. The University reserves the right to withhold diplomas, certificates, transcripts and other University services until all financial obligations have been satisfied. Highlighted below are the payment options available to Hofstra students.
Checks, Cash or Money Orders
Tuition, room, dining and related fees may be paid by personal check electronically on the Hofstra portal at My.Hofstra.edu, 24 hours a day/7 days a week, submitted in person at the Student Financial Services Suite, Room 206 Memorial Hall (second floor), or mailed directly to Hofstra University, Office of the Bursar/Student Accounts, 126 Hofstra University, Memorial Hall Rm 205, Hempstead, NY 11549.
Checks must be made payable to Hofstra University, in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. When paying by check, you authorize check payments to be processed as Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) transactions, which immediately debit the account. The process will read the information from a paper check and convert it to an electronic payment or debit transaction. The result is that funds may be withdrawn from your account as soon as we receive your payment, and you will not receive your check back from your financial institution.
Cash or money orders are accepted at the Student Financial Services Suite, Room 206 Memorial Hall.
Returned Checks: A personal check returned by the bank for any reason will be charged back to the student’s account and in addition a $25 returned check fee will be assessed. Further, a hold will be placed on the student’s account prohibiting registration and transcript services as well as access to many of Hofstra University’s services until the balance is resolved.
When a personal check has been returned, the student must remit payment in the form of cash, certified bank check or money order to satisfy the outstanding balance or the student’s account will remain subject to account restrictions, including but not limited to, cancellation of current term or future term registration for non-payment, restriction from payment via personal check, etc.
Hofstra reserves the right to rescind the option to pay by personal checks should multiple return checks occur.
Wires
- Domestic:
Tuition, room, dining and related fees may be paid by authorizing your financial institution to transfer funds electronically through the Federal Reserve (U.S. Banks) or the SWIFT system (Foreign Banks). For instructions for payment via wire transfer please contact the Student Financial Services Suite at 516-463-8000, via email at sfs@hofstra.edu, or at Room 206 Memorial Hall.
- International:
Hofstra University has partnered with Flywire to offer an innovative and streamlined way to transfer international tuition payments. Flywire’s mission is to save international students and their families money that would otherwise be lost in bank fees and unfavorable foreign exchange rates. With Flywire, you are offered excellent foreign exchange rates, allowing you to pay in your home currency (in most cases) and save a significant amount of money, as compared to traditional banks. In addition, the posting of the payment into your Hofstra University account will be faster, and you will be notified via email when it is received. Please visit https://www.flywire.com/pay/hofstra.
Payment Plan Options
Hofstra University has several different payment plan options to students and those helping them pay for their education at Hofstra. Students are able to divide their total outstanding balance, after financial aid, into easy-to-manage monthly installments. Please refer to hofstra.edu/monthlypaymentplans for more information. Please log in to your portal account and go to the Student Payment Center under Student Services. Then click on the tab titled “Payment Plans” to view the plans available for the current semester.
Employer Tuition Reimbursement Plan
Students whose employer offers a tuition reimbursement program may complete the Tuition Reimbursement Deferment Request Form. The form must be completed in full and returned to the Office of the Bursar/Student Accounts with the required down payment on or before the due date of the semester billing statement. Please refer to hofstra.edu/sfs/sfs_forms for the form.
Locked-in Tuition Plan
Hofstra University is pleased to offer new undergraduate students a four-year, locked-in rate for tuition and fees. Please visit hofstra.edu/sfs/sfs_lockin for additional information, including the enrollment form.
Tuition Refund Insurance
A.W.G. Dewar, Inc. Tuition Refund Plan (“TRP”) is an optional tuition insurance plan. If you need to withdraw from classes or leave school due to an illness or accident, you may be eligible for a refund of covered charges throughout the semester, even if Hofstra University’s refund policy has expired. Costs covered by the TRP include tuition charges only. The TRP supplements Hofstra University’s tuition refund policy, as published below.
Please note that enrollment in the plan must take place prior to the start of the semester for the school at which you are enrolled. The fee is non-refundable once the semester begins. Please check your online billing statement for details of all charges on your account.
The TRP is made available for your convenience, at your option. Hofstra University is not associated with, nor has received any benefit from A.W.G. Dewar, Inc., One Beacon America Insurance Company or Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company.
For additional information regarding the plan or to enroll, please visit hofstra.edu/tuitioninsurance.
University Refund Policy for Undergraduate Students
Click here for more information:
hofstra.edu/sfs/bursar/bursar_tuition
Title IV Refund Policy for Undergraduate Students
Students who withdraw from the University and have received, or were eligible to receive, funds from the Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program, Federal Direct Loan Program (Unsubsidized, Subsidized and/or PLUS), are subject to federal regulations relating to the Return of Title IV aid, and to the University’s refund policy for all other payments. Note: The Federal regulations for return of Federal aid does not affect a student’s liability for tuition charges. This often results in students owing additional money to the University after a withdrawal.
Upon official withdrawal from the University, the University shall compute the amount of Title IV aid that has been earned by the student, and the amount that must be returned to the program(s). This federal formula considers the date of withdrawal, the form of aid, and the amount of aid credited to the student or previously refunded to the student.
Unearned financial aid dollars, which must be returned to the federal aid programs, may create a balance owed by the student to the University. Students remain responsible for all such financial obligations.
In addition to the amount of federal aid that the University must return, students receiving federal aid directly from Hofstra or otherwise toward other educational costs, including off-campus living expenses, may be required to repay a portion of those funds to the federal programs. Failure to return the aid to the federal aid programs may result in loss of eligibility for additional financial aid assistance.
Federal aid funds to be returned are distributed to the programs in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Federal PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG
- TEACH
- Other Title IV Programs
Sample worksheets are available in the Financial Aid Office.
Financial Aid
Visit the University’s Financial Aid Web page and also find Detailed Information on Financial Aid here .
Hofstra makes financial aid available in the form of scholarships, grants, loans and employment. Like other universities that subscribe to the policies of the Federal Student Aid Programs, we believe that eligibility for scholarship aid should depend on the student’s achievement and promise. Such aid may also depend on the relative financial need of the student and his or her family.
Prospective new full-time first-year students in good standing are eligible for awards ranging in value up to full tuition. Scholarships are also available for full-time undergraduate students in good academic standing. These renewable one-year awards are granted on the basis of academic quality, personal merit, need and, in some cases, proficiency in a specialized area. Students have the responsibility to plan ahead, anticipate all costs, budget all resources, and request aid for the entire academic period. Anticipated costs include not only tuition and fees but a reasonable cost estimate for books and supplies, transportation, room and board where applicable, and personal expenses. Budgeted resources should include assistance from parents, student savings, summer earnings, term-time earnings, federal and state aid, and scholarships from community civic organizations.
The Financial Aid Office coordinates all sources of financial aid for which a student is eligible. Awards may require adjustment at any time if additional awards are received.
Students who are pursuing second undergraduate degrees may be eligible for federal financial aid; however they are not eligible for institutional funds.
Hofstra University awards scholarships and other financial assistance on a racially nondiscriminatory basis.
Scholarships and Other Awards
Scholarships are generally awarded by Hofstra and other organizations for academic or other merit. When you apply for admission, your academic credentials are evaluated for scholarships. As you continue through your program with the University, scholarships may be possible based on academic excellence. Students can also contact their major department chairperson or Dean’s Office to inquire about scholarship opportunities. Please refer to the Scholarship Award letter for the renewal conditions for each award. If you receive a scholarship from an outside source such as a community group, business or other organization, please forward a copy of the award notice you received to Student Financial Services. The award must be accounted as part of your financial aid package. Obtaining scholarships from outside sources can require a bit of research, but there are tools to help you with that research. Certain scholarship and grant funds that you have received may be deemed taxable. For more information on Payments to Students and Their Taxability please click here.
Visit the Hofstra University Web page to learn about scholarships or see the detailed listing of Hofstra-specific scholarships and prizes.
Acknowledgement of Financial Responsibility
For more information on Acknowledgement of Financial Responsibility please click here .
Updated May 2020
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