Admission (Graduate)

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Office of Graduate Admission, Room 105 Memorial Hall, South Campus
Telephone: 516-463-4723
Fax: 516-463-4664
Email: graduateadmission@hofstra.edu
Hours: Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.   
Summer Hours: Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Admission

Applicants for matriculated or nonmatriculated study are required to present evidence of a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a fully, regionally accredited institution when they apply for admission.

Admission to graduate study at Hofstra is open to those who have met general University requirements, and specific requirements for the various programs and degrees offered. Students should also carefully check individual programs . Criteria for admission are subject to change without notice.

A nonrefundable tuition deposit may be required of all accepted graduate/doctoral students (see specific program). This deposit will be credited toward tuition in the student’s first fall or spring semester for which the student first registers.

NOTE: The deadline for filing a housing application is May 1.

Readmission

Master’s and doctoral students who have no record of attendance at Hofstra for one fall or spring semester, without maintaining matriculation or being granted an academic leave, must apply for readmission to the University. Applications for readmission can be obtained through the Office of Graduate Admission and must be approved by the program director. Students who are readmitted are bound by the requirements set forth in the Graduate Studies Bulletin in effect when they are readmitted.

Hofstra University is sensitive to the fact that our students may leave the university in order to perform military service, and encourages those students to complete their education degree once that service has ended. Qualified U.S. Service Member students who seek to take a leave of absence to perform such service must give advanced notice of service to the Office of Student Financial Services and Registrar, unless military necessity prevents this. If such notice is not provided, the student will have to provide sufficient documentation that the student performed such service, upon seeking readmission. The student must contact the Office of Graduate Admission to submit a Readmission application. A Service Member student who is readmitted will be readmitted with the same academic status as when he/she last attended so long as there is no disqualifying event, such as dishonorable or bad conduct charge, and the length of absence does not exceed the established time period for such leave (generally five years).

Full- and Part-time Graduate Student Status

Graduate students are considered full-time by Hofstra University if they are registered for a minimum of 9 semester hours*, and part-time if they are registered for fewer than 9 semester hours per semester. Classroom activities, student teaching, internship and practica may be considered as contributing to full-time status.

Non-classroom activities that constitute an integral part of the student’s program (e.g., independent study, internships, thesis/dissertation research, graduate assistantships, preparation for language qualifying examinations) may be considered as contributing toward full-time or part-time status. Petitions for consideration of such activities for full- or part-time status may be submitted by the student and his/her program adviser or director to the dean of the college or school. The student must be registered for class or maintaining matriculation.

_{*Eligibility for some financial aid programs (e.g., TAP Awards) may require enrollment for a minimum of 12 credits.}

Transfer of Credit

Graduate transfer credit from another accredited institution may be accepted by Hofstra, subject to the following conditions:

1. Graduate transfer credit is limited by the University to insure a minimum of 24 semester hours taken in-residence. See individual graduate program listed under the major department for specific transfer regulations.
2. No credit will be given for courses graded less than B- or the equivalent.
3. Graduate students transferring to Hofstra are encouraged to apply for credit for courses taken at another institution at the time of application for matriculation into the program. The course work to be transferred must be academically relevant to the program of study entered. This credit must be evaluated by the program director on an official form issued by the Office of Graduate Admission.
4. Students attending Hofstra may obtain credit for courses taken at another accredited institution if the courses have been approved in advance by the appropriate department, school or college and have been recorded by the Office of Academic Records.
5. All credits applied toward the granting of a doctoral degree must be earned within a period of ten years.  Transfer credit for all other graduate degree programs must be earned within a period of five years.  Coursework outside this timeframe must be approved by the academic dean through the use of a waiver and substitution form with time extension notes.  In addition, provost’s office approval is required when coursework exceeds 12 years for doctoral students and seven years for master’s students.

Degree Study

Applicants for graduate matriculation (approved study leading to an advanced degree, certificate or professional diploma) must submit a completed application with all required documents to the Office of Graduate Admission on or before the deadline date established for the program in which the student wishes to matriculate. Complete information regarding deadlines, admission requirements and submission of standardized test scores may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Admission.

Upon matriculation, graduate students must submit official transcripts showing baccalaureate or graduate degree conferral from a fully regionally accredited institution.

Applicants who fail to submit their applications in time may be admitted as nonmatriculated graduate students if they wish to register for no more than 12 semester hours of course work, which in some cases may be prerequisite to matriculation or creditable to degree requirements upon subsequent matriculation. See Nonmatriculated Study.

The completed application will be reviewed by the Office of Graduate Admission and the appropriate graduate program director for a decision. The applicant will receive official notification of the decision from the Office of Graduate Admission.

Bulletin of First Matriculation

Graduate students are expected to satisfy those requirements specified in the Graduate Studies Bulletin in effect the semester of their first matriculation in their graduate program at the University, as designated in the letter of acceptance from the Office of Graduate Admission. Graduate students who are readmitted must follow the requirements set forth in the Graduate Studies Bulletin in effect when they are readmitted. Any student, however, may elect once during his or her graduate studies to follow all the requirements specified in a subsequent Graduate Studies Bulletin, provided the Office of Academic Records is notified prior to the semester of graduation. No exceptions regarding the requirements set forth in any Graduate Studies Bulletin may be made by the students or by the faculty without the written approval of the dean of the academic unit or of the provost.

NOTE: For specific requirements, see individual graduate programs .

Nonmatriculated Study

Applicants who wish to take individual courses may study on a nonmatriculated basis for a maximum of 12 semester hours. Applicants for nonmatriculated study are required to present evidence of a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a fully, regionally accredited institution when they apply for admission. In addition to particular course and program restrictions, the University reserves the right to restrict registration for nonmatriculated students as it deems appropriate.

Permission to take courses as a nonmatriculated student does not constitute acceptance to a degree program. Nonmatriculated students are encouraged to matriculate in order to obtain the advisement and registration benefits accorded matriculated students. Students who subsequently matriculate may apply credit earned in a nonmatriculated status in courses numbered 200 or above toward a degree provided these courses fulfill requirements and are completed within the time limit set for the degree. All courses below the 200 level do not carry graduate credit. Frank G. Zarb School of Business  graduate courses are open only to matriculated graduate students in the Zarb School of Business and in other schools at Hofstra where appropriate. Graduate courses in psychology, speech pathology and audiology, and counseling are closed to non-degree admission. Complete information may be obtained in the Office of Graduate Admission. Matriculation imposes no obligation to complete a stipulated amount of work each semester, but entails careful examination and evaluation of previous academic accomplishments, usually with the ultimate goal of acceptance into a degree, certificate or diploma program.

Auditing Policy

It is not the policy to permit either Hofstra or non-Hofstra students to audit graduate courses.