Student Finance

Applying for Aid

The 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is now available at fafsa.gov.

Applicants

You have the option to apply for federal student loans only or apply for both federal student loans and institutional financial aid. Federal student loans available are the Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS loans. Institutional financial aid may include a scholarship and/or a North Shore-LIJ Health loan for those who meet the eligibility requirements.

NOTE: It may take up to 5 business days for our office to receive your FAFSA. To confirm receipt, please log in to the Hofstra portal and navigate to Financial Aid Services.

For additional information about federal and institutional aid eligibility requirements, click here.

Waitlisted applicants should complete a FAFSA form to help expedite the financial aid packaging process should they be accepted to the MD program. Please note that our office will not receive your FAFSA until after an official acceptance has been offered by the Admissions Office. Upon official acceptance, you will receive a Welcome/How to Apply for Financial Aid email from our office with links to the institutional financial aid application. Completion of this application is necessary to be considered for institutional loan and scholarship opportunities. Shortly after your acceptance, we will promptly review your financial aid application, prepare your financial aid package, and email you when it's ready.

Accepted applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form using Hofstra University's school code 002732 immediately upon acceptance. Your FAFSA form will be reviewed mid-March and notification of your federal financial aid package will be sent to your Hofstra pride email address prior to National Decision Deadine (April 30th). Access to your pride email account will be granted after the enrollment deposit is received.

Applicants accepted after April 30th will have their federal financial aid package prepared as soon as possible, however, having a completed FAFSA form ensures that your application will be reviewed quickly.

To complete the FAFSA, students must:

  • Have a StudentAid.gov account to log in or create an account
    • If you forgot your username or password, you can reset either on the Federal Student Aid website
  • Provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form via direct data exchange. This is mandatory even if you didn't file a tax return or filed a tax return outside the U.S.  You will not be eligible for federal student aid if you don't complete this step.

Married Students

Contributor refers to anyone required to provide information on your FAFSA form such as you and your spouse. Being identified as a contributor on the FAFSA form does not make your spouse responsible for paying for your educational costs.

  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you filled out the FAFSA and filed a 2023 federal tax return jointly with your spouse, then you will report your spouse's information on the FAFSA form, and they will not be considered as a contributor.
  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you filed the FAFSA and did not file a 2023 federal tax return jointly with your spouse, then your spouse will be considered a contributor on your FAFSA form.
    • Your contributor must have their own StudentAid.gov account to log in or create an account if they don't already have one. They must provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred into the FAFSA form (cannot be revoked). Even if your contributor doesn't have an SSN, didn't file a federal tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S., they will still need to provide consent and approval. You will not be eligible for federal student aid if they don't complete this step or if the contributor manually enters tax information into the FAFSA form - it must be transferred from the IRS via direct data exchange.
      • To invite a contributor to your FAFSA, you'll be asked to provide their first and last name, SSN (if they have one), date of birth, and email address.
  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you completed the FAFSA but were not married in 2023 (and therefore didn't file federal taxes as married), your spouse's 2023 income needs to be manually added to the FAFSA form.
  • If you filed 2023 taxes as married but are no longer married when completing the FAFSA form, the spouse's income must be subtracted.

Documents to have on hand when completing the FAFSA form, if applicable:

  • Your 2023 federal tax return, if filed - even though your tax information will be transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form, you may still need your tax records to answer certain questions
  • Savings and checking account balances, value of any investments such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding your primary residence) as of the date you sign the FAFSA form
  • Records of untaxed income, such as child support and interest income

Accepted applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form using Hofstra University's school code 002732 immediately upon acceptance. Your FAFSA form and Institutional Financial aid application(s) will be reviewed mid-March. Notification of your financial aid package will be sent to your Hofstra pride email address before the National Decision Deadline (April 30th). Access to your Pride email account will be granted after your enrollment deposit is received.

Applicants accepted after April 30th will have their financial aid package prepared as soon as possible, however, having a completed FAFSA form and Institutional Financial Aid application(s) ensures that your application will be reviewed quickly.

To complete the FAFSA, students must:

  • Have a StudentAid.gov account to log in or create an account
    • If you forgot your username or password, you can reset either on the Federal Student Aid website
  • Provide consent and approval for your federal tax information to be transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form via direct data exchange. This is mandatory even if you didn't file a tax return or filed a tax return outside the U.S.  You will not be eligible for federal student aid if you don't complete this step.

Married Students

Contributor refers to anyone required to provide information on your FAFSA form such as you and your spouse. Being identified as a contributor on the FAFSA form does not make your spouse responsible for paying for your educational costs.

  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you filled out the FAFSA and filed a 2023 federal tax return jointly with your spouse, then you will report your spouse's information on the FAFSA form, and they will not be considered as a contributor.
  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you filed the FAFSA and did not file a 2023 federal tax return jointly with your spouse, then your spouse will be considered a contributor on your FAFSA form.
    • Your contributor must have their own StudentAid.gov account to log in or create an account if they don't already have one. They must provide consent and approval for their federal tax information to be transferred into the FAFSA form (cannot be revoked). Even if your contributor doesn't have an SSN, didn't file a federal tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S., they must provide consent and approval. You will not be eligible for federal student aid if they don't complete this step or if the contributor manually enters tax information into the FAFSA form - it must be transferred from the IRS via direct data exchange.
      • To invite a contributor to your FAFSA, you'll be asked to provide their first and last name, SSN (if they have one), date of birth, and email address.
  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you completed the FAFSA but were not married in 2023 (and therefore didn't file federal taxes as married), your spouse's 2023 income must be manually added to the FAFSA form.
  • If you filed 2023 taxes as married but are no longer married when completing the FAFSA form, the spouse's income must be subtracted.

Documents to have on hand when completing the FAFSA form, if applicable:

  • Your 2023 federal tax return, if filed - even though your tax information will be transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form, you may still need your tax records to answer certain questions
  • Savings and checking account balances, the value of any investments such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding your primary residence) as of the date you sign the FAFSA form
  • Records of untaxed income, such as child support and interest income

Parents' financial information is required to be considered for institutional aid (scholarship/North Shore-LIJ Health loan). If your parents are divorced, separated, unmarried and living together, or never married, both parents' information is required. Providing this information does not make your parent(s) responsible for paying for your Medical School education or require them to support you in any way.

1. Submit the Institutional Financial Aid Application(s) and Upload Parents' Tax Return 

  • Link to this application is provided in the How to Apply for Financial Aid at ZSOM email sent to accepted students shortly after your enrollment deposit is received
  • If your parents filed a 2023 federal tax return jointly, upload a signed copy of their tax return
  • If your parents filed a 2023 federal tax return separately, submit the Institutional Financial Application providing one parent's information and upload a signed copy of that parent's tax return, AND submit a separate Non-custodial Parent Institutional Financial Aid Application providing your other parent's information and upload a signed copy of that parent's tax return
  • If your parent(s) reside outside of the United States:
    • Submit their foreign tax return - monetary units must be converted to U.S. dollars using the published exchange rate as of the date you filed the FAFSA form
    • If a tax return is not required to be filed by the country where they reside, submit a signed statement from your parent(s) employer indicating all income earned in 2023, and a signed statement from your parent(s) indicating all assets (savings and checking account balances, value of any investments such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding their primary residence)) as of the date you filed the FAFSA form

2. Submit the Non-Custodial Parent Application and Upload Parent's Tax Return - only if your parents are married but filed their 2023 federal tax return separately OR are divorced, separated, unmarried and living together, or never married 

  •  Link to this application will be provided in the How to Apply for Financial Aid at ZSOM email sent to accepted students shortly after your enrollment deposit is received
  • If your parent(s) reside outside of the United States:
    • Submit their foreign tax return - monetary units must be converted to U.S. dollars using the published exchange rate as of the date you filed the FAFSA form
    • If a tax return is not required to be filed by the country where they reside, submit a signed statement from your parent(s) employer indicating all income earned in 2023, and a signed statement from your parent(s) indicating all assets (savings and checking account balances, value of any investments such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding their primary residence)) as of the date you filed the FAFSA form

Special Circumstances:

  • If you are 26 years old or above as of August 1st of the current FAFSA year, a sliding scale will be used to calculate the parent contribution
  • If you are 30 years old or above as of August 1st of the current application cycle, parent information is not required if the student's income reported on the federal tax return for the filing year specified on the FAFSA is above the poverty level for household size
  • If you are married, parent information is required if the student/spouse's combined income is below the FAFSA year poverty level for household size
    • Age phaseout policy also applies
  • Active-duty military or honorably discharged veterans are not required to submit parent information, regardless of age

Documents to have on hand when completing the Institutional Financial Aid Application(s):

  • Your parent(s) 2023 federal tax return, if filed
  • Savings and checking account balances, the value of any investments such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding your primary residence) as of the date you sign the FAFSA form
  • Records of untaxed income, such as child support and interest income

Note: Institutional aid is not guaranteed, and is dependent upon eligibility and availability of funds at the time your application is complete.

Current Students

All continuing students are strongly encouraged to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form by March 15th each year to apply for federal student loans (Direct Unsubsidized/Graduate PLUS). If your application is received after this deadline, there is no guarantee that federal student loans will be offered before your bill is due.  

NOTE: It may take up to 5 business days for our office to receive your FAFSA. To confirm receipt, please log in to the Hofstra portal and navigate to Financial Aid Services.

Institutional financial aid (scholarship and/or North Shore-LIJ Health loan) amounts received as a First Year student are guaranteed and renewable. You do not need to submit any Institutional Financial Aid applications to receive this aid in future academic years.

Guaranteed institutional aid amounts do not include any additional aid received through an appeal. Additional aid granted through an appeal is not renewable, therefore an appeal form must be submitted each aid year by the August 15th deadline. All requests will be formally reviewed after the deadline and determinations will be made by September 30th, unless otherwise notified.

Students may submit the FAFSA form after October 1st using Hofstra University's school code 002732.  

To complete the FAFSA, students must:

  • Have a StudentAid.gov account to log in or create an account
    • If you forgot your username or password, you can reset either on the Federal Student Aid website
  • Provide consent and approval for your federal tax information to be transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form via direct data exchange. This is mandatory even if you didn't file a tax return or filed a tax return outside the U.S.  You will not be eligible for federal student aid if you don't complete this step.

Married Students

Contributor refers to anyone required to provide information on your FAFSA form such as you and your spouse. Being identified as a contributor on the FAFSA form does not make your spouse responsible for paying for your educational costs.

  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you filled out the FAFSA and filed a 2023 federal tax return jointly with your spouse, then you will report your spouse's information on the FAFSA form, and they will not be considered as a contributor.
  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you filed the FAFSA and did not file a 2023 federal tax return jointly with your spouse, then your spouse will be considered a contributor on your FAFSA form.
    • Your contributor must have their own StudentAid.gov account to log in or create an account if they don't already have one. They must provide consent and approval for their federal tax information to be transferred into the FAFSA form (cannot be revoked). Even if your contributor doesn't have an SSN, didn't file a federal tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S., they must provide consent and approval. You will not be eligible for federal student aid if they don't complete this step or if the contributor manually enters tax information into the FAFSA form - it must be transferred from the IRS via direct data exchange.
      • To invite a contributor to your FAFSA, you'll be asked to provide their first and last name, SSN (if they have one), date of birth, and email address.
  • If you are married (and not separated) as of the date you completed the FAFSA but were not married in 2023 (and therefore didn't file federal taxes as married), your spouse's 2023 income must be manually added to the FAFSA form.
  • If you filed 2023 taxes as married but are no longer married when completing the FAFSA form, the spouse's income must be subtracted.

Documents to have on hand when completing the FAFSA form, if applicable:

  • Your 2023 federal tax return, if filed - even though your tax information will be transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form, you may still need your tax records to answer certain questions
  • Savings and checking account balances, the value of any investments such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding your primary residence) as of the date you sign the FAFSA form
  • Records of untaxed income, such as child support and interest income