Additional Academic Information

Credit requirement
Students in the full-time program must register for at least 12 credit hours in each semester of the second and third years, but may not take more than 17 credit hours in any semester. The 17 credit maximum cannot be waived. To meet the 87-hour requirement for graduation, the total hours taken in the second and third years must be at least 58.

Students in the part-time program must register for at least 8 credit hours in each semester of the second, third and fourth years, but may not take more than 11 credit hours in any semester unless written permission to do so is obtained from the Dean’s Office.

J.D./M.B.A. Program
The J.D./M.B.A. program is a joint program of the Hofstra School of Law and Hofstra’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business. Students should consult the Catalog and the Frank G. Zarb School of Business for specific eligibility requirements and course prerequisites for admission to the J.D./M.B.A. program. For further information, please see the Registrar, Room 114 or E-mail: lawoar@hofstra.edu.

Academic Leave
A student who requires an academic leave must apply for permission in writing to the Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Academic leaves will be granted only upon a showing of compelling circumstances. Upon recommendation of the Dean, the University will remit tuition (except for the admissions seat deposit submitted by incoming first-year students) as follows:

Date of Academic Leave	Tuition Refunded
Prior to 1st day of classes	100%
1st week of classes	100%
2nd week of classes	75%
3rd week of classes	50%
4th week of classes	25%
Thereafter	0%

The deadline to apply for an academic leave is the same as the last day of classes or prior to the date that 25 percent of the course’s grade has been determined, whichever is earlier. Academic leaves are granted for no more than 12 months. Consult the Office of Academic Records for withdrawal deadline for the semester.

Rules for Election of Non-Classroom Courses
The New York Court of Appeals rules for admission of attorneys permit Hofstra students to select up to 27 semester hours of non-classroom courses during their course of study. In calculating this 27-hour limitation, only the non-classroom portion of clinical and like courses must be counted.

The Court of Appeals rules also require students in the full-time program to elect at least 10 classroom credit hours each semester, and students in the part-time program to elect at least 8 classroom credit hours each semester, except during a semester in which a student elects the Community Legal Assistance Program (Criminal Justice Clinic, Housing Rights Clinic, Economic Development Clinic, Child Advocacy Clinic, Mediation Clinic, Political Asylum Clinic or Securities Arbitration Clinic) or the Externship Program. For more information about Non-Classroom Courses, please consult the Rules for Election of Non-Classroom Hours (PDF).

Summer School Programs; Accelerated Graduation, J.D. Program
The regular summer school session will last for seven weeks of class plus exams. Classes meet for the same number of class minutes as they do during a regular semester. In addition, the Law School may offer intensive, short-term courses during the summer. Information regarding these courses will be made available to students during the year.

Students in the full-time program may accelerate graduation by one semester by attending summer sessions at Hofstra for two summers. Such students will be able to complete the credits required for graduation in two and one-half calendar years. Students in the part-time program may accelerate graduation by one semester by attending summer sessions at Hofstra for two summers. Such students will be able to complete the credits required for graduation in three and one-half calendar years. Courses taken in study abroad programs or in intensive courses may not be used for accelerated graduation. It is not possible to accelerate graduation by more than one semester.

Study Abroad
The Law School offers summer study abroad programs in Sorrento, Italy and, in cooperation with the University of North Carolina School of Law, in Sydney, Australia. Hofstra also offers a three-week winter intersession study abroad program in Curaçao, The Netherlands Antilles, in cooperation with the University of Baltimore School of Law. These programs are designed to introduce students to a broad array of transnational legal issues. Brochures and further information regarding the Law School’s study abroad programs are available from the Office of International Programs, Room 220, and the Office of Admissions, Room 250. Students who wish to attend a study abroad program administered by another law school must obtain permission in advance from the Director of International Programs. Such permission will ordinarily be granted, provided the program is ABA approved. However, students do not earn Residency Units when attending study abroad programs unaffiliated with Hofstra Law School.

Hofstra’s EACLE exchange partners for the 2007-2008 academic year are the Universities of Rotterdam (Erasmus), Ghent, Helsinki and Warsaw. We anticipate offering exchange opportunities with these same universities for the academic year 2008-09. Students interested in applying to this exchange program should speak with the Director of International Programs.

Transfer Between Part-Time and Full-Time Programs
Students are not automatically entitled to transfer between divisions. A student in good standing may apply to transfer after the completion of two semesters from the part-time to the full-time program, or vice-versa, and may transfer with permission of the Dean or the Dean’s designee. Students applying to transfer from the part-time division to the full-time division should be aware that, consistent with ABA accreditation requirements, a student taking more than 12 credits may not work more than 20 hours per week. Before applying to transfer from the full-time to the part-time division students should also be aware that registration for less than 12 credits may affect eligibility for financial aid, health insurance, and immigration status (for foreign students). Transferring students may be required to pay the full per-credit rate for winter and summer courses in order to satisfy residency requirements. Students are advised to learn more about these issues and consider these consequences carefully before deciding to file an application to transfer.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, a student may not transfer between divisions more than once. Students interested in transferring between divisions after the completion of more than 1.5 Residency Units may or may not be able to do so due to the details of ABA requirements, and may also be assessed a substantial fee upon transfer; such students should consult with the Director of Part-Time Programs.

Transfer of Credits; Visiting at Other Law Schools
There will be no academic credit granted at the Law School for any studies done elsewhere in the University unless the studies are part of a program approved by the Law School or the student has obtained prior permission from the Dean’s Office.

There will be no academic credit granted for studies at other law schools except in the case of a transfer student or a student who has obtained prior permission from the Dean’s Office. Permission to visit at another school will be granted only under extraordinary circumstances. Such circumstances include a death or extreme illness in the student’s immediate family which necessitates a move to another city in order to alleviate severe financial, medical or other stress, and similar situations. (This policy does not apply to requests to attend a summer study abroad program sponsored by another law school. Such requests will generally be approved, provided the program in question is approved by the A.B.A.) In any event, grades earned in courses taken at other law schools or at other schools of Hofstra University will not be counted in the computation of a student’s grade point average. (See also Study Abroad.)

Students who wish to participate in an A.B.A.-approved summer study abroad program offered by another law school must obtain prior written permission from the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

Withdrawal from the School of Law
If a student finds it necessary to withdraw from Law School, the student must apply in writing to the Office of Student Affairs for permission to withdraw. The student may be entitled to tuition remission. The amount of remission diminishes as the student attendance at the School of Law lengthens. Upon recommendation from the Dean, the University will remit tuition (except the admissions seat deposit submitted by incoming first-year students) as follows:

100% Tuition Refund for withdrawal prior to the first week of classes
100% Tuition Refund for withdrawal during the first week of classes
75% Tuition Refund for withdrawal during the second week of classes
50% Tuition Refund for withdrawal during the third week of classes
25% Tuition Refund for withdrawal during the fourth week of classes
0% Tuition Refund for withdrawal thereafter

NOTE: For the purpose of the refund calculation, the first day of classes is considered to be:

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 for all first year students
Monday, August 27, 2007 for all continuing students

This schedule complies with federal regulations of the Department of Education. A copy of these regulations is on file in the Office of Financial Aid, Room 250, Law School. A student withdrawing during from any semester without approval of the Dean is not entitled to remission of tuition and will automatically receive a failing grade in all courses.

Videotaping Policy
Videotaping of classes is conducted in very limited circumstances. Videotaping of classes may be permitted:

• when a group of students would otherwise be forced to miss class (e.g., religious holidays that preclude attendance, or make-up classes outside of the regular class schedule);
• for Student Ambassadors out of town on Law School business;
• for other extraordinary cases, such as the death of a family member, or a severe illness necessitating more than a few days’ absence.

Taping in such cases will be arranged by the Office of Student Affairs, after consulting with the student(s) involved, and using a taping request form available from the Office of Student Affairs. In all cases, videotaping will be subject to the permission of the instructor and available resources. Please note that some faculty members do not permit their classes to be taped, and that the Law School’s “good and regular attendance” requirement remains in effect, irrespective of whether a particular class has been taped or not.

Audio taping of classes may be personally conducted by a student with the professor’s consent.

Ordering Transcripts Online
To order a transcript, log into the My Hofstra Portal, using your Hofstra Network ID and Password, at the following Web site: my.hofstra.edu (or log in using the My Hofstra Portal link on the Hofstra homepage, www.hofstra.edu).

If you do not know your Hofstra Network ID and/or Password, please go to the School of Law, Office of Information Systems in Room 223 or contact the office at (516) 463-4192.

1. Once you are logged into the My Hofstra Portal, click on the “Hofstra Online” tab. The main menu for the Hofstra Online Information System will appear.
2. Click on the “Student Services & Financial Aid” option. The “Student Services & Financial Aid” menu will appear.
3. Click on the “Student Records” option. The “Student Records” option will appear.
4. Click on the “Academic Records – Request Printed/Official Transcript” option. Read the following pages carefully and follow the instructions.

There will be a 2-3 business day turn around time for mailing out and/or picking up transcripts. If you request to pick-up your transcript, you can do so in the School of Law, Office of Academic Records, Room 114.

There is no charge for a transcript (both official and unofficial).

If you have any questions, please contact the School of Law, Office of Academic Records at (516) 463-5917.