Hidden Costs

Colleges and Universities A-Z Hofstra University
1

I am working with my daughter for her 2017 budget as a Freshman at Hofstra.
I am curious to learn of costs/fee’s we are not thinking of that are not included in the school calculator.
Also, what is the average per semester a Freshman can expect to pay out for books?

I welcome your feedback,
Thank you

2

I’m not sure what is in their calculator, but assuming that covers tuition, room, board and fees, here are some other expenses my daughter incurs at her university:

  • $2,000 health insurance (mandatory)
  • $1,000 textbooks (on average per year)
  • $2,000 flight costs for travel to see family during breaks and summer
  • $??? spending money including buying household items (she works part-time in a lab and pays for that herself)
  • $??? clothing for the local weather that is different than her home state (she pays for that also)
3

Mommyrocks, thank you.
The airfare is a killer - does your daughter frequent a specific airport - We looked at JFK and La Guardia as La Guardia is served by Southwest (our airline of choice) but its a bit further away. I looked up Uber fares and there is about a $20 difference to fly into La Guardia vs JFK
My DD has health insurance that has nationwide coverage, does Hofstra require they purchase from the University or is a parents insurance suitable?
We have already begun to purchase winter clothing as she will be going from Central Texas to NYC. We do need to find her a good winter coat.
Thankfully her Grandfather has offered to supplement her pocket money on a monthly basis.
I’m thinking about things like:

Books, supplies, transportation costs (trains/subway) additional food allowances etc