Hofstra University is a private, non-profit, nonsectarian university in the United States. Its main campus is on Long Island in the village of Hempstead, New York, approximately 7 miles (11 km) east of New York City. Long Island's largest private college, Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name "Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New York University at Hempstead, Long Island"; in 1939, the institution separated from the NYU system and gained independence as Hofstra College, and in 1963, it gained university status. Comprising 10 schools, including a School of Medicine and a School of Law, Hofstra is noted for a series of prominent Presidential conferences, as well as being selected to host United States Presidential Debates in 2008, 2012, and 2016.