The 2024-25 FAFSA is currently available, however there are significant processing delays. Some students and parents may have trouble accessing the FAFSA right now. Also, once the FAFSA is submitted it is not possible to make corrections at this time.
The Department of Education has announced that schools will not begin receiving FAFSA data until the first half of March at the earliest. Colleges and universities must adapt their programming and systems for these sweeping changes. We expect it will take between 1-2 months to fully implement and test the changes before we can begin creating award packages for the 2024-25 school year.
As of 2/14/24, we are targeting to begin producing award letters in late-April 2024. Please check back often for updates as they may change.
These delays are only expected for the 2024-25 school year. Processes should resume to their October 1 timeline during the 2025-26 school year.
A contributor is a person whose information is required on the FAFSA. For a dependent student, the student and the student’s parents (or step-parent if remarried) are considered contributors. For an independent student, the student and his/her spouse (if applicable) are considered contributors.
While parents and spouses may be considered contributors, they are not legally obligated to help a student pay for college and are not responsible for the student’s bill. Being a contributor only means the person’s information is used to determine the student’s federal aid eligibility.
All contributors will need a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID and password. Students and contributors are encouraged to set up their FSA ID in advance of the December 2023 release of the FAFSA. Students and parents that already have an FSA ID do not need to set up a new ID.
Contributors that do not have a social security number will be able to apply for an FSA ID. This functionality is expected later this fall (release date not known at this time).
All contributors on the student’s FAFSA must provide consent to have their federal tax information directly exchanged from the IRS to the student’s FAFSA. Even non-tax-filers and individuals without a social security number must provide consent. If any contributor does not give consent, the student is ineligible to receive Title IV aid.
The Student Aid Index is an index used by colleges and universities to determine a student’s federal aid eligibility. This was previously known as the EFC. However, it is not solely a name change. The methodology used to compute the SAI has also changed. One notable change that may impact current students is that the number of students in college will no longer have an impact on the SAI.
The FAFSA Simplification Act extends the Pell Grant to more students and links eligibility to family size and the federal poverty level. Based on preliminary reports, Buffalo State expects to see more students qualify for the Pell Grant and more students qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award. However, there may be limited cases where a student’s eligibility is reduced due to these changes (particularly if their family has multiple students in college).
Students that are approved for a dependency override or homeless youth will no longer need to reaffirm their status in each subsequent academic year while at the same school, unless the student informs the institution that their situation has changed.
Amount: up to $2,500 per year (up to $1,250 per semester)
Requirements: The Presidential Scholarship will be made at the time of admission; no separate application is required. Consideration will be based on a student's high school average as well as other considerations such as extra-curricular activities, recommendations, and rigor of coursework. The scholarship is only awarded to those students who enroll for the fall term immediately following high school completion.
Renewable: Yes, for four years if the student remains continuously enrolled full time (12+ credit hours) in the fall and spring semesters, and maintains a 3.3 cumulative GPA. Students that graduate early forfeit any unused portions of the scholarship.
Can be combined with: Presidential, Kenzie, Destination, Bengal Promise, and/or Bengal Experience
Amount: up to $2,500 per year (up to $1,250 per semester)
Requirements: The Presidential Scholarship will be made at the time of admission; no separate application is required. Consideration will be based on a student's high school average as well as other considerations such as extra-curricular activities, recommendations, and rigor of coursework. The scholarship is only awarded to those students who enroll for the fall term immediately following high school completion.
Renewable: Yes, for four years if the student remains continuously enrolled full time (12+ credit hours) in the fall and spring semesters, and maintains a 3.2 cumulative GPA. Students that graduate early forfeit any unused portions of the scholarship.
Can be combined with: Muriel A Howard Honors, Kenzie, Destination, Bengal Promise, and/or Bengal Experience
Amount: up to $2,000 per academic year (up to $1,000 per semester)
Requirements: The Provost Scholarship is awarded at the time of admission; no separate application is required. For priority scholarship consideration an admission application must be submitted by November 30th. Consideration will be based on a student's high school average as well as other considerations such as extra-curricular activities, recommendations, and rigor of coursework. The scholarship is only awarded to those students who enroll for the fall term immediately following high school completion.
Renewable: Yes, for four years if the student remains continuously enrolled full time (12+ credit hours) in the fall and spring semesters, and maintains a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students that graduate early forfeit any unused portions of the scholarship.
Can be combined with: Kenzie, Destination, Bengal Promise, and/or Bengal Experience
Amount: up to $2,400 per year (up to $1,200 per semester)
Requirements: Consideration is based on high school average and admissions application and is awarded, on a limited basis, to qualifying full-time students from African-American, Hispanic, Native America, and Asian American populations. Eligible candidates are invited to apply and are selected in April of each year.
Renewable: Yes, for four years if the recipient continues to participate in the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, and maintains a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students that graduate early forfeit any unused portions of the scholarship.
Can be combined with: Muriel A Howard Honors, Presidential or Provost or Erie, Destination, Bengal Promise, and/or Bengal Experience
Amount: up to $1,000 year (up to $500 per semester)
Requirements: The Erie County (NY) Scholarship is a one-time scholarship awarded at the time of admission; no separate application is required. Scholarship recipients are required to reside in Erie County, New York, and are selected solely based on academic performance. For priority scholarship consideration an admission application must be submitted by November 30th.
Renewable: No, the scholarship will be awarded in the fall and spring semesters for one academic year.
Can be combined with: Kenzie, Destination, Bengal Promise, and/or Bengal Experience
Amount: up to $9,500 year (up to $4,750 per semester)
Requirements: Beginning in Fall 2023, out-of-state and international students will be eligible for the Destination Buffalo State Grant. All new freshmen students that do not qualify for in-state tuition rates as a resident of New York State are eligible for this award. The scholarship is targeted to support "non-tuition" expenses, such as fees, housing, meals, books, personal expenses, travel costs, and educational experiences like study abroad.
Renewable: Yes, for four continuous years (fall and spring semesters) of full-time enrollment or until a bachelor's degree is earned, whichever happens first. Additionally, the recipient must continue to be billed out-of-state tuition, live on-campus, and maintain a 2.25 overall grade point average. GPAs are reviewed after each spring semester.
Can be combined with: Muriel A Howard Honors, Presidential or Provost
Other important notes:
Amount: up to $3,000 year (up to $1,500 per semester)
Requirements: Beginning with the fall 2023 freshmen class, the Bengal Promise Grant helps to reduce the financial barriers many students face with living on-campus. The scholarship is targeted to support "non-tuition" expenses, specifically on-campus housing and meals.
Renewable: Yes, for four continuous years (fall and spring semesters) of full-time enrollment or until a bachelor's degree is earned, whichever happens first. The recipient must maintain a 2.25 cumulative GPA and continue to live on-campus each semester. GPAs are reviewed after the spring semester.
Can be combined with: Muriel A. Howard, Presidential or Provost or Erie County, Kenzie, and/or Bengal Experience
Other important notes:
Amount: up to $1,000 year (up to $500 per semester)
Requirements: Beginning with the fall 2023 freshmen class, the Bengal Experience Grant is for all first-year students who make an official visit by May 1st (Open House, Admitted Student Days or Virtual Visits as part of the recruitment process) before their anticipated entry term are eligible to receive a $1,000 Bengal Experience Grant.”. The scholarship is targeted to support "non-tuition" expenses, such as fees, housing, meals, books, personal expenses, travel costs, and educational experiences like study abroad.
Renewable: Yes, for four continuous years (fall and spring semesters) of full-time enrollment or until a bachelor's degree is earned, whichever happens first. The recipient must maintain a 2.25 cumulative GPA. GPAs are reviewed after the spring semester.
Can be combined with: Muriel A. Howard, Presidential or Provost or Erie County, Kenzie, Destination, and/or Bengal Promise.
Other important notes:
Program Aide
(716) 878-4902
Campus Address: Moot Hall 230
falasaa@buffalostate.edu
Office Assistant 1 (Keyboarding)
(716) 878-4902
Campus Address: Moot Hall 230
goinsj@buffalostate.edu
The Emergency Relief Program provides financial assistance to eligible students facing an unforeseen emergency event.
For more information, email deanofstudents@buffalostate.edu, or visit the Dean of Students Office at 311 Campbell Student Union.
Milligan’s Food Pantry aids students experiencing food insecurity and it is available to all currently enrolled students. Learn how to place an online order at Milligan’s Food Pantry.
For more information, email deanofstudents@buffalostate.edu, or visit the Dean of Students Office at 311 Campbell Student Union.
The Buffalo State Care Team investigates issues that involve students of concern who may have expressed the potential to harm themselves or others. Students and members of the campus community are encouraged to submit a report about students of concern, which will be sent to The Buffalo State Care Team to investigate as soon as possible within 1 business day.
However, for emergency situations, call the University Police Department at 716-878-6333.
Some content on this page is saved in PDF format. To view these files, download Adobe Acrobat Reader free. If you are having trouble reading a document, request an accessible copy of the PDF or Word Document.
