Financial Aid Office

Direct costs are costs billed by the university to the student that the student must pay. Students are billed each semester they are enrolled. Direct costs the student will be billed for include:

Tuition - Tuition rates are set by the State University Board of Trustees. Tuition rates vary based on the student's level (undergraduate vs. graduate) and based on their New York Residency Status. Students should review the Student Accounts website for the current per credit and full-time tuition rates. Students that wish to appeal their residency status should refer to the In-State Residency pages.

Fees - Fees are set by the State University Board of Trustees. Fees vary for undergraduate and graduate students. Students should review the Student Accounts website for the current per credit and full-time fee rates. Only in rare instances can mandatory fees be waived.

Housing - Students that live in campus housing will be billed for housing. Housing rates vary depending on what facility the student lives in and if they are in a single or double room. Questions pertaining to housing should be directed to Residence Life.

Meal Plans - Students that are required to have a meal plan or those that choose to have a meal plan will be billed.

Indirect costs represent costs the student may incur while attending the university, but costs not billed by Buffalo State. Indirect costs are included in the overall cost of attendance because it allows students to receive additional financial aid to help with these indirect costs. However, this does not guarantee that the student will receive enough aid to cover all direct and indirect costs of attending Buffalo State.

Housing Allowance - Students that live in their own off-campus apartments or homes will incur housing costs while attending school. Although these costs will not appear on the student's semester bill, an allowance is included in the student's cost of attendance so that the student could receive financial aid to help them with their living costs.

Meal Allowance - Similar to housing, students will need to purchase food if they are not using the university's meal plan. Therefore, a meal allowance is included in the cost of attendance for student's not using the university's meal plan. 

Books and Supplies - Books and supplies are not included in the student's semester bill. The cost of attendance includes an allowance for books and financial aid can be used to purchase books through a textbook deferment, if the student qualifies. If a student does not qualify for a book deferment, they will need to make separate arrangements to purchase their textbooks.

Personal Expenses - Personal expenses account for items like personal hygiene products the student will need to purchase while enrolled.

Transportation - Transportation represents the costs of commuting to and from campus each semester. Including this component in the cost of attendance for all students allows students to receive financial aid to help with their commuting costs.

Amount: up to $9,500 year (up to $4,750 per semester)

Requirements: Beginning in Fall 2024, out-of-state and international undergraduate transfer students will be eligible for the Destination Buffalo State Grant.  All undergraduate transfer students that do not qualify for in-state tuition rates as a resident of New York State are eligible for this award.  The grant is targeted to support "non-tuition" billed expenses, such as fees, housing, meals, and books. 

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: Bengal Experience

Other important notes:

• Awards are available to students enrolled in matriculated undergraduate programs only.
• Students graduating early may not apply “unused portions” of their grant(s) to their final semester(s).
• Students that become Residence Advisors become ineligible for the Destination Buffalo State Grant as their housing and meals are covered as an RA.  A student can regain eligibility for the Grant if they no longer are an RA, however, the terms they missed as an RA will still be counted toward the 8 eligible semesters. 
• Students that fail to meet the 2.25 overall gpa at the end of spring may appeal to have their grant reinstated.  Appeals should be directed to the Financial Aid Office, finaid@buffalostate.edu.  Documentation should be included which supports the appeal (medical records, obituary, court documents, etc).
• Students that have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State.  Students on a documented medical leave or those serving in the military may appeal to have their grant reinstated.
• Summer coursework can help a student regain a 2.25 grade point average.  Any summer course(s) should be taken under the consultation of an academic advisor. Students should notify the Financial Aid Office at finaid@buffalostate.edu if they recovered their GPA over summer. 

Amount: up to $3,000 year (up to $1,500 per semester)

Requirements:  Beginning with fall 2024, the Bengal Promise Grant helps to reduce the financial barriers many undergraduate transfer students face with living on-campus. The grant is targeted to support "non-tuition" expenses, specifically billed on-campus housing and meal charges for in-state students.

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.  The student must live on-campus during their initial year at Buffalo State to qualify.  This grant is only available to in-state students. 

Can be combined with: Bengal Experience 

Bill Examples: The examples below show how the Bengal Promise Grant would be awarded to three different students at varying income levels and merit scholarship eligibility.  Note that students still have the options to borrow student loans to help offset any remaining balance.  In the event the student received institutional, state, or federal gift aid that exceeded their billed costs, the Bengal Promise Grant would be reduced or canceled.  

Other important notes:

• Awards are available to students enrolled in matriculated undergraduate programs only.
• If a student moves on-campus during their second semester of their initial year, they are eligible for a maximum of 7 Bengal Promise Grants. 
• Students graduating early may not apply “unused portions” of their grant(s) to their final semester(s).
• Students that become Residence Advisors become ineligible for the Bengal Promise Grant as their housing and meals are covered as an RA.  A student can regain eligibility for the Promise Grant if they no longer are an RA, however, the terms they missed as an RA will still be counted toward the 8 eligible semesters. 
• Students that fail to meet the 2.25 overall gpa at the end of spring may appeal to have their grant reinstated.  Appeals should be directed to the Financial Aid Office, finaid@buffalostate.edu.  Documentation should be included which supports the appeal (medical records, obituary, court documents, etc).
• Students that have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State.  Students on a documented medical leave or those serving in the military may appeal to have their grant reinstated.
• Summer coursework can help a student regain a 2.25 grade point average.  Any summer course(s) should be taken under the consultation of an academic advisor. Students should notify the Financial Aid Office at finaid@buffalostate.edu if they recovered their GPA over summer. 

Amount: up to $1,000 year (up to $500 per semester)

Requirements:  Beginning with fall 2024, the Bengal Experience Grant is for all transfer undergraduate students who make an official visit (Open House, Admitted Student Days or Virtual Visits as part of the recruitment process) are eligible to receive a $1,000 Bengal Experience Grant. The official visit must be made by May 1st before their anticipated entry term. The grant is targeted to support "non-tuition" billed expenses, such as fees, housing, meals, and books.  If the student's billed tuition, fees, housing, meals, and book costs are covered by other institutional, federal, or state grants or scholarships, the Bengal Experience Grant may be reduced or canceled. 

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: Bengal Promise.

Bill Examples: The examples below illustrate how the Bengal Experience Grant must be applied to billed charges.  If a student's billed charges are covered by other institutional, federal, or state grants or scholarships, the Bengal Experience Grant may be reduced or canceled.

• In Example 1, the student does not qualify for the Experience Grant because their grants fully cover their charges. 
• In Example 2, the student's grants and scholarships covered all but $255 of their billed charges. Therefore, the Experience Grant was reduced to $255.
• In Example 3, the student still owes $788 on their billed charges before the Experience Grant, so they are eligible for the full $500.

Other important notes:

• Awards are available to students enrolled in matriculated undergraduate programs only.
• Students graduating early may not apply “unused portions” of their scholarship(s) to their final semester(s).
• Students that fail to meet the 2.25 overall gpa at the end of spring may appeal to have their grant reinstated.  Appeals should be directed to the Financial Aid Office, finaid@buffalostate.edu.  Documentation should be included which supports the appeal (medical records, obituary, court documents, etc).
• Students that have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State.  Students on a documented medical leave or those serving in the military may appeal to have their grant reinstated.
• Summer coursework can help a student regain a 2.25 grade point average.  Any summer course(s) should be taken under the consultation of an academic advisor. Students should notify the Financial Aid Office at finaid@buffalostate.edu if they recovered their GPA over summer. 

Transfer students with at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA who will have earned at least 24 college credits after graduating high school will be considered for a transfer merit scholarship on a competitive basis. The scholarship amount is dependent on when the student transfers to Buffalo State.  Scholarship recipients must maintain full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours) to receive the scholarship. Pending availability of funds.

• Fall transfer students will receive $500 their first fall semester, renewable for another $500 in their spring semester if they maintain a 3.25 GPA.
• Spring transfer students will receive $500 their first spring semester.

Amount: up to $1,500 per year (up to $750 per semester)

Requirements: The Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) scholarship is available to transfer students with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and proof of induction into a Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Eligible students must submit proof of PTK membership to the Office of Admissions.

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 3.25 cumulative GPA.  GPAs are reviewed after the spring semester.

Can be combined with: Bengal Experience, Promise, Destination

• Application and information 
• Have completed an Associate in Arts, Associate in Science or Associate in Applied Science from an active NYSTAA two-year member college
• Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5
• Apply and plan on attending a current four-year NYSTAA member institution
• Complete the attached application and present all required criteria

Candidate must be an incoming junior who will declare their major in the sciences or math education programs

• More Information about NOYCE

Amount: up to $2,500 per year (up to $1,250 per semester)

Requirements: Consideration for the Muriel A. Howard Honors Scholarship is based on a student's high school average as well as other factors such as extra-curricular activities, recommendations, and rigor of coursework.  For priority scholarship consideration an admission application must be submitted by November 30th. The scholarship is only awarded to those students who enroll for the fall term immediately following high school completion.

Renewable: Yes, for four years (8 semesters) 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 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 3.2 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 $2,000 per year (up to $1,000 per semester)

Requirements: The Honors Plus 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. The scholarship is only awarded to those students who enroll for the fall term immediately following high school completion.

Renewable: Yes, for four years (8 semesters), as long as the student participates in the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, 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: Kenzie, Bengal Promise, and/or Bengal Experience 

Amount: up to $1,000 year (up to $500 per semester)

Requirements: The Bengal Scholarship is a one-time scholarship awarded at the time of admission; no separate application is required.  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, 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, 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 grant is targeted to support "non-tuition" billed expenses, such as fees, housing, meals, and books. 

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, Bengal Experience

Other important notes:

• Awards are available to students enrolled in matriculated undergraduate programs only.
• Students graduating early may not apply “unused portions” of their grant(s) to their final semester(s).
• Students that become Residence Advisors become ineligible for the Destination Buffalo State Grant as their housing and meals are covered as an RA.  A student can regain eligibility for the Grant if they no longer are an RA, however, the terms they missed as an RA will still be counted toward the 8 eligible semesters. 
• Students that fail to meet the 2.25 overall gpa at the end of spring may appeal to have their grant reinstated.  Appeals should be directed to the Financial Aid Office, finaid@buffalostate.edu.  Documentation should be included which supports the appeal (medical records, obituary, court documents, etc).
• Students that have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State.  Students on a documented medical leave or those serving in the military may appeal to have their grant reinstated.
• Summer coursework can help a student regain a 2.25 grade point average.  Any summer course(s) should be taken under the consultation of an academic advisor. Students should notify the Financial Aid Office at finaid@buffalostate.edu if they recovered their GPA over summer. 

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 grant is targeted to support "non-tuition" expenses, specifically billed on-campus housing and meal charges for in-state students.

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.  The student must live on-campus during the freshmen year to qualify.  This grant is only available to in-state students. 

Can be combined with: Muriel A. Howard, Presidential or Provost or Erie County, Kenzie, and/or Bengal Experience 

Bill Examples: The examples below show how the Bengal Promise Grant would be awarded to three different students at varying income levels and merit scholarship eligibility.  Note that students still have the options to borrow student loans to help offset any remaining balance.  In the event the student received institutional, state, or federal gift aid that exceeded their billed costs, the Bengal Promise Grant would be reduced or canceled.  

Other important notes:

• Awards are available to students enrolled in matriculated undergraduate programs only.
• If a student moves on-campus during their second semester of their freshmen year, they are eligible for a maximum of 7 Bengal Promise Grants. 
• Students graduating early may not apply “unused portions” of their grant(s) to their final semester(s).
• Students that become Residence Advisors become ineligible for the Bengal Promise Grant as their housing and meals are covered as an RA.  A student can regain eligibility for the Promise Grant if they no longer are an RA, however, the terms they missed as an RA will still be counted toward the 8 eligible semesters. 
• Students that fail to meet the 2.25 overall gpa at the end of spring may appeal to have their grant reinstated.  Appeals should be directed to the Financial Aid Office, finaid@buffalostate.edu.  Documentation should be included which supports the appeal (medical records, obituary, court documents, etc).
• Students that have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State.  Students on a documented medical leave or those serving in the military may appeal to have their grant reinstated.
• Summer coursework can help a student regain a 2.25 grade point average.  Any summer course(s) should be taken under the consultation of an academic advisor. Students should notify the Financial Aid Office at finaid@buffalostate.edu if they recovered their GPA over summer. 

Amount: up to $1,000 year (up to $500 per semester)

Requirements:  Beginning with the fall 2023 first-year student class, the Bengal Experience Grant is for all first-year students who make an official visit (Open House, Admitted Student Days or Virtual Visits as part of the recruitment process) are eligible to receive a $1,000 Bengal Experience Grant. Effective for the fall 2024 admit term, official visit must be made by May 1st before their anticipated entry term. The grant is targeted to support "non-tuition" billed expenses, such as fees, housing, meals, and books.  If the student's billed tuition, fees, housing, meals, and book costs are covered by other institutional, federal, or state grants or scholarships, the Bengal Experience Grant may be reduced or canceled. 

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.

Bill Examples: The examples below illustrate how the Bengal Experience Grant must be applied to billed charges.  If a student's billed charges are covered by other institutional, federal, or state grants or scholarships, the Bengal Experience Grant may be reduced or canceled.

• In Example 1, the student does not qualify for the Experience Grant because their grants fully cover their charges. 
• In Example 2, the student's grants and scholarships covered all but $255 of their billed charges. Therefore, the Experience Grant was reduced to $255.
• In Example 3, the student still owes $788 on their billed charges before the Experience Grant, so they are eligible for the full $500.

Other important notes:

• Awards are available to students enrolled in matriculated undergraduate programs only.
• Students graduating early may not apply “unused portions” of their scholarship(s) to their final semester(s).
• Students that fail to meet the 2.25 overall gpa at the end of spring may appeal to have their grant reinstated.  Appeals should be directed to the Financial Aid Office, finaid@buffalostate.edu.  Documentation should be included which supports the appeal (medical records, obituary, court documents, etc).
• Students that have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State.  Students on a documented medical leave or those serving in the military may appeal to have their grant reinstated.
• Summer coursework can help a student regain a 2.25 grade point average.  Any summer course(s) should be taken under the consultation of an academic advisor. Students should notify the Financial Aid Office at finaid@buffalostate.edu if they recovered their GPA over summer. 

• All scholarships and grants are contingent upon available funds and are subject to change.
• The University reserves the right to revoke the student’s award at any time for not meeting the criteria listed.
• Grants are to be applied to student charges and not refunded. 
• Students that fail to meet the renewal criteria have a right to appeal if they had extenuating circumstances.  The Buffalo State Scholarship/Grant Appeal Form should be completed and emailed to finaid@buffalostate.edu, along with supporting documentation for the appeal reason.