Scholarships Fall 2024 and Prior

First-year scholarships and grants are awarded to new, incoming first-year students at Buffalo State. Scholarships are made possible through the generous donations of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Buffalo State. (For students starting in fall semester only)

• Merit-based scholarships are awarded to approximately 18% of admitted students based on their academic and extracurricular accomplishments. Students eligible for a merit-based scholarship typically have maintained an A average. Meeting the eligibility criteria is not a guarantee of a merit-based scholarship, but suggests the minimum type of academic performance necessary to be considered. A separate application is not needed to apply; students will automatically be reviewed for eligibility. 
• Grants do not take into consideration a student's high school performance and are awarded regardless of income. Grant aid is considered a last-dollar award and is not refundable. A separate application is not needed to apply; students will automatically be reviewed for eligibility. 

• Scholarship	Annual Award	4-Year Award	Merit-Based	Must Live On-Campus	GPA to Renew
  Muriel A. Howard Honors Scholarship	$2,500	$10,000	Yes	No	3.30
  Presidential Scholarship	$2,500	$10,000	Yes	No	3.20
  Provost Scholarship	$2,000	$8,000	Yes	No	3.00
  Honors Plus Scholarship2	$2,000	$8,000	Yes	No	3.30
  Bengal Scholarship2	$1,000	$1,000	Yes	No	n/a
  Erie County (NY) Student Scholarship	$1,000	$1,000	Yes	No	n/a
  Destination Buffalo State Grant1	$9,500	$38,000	No	Yes	2.25
  Bengal Promise Grant1	$3,000	$12,000	No	Yes	2.25
  Bengal Experience Grant1	$1,000	$4,000	No	No	2.25

¹ New grants effective with the Fall 2023 freshmen class.

2 Honors Plus and Bengal Scholarship are effective with the Fall 2024 freshmen class. 

MURIEL A. HOWARD HONORS SCHOLARSHIP

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 who graduate early forfeit any unused portions of the scholarship. 

Can be combined with: Presidential, Kenzie, Destination, Bengal Promise, and/or Bengal Experience

PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Transfer grants and scholarships are available to newly admitted transfer students. A student is considered a transfer student if they previously matriculated at another college or university prior to starting at Buffalo State as an undergraduate, matriculated student.¹  Scholarships are made possible through the generous donations of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Buffalo State. (For students starting in the fall semester only).

• Merit-based scholarships are awarded to transfer students who displayed academic excellence at their prior school. Students eligible for merit-based scholarships typically have maintained an A average. Meeting the eligibility criteria is not a guarantee of a merit-based scholarship, but suggests the minimum type of academic performance necessary to be considered. A separate application is not needed to apply; students will automatically be reviewed for eligibility. 
• Grants do not take into consideration the student's performance at their prior college(s) and are awarded regardless of income. Grant aid is considered a last-dollar award and is not refundable. A separate application is not needed to apply; students will automatically be reviewed for eligibility. 

¹ Students who enrolled at Buffalo State, transferred to another school, and then transfer back to Buffalo State as a transfer readmit are not eligible for the Buffalo State grants and scholarships listed on this page. 

² Grants and the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship are available beginning with the fall 2024 transfer class. 

PHI THETA KAPPA SCHOLARSHIP 

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

TRANSFER STUDENT MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS

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 in 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 for their first spring semester.

DESTINATION BUFFALO STATE GRANT

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 who 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 who 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 who have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State. Students on 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 the summer. 

BENGAL PROMISE GRANT

Bengal Promise Grant

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 who 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 who 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 who have a break in their enrollment become ineligible for the grant upon their return to Buffalo State. Students on 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 GPA. 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 the summer. 

BENGAL EXPERIENCE GRANT

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 GPA. 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.