Financial Aid Office

Costs   |   Application Process   |   Aid Available   |  Disbursement Dates   |   Withdrawals   |   SAP

 

Aid for Summer Enrollment

Students must be fully registered for the Summer semester before submitting a Summer Aid Application.

Only submit a Summer Aid Application if you are interested in receiving Federal Direct Loans (and you have remaining loan eligibility). You must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 required credit hours to be eligible for a federal loan. All students enrolled in the Summer semester will automatically be reviewed for Pell Grant eligibility.  

IMPORTANT – Make sure you have both the 2023-2024 FAFSA and the 2024-2025 FAFSA on file! Your Pell Grant may be awarded using either aid year.

Summer financial aid is available to students if they have not exhausted their aid eligibility for the school year, or if they meet the Year Round Pell Grant provision.

At Buffalo State the Summer term is considered a "trailer" term, meaning it is the last term of the award year. For example, for the 2023-2024 school year this includes the following terms: Fall 2023, J-Term 2024, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024. Students that did not exhaust their loan eligibility during Fall and Spring may have eligibility left to use in the Summer. Pell-eligible students may be eligible to receive a Pell Grant in the Summer in addition to the regular Fall and Spring semesters. Summer has some special financial aid rules, therefore students are strongly encouraged to review the sections on dropping and withdrawing from classes as well as their federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status.

 

Tuition and Fees  top

Students are charged per credit hour in the Summer. Unlike the traditional Fall and Spring semesters, students attending more than 12 credits will be charged for each additional credit hour. Use the calculator below to estimate your tuition and fees.

 

• Disclaimer:  This calculator is an estimate only and does not provide estimates for housing costs or course-specific fees. Log into Banner to view your actual bill once it is available.
• Contact Residence Life regarding room and board rates for Summer.
• Out-of-state students enrolled in Buffalo State's online courses are eligible for special tuition rates if they meet specific criteria.  Review the criteria for Undergraduate Students and Graduate Students.
• For more information on billing and charges, refer to the Student Accounts webpage.
   

Summer Aid Application Process top

1. Register for Summer before submitting a Summer Aid Application

2. Now that you are registered for Summer classes, complete the Summer Aid Application.

3. File the FAFSA for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.

4. For students applying for PLUS (Parent PLUS or Grad PLUS) or alternative loans, you must complete separate applications.

• Please allow at least one (1) week for the Financial Aid Office to review and process your Summer Aid Application.

• Students must accept any federal loans in Banner.

• Please notify the office at finaid@buffalostate.edu with any updates and changes to your Summer enrollment.

Available Summer Aid top

• Federal Pell Grant (undergraduate students only)
  • Students are strongly advised to have both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 FAFSA on file to ensure they receive the largest amount in Pell they qualify for.  Students must meet other eligibility criteria to qualify. 
  • Under the Year Round Pell provisions, students may receive three (3) full-time Pell grants in one academic year.
  • Pell Grants will be based on students' enrollment in mid-July (check disbursement dates for exact date each year).
• Federal TEACH Grant
  • Must meet the eligibility requirements (e.g. 3.25 cumulative GPA and in an eligible major) for TEACH
  • Must have completed the 2023-2024 Agreement to Serve and Entrance Counseling at Studentaid.gov.
  • Must not have received $4,000 in TEACH Grant funds between the previous Fall and Spring semesters (prior to the sequestration reduction).
  • Must be below the TEACH Lifetime Limits: $16,000 as an undergraduate and $8,000 as a graduate student.
• Federal Direct Student Loans (subsidized/unsubsidized)
  • Available to students that have not already borrowed their full annual loan eligibility during the previous Fall and Spring. A student's year level is based on the number of earned credits on their academic transcript after Spring grades post.
  • Students' total Direct Loan debt must also be within the federal aggregate/lifetime limits.
  • Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits that are applicable to their degree program to be eligible (the 6 credits can be across any of the Summer sessions).

• Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans
  • Available to parents of dependent students; parents must apply at Studentaid.gov
  • More information about the Parent PLUS Loan process
  • Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits that are applicable to their degree program (the 6 credits can be across any of the Summer sessions).

• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans
  • Available to graduate students; students must apply at Studentaid.gov.
  • More information about Graduate PLUS loans 
  • Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits that are applicable to their degree program (the 6 credits can be across any of the Summer sessions).

• New York State TAP Grant
  • Must complete the FAFSA and TAP applications for the upcoming Fall and Spring.
  • Must have earned at least 24 credits at Buffalo State in the prior Fall and Spring semesters combined, and have been full-time in Spring.
  • In most cases, Summer TAP awards cannot be used as a deferment on your bill.

• Private Student Loans
  • Available to all registered students that have good credit or a credit-worthy cosigner
  • Review the Private Loan webpage for additional information

 

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Estimated Summer 2024 Disbursement Dates top

The following chart represents estimated disbursement dates provided the student completed all summer aid related tasks in a timely fashion.

Type of Aid	Estimated Disbursement Dates
Federal Pell Grant	August  Note: A student's Pell Grant eligibility will be based on their registration as of July 16, 2024.
Direct Student Loans (subsidized/unsubsidized)	All Direct Student Loans must be accepted on Banner and the MPN and Entrance Counseling must be on file with the U.S. Department of Education. Early Session (ES):  Students enrolled in at least 6 credits with at least 3 credits beginning in the Early Session (ES), will have their loans disbursed beginning June 4, 2024. Variable Session (VS):  Students enrolled in at least 6 credits with at least 3 credits beginning in the Variable Session (VS), will have their loans disbursed beginning June, 4, 2024.  Late Session (LS):  Students registered for 6 or more credits in Late Session (LS) only will have their loans disbursed beginning July 16, 2024.
Direct Parent PLUS Loans	Same as Direct Student Loans above; the parent must have also completed Parent PLUS MPN.
Direct Graduate PLUS Loans	Same as Direct Student Loans above; Student must have completed Graduate PLUS MPN and Graduate Entrance Counseling if this is their first Graduate PLUS Loan.
Federal TEACH Grant	Mid-July
New York State TAP Grant	Students enrolled in 12+ credits in Summer: Eligible awards are expected to be paid in October of the current year. Students enrolled in fewer than 12 credits in Summer: Eligible awards are expected to be paid in October of the following year.
Private Alternative Loans	Disbursement date will vary by lender.  Students should not expect their private loan to disburse until at least 3 weeks after they complete the process with their lender.

   

Registration Changes (drops/adds) and Withdrawing from Classes top

Special federal rules exist in the summer because Summer consists of "mini-sessions" that do not span the entire summer semester. For federal aid purposes, these "mini-sessions" are called modules. The rules that govern programs offered in modules are different than the typical Fall and Spring terms. Therefore, students who wish to change their registration after their aid application has been submitted are strongly encouraged to speak to the Financial Aid Office to determine the impact to their aid eligibility.

The Financial Aid Office is required to re-evaluate a student's eligibility for Summer aid in the following scenarios:

• Although students typically have until the second day of a session to drop the course without financial liability, for federal aid purposes, they may be considered a withdrawal which could result in a reduction or cancelation of federal aid.

• Students that wish to drop a course in a future Summer session should do so before the current session they are enrolled in ends. Students that drop a class between sessions or after a prior session ends are considered a withdrawal for federal aid purposes and their aid eligibility must be recalculated.  

• Students that do not physically begin attendance in all courses they are scheduled to attend may have their aid reduced or canceled, even if the aid has already disbursed and been refunded.

• Students that do not attend all the days for which they were scheduled to attend may have their aid reduced or canceled.
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Federal SAP and Summer top

Students that are on Financial Aid Warning effective for the Summer term should be aware of the risks of enrolling in Summer. At the end of the Summer term, students must be in compliance with all federal SAP metrics. Students that are not in compliance will lose eligibility in the next semester that they attend Buffalo State and will remain ineligible until they are meeting the minimum standards. Students on Financial Aid Warning are strongly encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office to determine if attending Summer is in their best interest.

• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Students that are on Financial Aid Warning prior to the Summer semester will have their Summer Aid Application on hold pending the outcome of Spring grades.