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

At Buffalo State, the summer semester is considered a "trailer" term, meaning it is the last term of the award year. For example, the 2024-2025 academic year includes the Fall 2024, J-Term 2025, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025 semesters. Students who 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.

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 summer tuition & fees with Student Accounts.
  1. Register for Summer before submitting a Summer Aid Application
  2. Once you are registered for Summer classes, complete the Summer Aid Application.
  3. File both the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 FAFSA 
  4. Students applying for a PLUS (Parent PLUS or Grad PLUS) or private loan must complete the appropriate applications.
  • Please allow at least one week for your Summer Aid Application to be processed.
  • Students must accept any federal loans in Banner.
  • Please notify the office at finaid@buffalostate.edu of any changes to your summer enrollment.
Federal Pell Grant
  • Students are strongly advised to have both the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 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 a student's 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 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 (before the sequestration reduction).
  • Must be below the TEACH Lifetime Limits: $16,000 as an undergraduate and $8,000 as a graduate student.
Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans
  • Available to students who 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 are posted.
  • Student's total Direct Loan debt must also be within the federal aggregate/lifetime limits.
  • Students must be enrolled in at least 6 degree-required credit hours to be eligible (the 6 credits can be across more than one summer session).
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
  • Available to parents of dependent students. Parents must apply at studentaid.gov.
  • View additional information about the Parent PLUS Loan.
  • Students must be enrolled in at least 6 degree-required credit hours to be eligible (the 6 credits can be across more than one summer session).
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
  • Available to graduate students. Students must apply at studentaid.gov.
  • More information about Graduate PLUS loans
  • Students must be enrolled in at least 6 degree-required credit hours to be eligible (the 6 credits can be across J-Term and the spring semesters).
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
Type of Aid Estimated Disbursement Dates
Federal Pell Grant TBD
Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans

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):  TBD
  • Variable Session (VS):  TBD  
  • Late Session (LS): TBD
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans TBD
Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans TBD
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 Loans The disbursement date will vary by lender and depending on when the student applied. Students should not expect their private loan to disburse until at least 3 weeks after they began the process.

Special federal rules exist in the summer because summer consists of "mini-sessions" that do not span the entire summer semester. 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 on 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 cancellation of federal aid.
  • Students who wish to drop a course in a future summer session should do so before the current session they are enrolled in ends. Students who 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 who 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 who do not attend all the days for which they were scheduled to attend may have their aid reduced or canceled.

Students who 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 who are not in compliance will lose eligibility in the next semester that they attend Buffalo State and will remain ineligible until they meet 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.

Students who are on financial aid warning prior to the summer semester will have their Summer Aid Application on hold pending the outcome of spring grades.

You May Also Be Interested In

J-Term
Apply for Aid