Transfer Student Grants and Scholarships

¹ Students that 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. 

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 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. 

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. 

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