Academic Standing identifies categories of students who meet the academic standards of Buffalo State. The four categories of academic standing for undergraduate students are good academic standing, academic warning, academic probation, and academic dismissal. More information about each of these categories can be found in this website section.
If you have general questions about academic standing policies and procedures at Buffalo State after reading the information provided on this site, please email us at acadstandards@buffalostate.edu for additional details or clarification.
To be “in good academic standing” means that a student is eligible or has been allowed to register for and undertake academic coursework at the college for the term in question.
All students not on academic probation are considered to be in good academic standing and are eligible to participate in extracurricular activities. Any Buffalo State undergraduate student with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above, on academic warning, or on academic probation is eligible to register for coursework at Buffalo State.
NCAA Student-Athletes
NCAA good academic standing requires student-athletes to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA (e.g., 2.000 or higher, depending on the division), earn the required number of academic credits toward their degree each year (progress-toward-degree credits), stay enrolled full-time (12 credit hours), and meet a certain percentage of degree requirements by the end of each academic year. These are minimum standards, and institutions or conferences may set higher requirements. https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/10/about-what-we-do-academics.aspx
QPD represents the total amount of effort needed to raise a student’s CGPA to meet the requirements for Good Academic Standing (i.e., 2.0 for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduate students) at Buffalo State. Grades of P/F, S/U, I, N, and W are excluded from the QPD calculation. The formula for calculating the quality point deficit is Quality Point Deficit = (Cumulative GPA Hours Attempted x 2.0) – Cumulative Quality Points.
Degree Works has been programmed to show a QPD value for any students not in good academic standing. Students in good academic standing do not have a Quality Point Deficit and, as a result, Degree Works will not display a QPD value.
How do I recover from a Quality Point Deficit (QPD)?
If you have a Quality Point Deficit, you may be wondering what it will take to recover from your QPD and return to good academic standing. You should have that conversation with your academic adviser or academic dean’s office to get personalized advice, but here is some general guidance based on the experiences of students who have been in your situation before:
If you have a Quality Point Deficit of less than 10:
It is mathematically possible for you to improve your academic standing with a good semester if you perform very well in the upcoming term. You will likely need to earn grades of ‘B’ or higher, and you should strongly consider doing E-repeats if possible. If you were awarded financial aid, your academic performance probably affected your aid eligibility, and you should follow up with the Financial Aid office. If your low grades are concentrated in your major area, you should consider changing your major.
If you have a Quality Point Deficit of 11 - 19:
You have a significant academic performance issue that you need to address and will likely require at least two good semesters, with a minimum of 3.0 term GPAs and the completion of E-repeats, to regain good academic standing. If you received financial aid, you are probably ineligible for both federal and state aid, and you should contact the Financial Aid office to confirm your eligibility. You may need to find alternative ways to pay your semester bill or successfully apply for aid waivers.
If you have a Quality Point Deficit of 20+:
You have probably been dismissed. If you succeed in appealing your dismissal or being readmitted after dismissal, regaining good academic standing will likely require at least three semesters of coursework at Buffalo State, with at least 3.0 term GPAs and completing E-repeats, and/or a substantial improvement in your CGPA through grade changes or approved academic petitions. You are almost certainly ineligible for any federal or state aid, so you should check with the Financial Aid office about your eligibility. You may need to find alternative ways to pay your semester bill or apply successfully for aid waivers. Please speak with your academic adviser or the academic dean’s office to explore options for meeting your academic goals.
Any undergraduate students—freshmen or transfers—whose first-semester GPA is less than 2.0 and who have not met any other terms for academic dismissal will be on academic warning in their second semester of study at the university. Notification of this academic standing will be emailed to students' Buffalo State email accounts.
Students on academic warning may be ineligible for financial aid based on failure to meet federal and/or state aid eligibility standards.
As a condition of enrollment at SUNY Buffalo State as a student on academic warning, students on are required to:
- Follow the directions included in all letters and emails sent regarding how to address being on academic warning.
- Attend all scheduled appointments related to your Academic Warning status and complete all required action steps (e.g., academic petitions, college service referrals, reduction of work hours, participation in Buffalo State's Academic Recovery Program) to help you return to good academic standing as quickly as possible.
- Failure to attend Academic Warning meetings or follow your Academic Warning semester plan will factor into any future Buffalo State dismissal decisions that may need to be made.
Graduate students are not eligible for an academic warning.
Undergraduate students whose cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 after the second semester of study at Buffalo State are not in good academic standing and may be placed on academic probation. However, they may also be dismissed if they meet any of the criteria for academic dismissal. Notification of this academic standing will be emailed to students' Buffalo State email accounts.
Students on academic probation may be ineligible for financial aid based on failure to meet federal and/or state aid eligibility standards.
As a condition of enrollment at SUNY Buffalo State as a student on academic probation, students on are required to:
- Follow the directions included in all letters and emails sent regarding how to address being on academic probation.
- Attend all scheduled appointments related to your academic probation status and complete all action steps (e.g., academic petitions, college service referrals, reduction of work hours, participation in Buffalo State's Academic Recovery Program) that are required to help you return to good academic standing as quickly as possible.
- Failure to attend academic probation meetings or follow your academic probation semester plan will factor into any future Buffalo State dismissal decisions that may need to be made.