Course grades and the credits completed in a semester are important factors for obtaining financial aid.
Failing to make satisfactory academic progress can affect your financial aid in several ways. If you plan to withdraw from a course or take a leave from college, contact our office, the Student Accounts Office, or the Financial Aid Office before you withdraw.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the process used to determine if a student is making acceptable progress toward a degree or certificate. The federal government and the New York State government each assess SAP differently.
- Withdrawal from Classes
- Required Coursework/Student Outcome Tracking
- Undergraduate Federal SAP Policy (Pell, Federal Loans, etc.)
- Undergraduate New York TAP Policy (TAP)
Please allow two to four weeks for processing.
How SAP affects graduate students:
State Aid Waivers
Details about state financial aid eligibility requirements, including the NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and the Excelsior Scholarship, can be found on the Financial Aid website. A state aid eligibility appeal process exists for TAP and APTS recipients who have not met all three satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards at the end of a semester.
The Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS) program is a grant program financed by New York State in conjunction with participating educational institutions throughout the state. The program provides up to $2,000 per year to help part-time undergraduate students meet their educational expenses
TAP Eligibility Requirements
- Must have a valid TAP application on file with the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC); Buffalo State must be listed on the application. Our school code is 0905, or we are listed as SUNY Buffalo State University (Elmwood Ave).
- Be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen and a resident of New York State.
- Have graduated from high school in the United States, earned a high school equivalency diploma by passing a Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), formerly known as a GED, or passed a federally approved "Ability to Benefit" test as defined by the Commissioner of the State Education Department.
- Study full-time as an undergraduate (at least 12 credits per semester), be matriculated in an approved program of study, and be in good academic standing with at least a cumulative "C" average (2.0) as of the 4th semester payment.
- Be charged at least $200 tuition per year.
- Not be in default on any state or federal student loans and not be in default on any repayment of state awards.
- Graduate students are NOT eligible.
The deadline to submit the NYS TAP application for the 2024-25 academic year was June 30, 2025. For the 2025-26 academic year, the application deadline is August 15, 2025. There is no specific waiver deadline listed; instead, you must apply for TAP by the general deadline to be eligible for a waiver for a future academic deficiency.
- 2024-25 TAP Application Deadline: June 30, 2025
- 2025-26 TAP Application Deadline: August 15, 2025
- A TAP waiver allows a student who was initially denied TAP for making up an academic deficiency to receive a grant for that semester still.
- To receive a waiver, you must have a valid TAP application on file with the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC).
To file a state aid waiver:
- 1. Complete the TAP/APTS waiver online process, including
- 2. Upload supporting documentation of the relevant extenuating circumstances cited.
Approved TAP/APTS appeals are due by the last day of the semester a student wishes to receive aid. Securing an appeal sooner will reduce the likelihood of late fees and account holds.
Federal Aid Waivers
Details about federal financial aid eligibility requirements, including Stafford loans, can be found on the Financial Aid website. Students can become ineligible for all federal aid if they do not make satisfactory academic progress (SAP). A federal aid eligibility waiver process exists for students who have not met all three SAP standards by the end of the warning period. If mitigating extenuating circumstances existed during a student's federal aid warning period, the student may file for an aid waiver. Please refer to the notice about federal aid ineligibility to determine aid ineligibility issues and related required aid waiver documents.
Federal Aid Waiver Deadlines (all waiver applications must be turned in by the deadline date):
Summer 2025: Passed
Fall 2025: December 5, 2025
Spring 2026: TBD
To file an aid waiver:
Complete the Federal Aid SAP Waiver online process by the federal aid waiver deadline.
- Upload a personal statement about what happened in your past semester and what will be different in the upcoming semester.
- Upload official documentation of the relevant extenuating circumstances cited to support your waiver request.
- The appeal should not only document the special circumstances (e.g., a letter from the student’s doctor) and explain how these circumstances affected the student’s performance, but also outline what changes have been made to enable the student’s performance to improve.
- Attach an Academic Plan with your academic adviser (if you have a PACE issue)
Please note that your waiver CANNOT proceed without uploading acceptable documentation.
If the aid waiver is approved, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation, where they will continue to receive federal financial aid for one payment period or semester.
The student must meet all SAP requirements by the end of the probationary period or comply with the approved academic plan to continue receiving aid after the probationary period. Suppose the student still does not meet the SAP requirements or fails to meet the academic plan requirements after the probationary period. In that case, the student will become ineligible for federal financial aid until all three SAP standards are successfully met.
Citing such issues as work or extracurricular commitments, not being aware of college deadlines, and the difficulty level of course material as the mitigating or extenuating circumstances will not result in an aid waiver approval.
Students are advised to submit an aid waiver as soon as they are aware of their academic ineligibility. Securing an aid waiver before the semester begins will reduce the likelihood of late fees and holds on accounts or allow students the maximum amount of time possible to secure alternate funding for their upcoming semester should their aid waiver request be denied.