The Daily Bulletin Archive

This week’s FACTS article features information on available options to assist students with on-campus living expenses. Additionally, we will describe the financial aid impact to students employed in the residence halls.

Students who wish to live on campus are advised to carefully review their financial packages before signing the residence hall agreement; this is a binding contract with Residence Life. While financial aid can be used for housing costs, a student is not necessarily eligible for sufficient financial aid to cover expected charges. The costs of attending Buffalo State, including living on campus, are detailed on the Financial Aid Office’s Cost of Attendance website. Students are also encouraged to use the Bill Estimator to calculate their out-of-pocket expenses.

For students whose financial aid awards fall short of their total direct charges, the following options are available:

• Campus Scholarships: Encourage students to review the recently posted institutional scholarship opportunities and to monitor their Buffalo State e-mail accounts for scholarship updates throughout the year. Deadline for submission is May 31, 2014.
• Automatic Payment Plans: Conveniently splits the student’s outstanding bill balance over four payments each semester for a nominal fee. Questions should be directed to the Student Accounts Office (SAO) at (716) 878-4121 or stuaccts@buffalostate.edu.
• Parent PLUS Loans or Private Alternative Loans: Students and parents interested in these options can review additional information on our website or contact our office.

Resident Assistants (RA) and Resident Directors (RD)
Students employed as RAs or RDs receive room and board waivers as a form of compensation. Per federal student aid regulations, these waivers must be factored into students’ financial aid packages. As a result, students may experience a decrease in other awarded financial aid sources. If a student is considering becoming an RA or RD mid-year, he or she should meet with a financial aid adviser to discuss the impact to financial aid before making a final decision to avoid an outstanding balance with the college.

For more information and ways you can assist students with Residence Life options, please refer to the Residence Life Guide.

If you have questions regarding this article, please contact us at finaid@buffalostate.edu or ext. 4902. All questions and answers will be posted in the “You Asked for It” section of the FAO website. Click on the “Faculty and Staff” link (bottom left).