Discontinuance Registration Procedure

Students who do not register for and complete one graduate course within two academic semesters (fall/spring) must apply for readmission to graduate study in accordance with established deadline dates and current admission requirements. Students who do not register for course work within one year of initial acceptance must reapply for admission. Those seeking readmission must follow the steps below. All materials must be received by the Graduate Studies Office by the program deadline unless otherwise specified by the program coordinator or department chair.

1. Submit a completed Online Graduate Admission Application.  
2. Submit a $65 nonrefundable application fee. Acceptable methods of online payment: Visa or MasterCard. Check or money order is accepted made payable to Buffalo State.
3. Submit appropriate supplemental application materials, such as department application, letter of intent, letters of recommendation, copy of teaching certificate, or recent exam scores as stated in the program description. It is the applicant’s responsibility to review the individual program admissions requirements before re-applying to determine if supplemental materials are required. Individual program descriptions may be found in the Graduate Programs section. 
4. Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended that are not on file in the Graduate Studies Office. Hard copy transcripts must be received in sealed envelopes. Official electronic transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to the Graduate Studies Office. Buffalo State students are not required to submit transcripts, as the Graduate Studies Office will obtain Buffalo State transcripts; however, if the applicant attended other institutions these transcripts must be provided even if sent at the time of a previous application. 

Academic Clemency Procedure

Conditions for academic clemency:

Any student with a Buffalo State graduate GPA of less than 3.0 is eligible to apply for academic clemency when he or she applies for readmission to the university through the Graduate Studies Office. The student's last semester of enrollment must have been at least one year prior to the application for readmission. Students can request clemency for up to two semesters of work (consecutive or non-consecutive). These semesters are to be determined by the student in consultation with his/her adviser. A decision of clemency includes all coursework taken within the semester(s) at Buffalo State; it is not selectively applied. Clemency is applied only after a student has registered for an upcoming semester.

1. Clemency cannot be used by students who have already earned a degree for any work completed prior to the award of that degree.
2. Credits for which the student has requested academic clemency will remain on the student’s transcript but will not be calculated into the overall cumulative average and will not count toward graduation. The student’s transcript will contain a notation of academic clemency.
3. The student will be required to sign a statement indicating his/her understanding of the conditions stated in the academic clemency policy and will file a formal petition with the Graduate Studies Office. Such a statement will indicate that computation of the grade point average for admissibility to other graduate programs could include all university work completed.
4. Students approved for academic clemency will be required to meet with their academic adviser in order to determine the appropriate selection of courses.
5. Students will be advised that the decision to file for academic clemency may affect qualification for financial aid.
6. The decision to exercise the academic clemency provision is final and irreversible.
7. The director of the Graduate Studies Office will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of this policy.
8. Students eligible for academic clemency can apply for academic clemency by contacting the associate director or by visiting the Graduate Studies Office in Cleveland Hall 204 or by phone (716) 878-5601.

Readmission for Returning Service Members

Returning service members seeking readmission after an active duty activation from a U.S. Reserve or National Guard will be readmitted with the same academic status if the following conditions are met:

1. The student gave advance notice (written or verbal) of the call to active duty or submitted a written attestation upon seeking readmission that such service was performed necessitating their absence.
2. The absence from school for active duty does not exceed five years.
3. The student submits a notification of intent to re-enroll within three years after the completion of service or within two years after recovery from an illness or injury incurred during the service.
4. The separation from service was not dishonorable.

Any questions regarding this policy, can be directed to the Veterans and Military Services Office.