The Graduate School defines "good academic standing" as a student who is making acceptable progress toward a graduate degree and who is eligible to register for and pursue academic coursework at this university for the current semester. All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their study.
The minimum academic requirements for Good Academic Standing established by the Graduate School are as follows (individual college/schools may establish stricter academic standards):
Academic requirements other than those imposed by The Graduate School are determined by the program faculty and approved by the appropriate decanal unit. All graduate students are expected to demonstrate competence in teaching and research with respect to their educational needs and career objectives.
Each Ph.D. student's academic progress must be evaluated annually by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and, if appropriate, the student's dissertation advisor. The most appropriate time for annual review is mid-May, thereby permitting appropriate academic planning for the following semester, and allowing for timely responses to inquiries about students in jeopardy of losing federal and/or state financial aid. Alternatively, though not ideal, review can take place in mid-October. Additionally, each Ph.D. student’s academic progress must be reviewed after their first semester of enrollment, in order to identify any academic problems early in the program. Directors of Graduate Study are required to communicate the annual academic evaluation to the student in writing.
Each graduate program is encouraged to develop its own process for student evaluation and advisement. However, certain elements must be included in PhD student annual evaluation.
Any master's level or PhD student who receives a grade of "U", "F", or "D" in any course required for completion of a graduate degree program, falls below the minimum academic requirements detailed above, or who indicates a lack of ability as determined by the director of graduate studies or student’s academic advisor, will receive an immediate academic review. Upon completion of the academic review, the director of graduate studies may place the student on academic probation.
Students determined to be making unsatisfactory academic progress must be placed on academic probation. A probationary letter is issued to the student (with a copy to the advisor, if applicable) indicating the conditions that must be met and outlining an appropriate time frame in which to regain good academic standing in the graduate program. The outcome that will result if the conditions are not met must also be included in the probationary letter. Probationary letters will be made in writing by the director of graduate studies, or department chair or designee at the end of the academic year (mid-May) and will indicate the terms of the probation and its removal. After the specified time frame outlined in the probation letter, the student must be sent a letter removing the probationary status, or a dismissal letter, or a second probationary letter with a new set of conditions for regaining good academic standing.
Graduate students not meeting the written terms of their academic probation may be academically dismissed from the University by the director of graduate studies, chair of the department, or graduate program director. Such dismissals shall be done in a timely fashion but no later than three weeks after the completion of the semester final examinations. The Graduate School will be notified in writing of all such academic dismissals.
Graduate students who are dismissed for academic reasons from a graduate program will have a "Y" (Graduate School) checkstop placed on their academic record to prevent future registration.
A graduate student who has been officially dismissed and who seeks reinstatement shall submit a formal request for reinstatement, along with a supporting statement of explanation, to the chair of the academic department. The request shall be acted upon by the established procedure or review group appropriate to the particular graduate program. If a student is subsequently readmitted to the program from which he/she was dismissed or admitted into another graduate program, the "Y" checkstop will be removed from the student record by written request to the Graduate School.
The Commissioner of Education has issued and the Board of Regents has approved regulations that establish academic standards for receipt of State student financial assistance. These regulations were effective for all students who were receiving aid for the first time during school year 1981-82 and thereafter. The regulations have two components: Pursuit of Program and Academic Progress.
This provision of the regulations calls for the completion of a prescribed percentage of a full-time course load (12 hours at the University at Buffalo) each semester in order to be eligible to receive State financial assistance the following semester. During the first two semesters of State financial assistance, a minimum of six hours must be completed. During the third and fourth semesters of State financial assistance, a minimum of nine hours must be completed. In addition, a minimum of 12 hours must be completed during all subsequent semesters of State financial assistance.
Completion of a course means receiving a passing or failing grade in the course. Withdrawal "W", Load "L", and Incompletes "I/U" do not qualify under this provision. An Incomplete grade that is changed to a passing or failing grade by the end of the following semester can be included once completed. Additionally, a graduate student repeating a course to improve a grade in which a grade of “C” or better had been originally earned cannot include the repeated course as part of the student’s minimum full-time or part-time course load for financial aid eligibility. Exceptions at the graduate level exist for dissertation, research, thesis, project or portfolio courses since students are allowed to repeat these courses for credit until the dissertation, thesis, project, or portfolio is completed. Students receiving State financial assistance must be careful to complete the minimum prescribed number of hours each term. The consequence of not completing the prescribed number of hours each semester is loss of State financial assistance the following semester.
An academic progress standard has been established for each level of study (Undergraduate, Graduate, etc.) throughout the SUNY system. Academic progress guidelines require completion of a minimum number of hours at a minimum grade point average in order to be eligible to receive State financial assistance. The following chart lists these standards for graduate students.
| Standard of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Purpose of Determining Eligibility for Student Aid All Campuses–State University of New York All Graduate Level Programs Except Professional (Semester Calendar) |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before being certified for payment | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh | Eighth |
| A Student must have accrued at least this many credits* | 0 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 30 | 45 | 60 | 75 |
| With at least this grade point average | 0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.75 | 2.75 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
*This includes successful completion of credit-equivalent work as set forth in 145-2.1 of the Commissioner's Regulations.
Please note that the standards reflected in the chart are for use in determining eligibility for State financial assistance for graduate students only; standards for students in professional programs may vary. Professional students should check with their Dean’s office for further information. Please note that the academic standards used by the University at Buffalo to determine good standing are significantly higher than NY State aid eligibility academic standards. It is unlikely, therefore, that State financial assistance will be lost under this provision while students attend the University at Buffalo.
A graduate student must maintain a 3.0 GPA in all courses being applied toward his or her master's or doctoral degree to be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress. A student who does not maintain a 3.0 GPA will be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress for a maximum of only two semesters. Nevertheless, in unusual circumstances a graduate department may still consider a student’s progress satisfactory if it can be demonstrated that the student could attain a 3.0 GPA by the end of four years for a master’s degree or by the end of seven years for a doctoral degree (the maximum times to degree allowed by the University). These standards were designed to meet federal academic requirements for students receiving financial assistance through federally sponsored programs.