St. Bonaventure University Grants

The awards listed below cannot be combined, and may not be received by those with SBU tuition remission benefits. These awards are for on campus study only. 

Graduate students enrolled in the School of Health Professions are not eligible for St. Bonaventure institutional aid/scholarships.

AmeriCorps Matching Grant

AmeriCorps volunteers accrue educational benefits (Segal Education Awards) that may be used for graduate study, up to approximately $5,550 per year of service of full-time service. SBU will match this educational award - the first college in Western New York to do so.

St. Bonaventure will match this award completely for campus-based graduate programs up to 38 hours in length. The University will match 75% of two $5,550 awards for grad programs 39-51 hours in length and will match two awards in full for students in the 60 hour mental health counseling program.

SBU also offers AmeriCorps members and alumni the option of a straight 20% graduate tuition reduction instead of the Segal Award match.

Proof of Segal Education Award eligibility can be provided through a copy of the award certificate or a letter from the applicant's AmeriCorps program manager.

The SBU match of the full AmeriCorps Education Award cannot be combined with other SBU-based graduate aid programs.

BonaAdvantage
Alumni of SBU and Hilbert College enrolling in a campus-based graduate program will receive a grant for 15% of tuition. Candidates should apply for the Dean's Scholarship (see below), which provides for a 20% tuition reduction. Those not receiving the Dean's Scholarship will be awarded the BonaAdvantage. Note that BonaAdvantage award cannot be combined with other SBU-based grants and scholarships.

Dean's Graduate Scholarship (DGS)
The DGS will be awarded to students studying in Olean, with each grad program having its own criteria. To complete the application, please complete and return the Dean's Scholarship Application. Early application is encouraged. The DGS provides a grant for 20% of tuition. The Dean's Scholarship cannot be combined with other SBU-based grants and scholarships.

Franciscan Mission Grant
Employees of Catholic schools and organizations will receive a 30% tuition discount for campus-based graduate study. Awards will be made on a program space-available basis and all part- or full-time personnel are eligible. To confirm eligibility, applicants should provide a letter (on organizational letterhead) from a supervisor or human resource officer. This cannot be combined with other SBU-based graduate aid.
Employees of Buffalo-based Catholic Health System are also eligible to receive a 10% tuition discount for SBU's online graduate programs.

Buffalo Schools
Teachers and staff at public (including charters) and private schools in the city of Buffalo, NY, receive a 20% tuition discount for campus-based programs. No application is required; eligible persons are required to have their school provide a letter confirming employment. This discount cannot be combined with other SBU grants or scholarships.

M & T Bank
Employees of M & T Bank will receive a 20% tuition reduction for graduate study at SBU's Olean or Buffalo Center locations or a 10% reduction for any of SBU's online graduate programs.

YNPN

Members of the Young Non-profit Professionals Network will receive a 20% tuition reduction for graduate study at SBU's Olean or Buffalo Center locations or a 10% reduction for any of SBU's online graduate programs. Eligible students should have a YNPN officer send a letter or e-mail to the graduate admissions office confirming her/his involvement in the organization. 

New York State Math & Science Teaching Incentive
(Go to website)

Students in SBU's Adolescence Education graduate program preparing to teach grades 7 - 12 math or science may be eligible for this award, which provides a grant equal to SUNY tuition ($6470 in the 16-17 school year) for one year of graduate study. The award does carry a service requirement. This may not be combined with the TEACH grant described below, per NY State guidelines.

Federal TEACH Grant
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides federal grants of up to $4000 per year, for a maximum of $8,000. In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students.

Either NYSMSTI and TEACH aid can be received in addition to SBU-based grants and scholarships.

Programs for Child Welfare Workers - NY
New York State has recently established grant and loan forgiveness incentives for those working in child welfare settings. Go to the Higher Education Services Corporation website for more information.

General financial aid info is available from the HESC website and from studentaid.gov.

The School of Graduate Studies at St. Bonaventure University offers a limited number of assistantship grants for the academic year. These awards are distributed among full-time students of the departments having graduate programs at St. Bonaventure's main campus.

If you're interested, you may apply for an assistantship when you submit your application for admission or at any time during your full-time study at the university. Please contact the graduate dean's office at (716) 375-2394 with questions.

Please submit the completed application, resume and a letter of recommendation from a supervisor or employer who can speak to your work ethic, reliability and ability to work in a collaborative environment (this is in addition to your letters of recommendation for Graduate Admissions).

Current SBU students should apply using the Graduate Assistant Application found on my.sbu, the university intranet site (login required).

Non-SBU students, who do not have access to our intranet site, should email application materials to Mary Beatty (send an email), administrative assistant to the dean of Graduate Studies.

Materials should be submitted by Feb. 15 for fall semester, and by Sept. 15 for spring semester. Note that a 3.00 or better GPA is required for eligibility.

Graduate assistant aid cannot be combined with other SBU-based graduate aid programs (e.g. Dean's Scholarship).

Assistantship Benefits
Full-time assistantships provide a tuition scholarship of up to nine credit hours per semester; fall and spring terms only (GA award does not apply to summer study).

Assistantships do not provide health insurance or other SBU staff benefits.

In general, graduate assistants should not take on outside employment, as the assistantship involves a service requirement (specified by each department). Full-time graduate assistants normally carry a nine-credit-hour course load per semester.

Application Deadlines
Your graduate assistant application should be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies by Feb. 15 for the following fall and summer semesters and by Sept. 15 for the following spring semester. The process is competitive, so adhering to these deadlines matters. Applications may be requested from the Office of Graduate Studies or downloaded by clicking the link below.

Graduate Assistantship Application
You need Adobe Reader to view the application PDF file. If you do not have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, please use the following link to download a free version: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Graduate Assistant Application (PDF)

Please follow this link (studentaid.gov) for current interest rate information.

Federal Direct Stafford Loans for graduate students
The Federal Direct Loan program allows graduate students to borrow up to $20,500 a year without demonstrating financial need. Applicants must file the FAFSA (note: grad students file as independent) and SBU's Student Loan Request Form to receive the loan. Starting in July 2012, new Graduate Stafford loans are not eligible for subsidized interest. This means that interest on the loan principal will accrue while the grad student is enrolled. The exception to this is that students pursuing a program leading to state-issued teacher certification may receive an interest subsidy.

Loan repayment begins six months after the borrower ceases study or drops below half-time status.

Stafford Loan proceeds are paid through a student’s school in two or more installments, and are first applied against tuition and fees, room, board and related school charges. If loan money is left over, this is refunded to the student.

Federal Direct PLUS Loans for graduate students
Students may borrow up to the total amount needed to pay for graduate school tuition, room and board (on campus or off campus) books, fees and other educational expenses - less any pending financial aid. Applicants must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and apply for their maximum Federal Direct Loans before the Federal Direct PLUS Loan can be borrowed. Most applicants are eligible for the PLUS – note that a basic credit check is required for this loan.

PLUS Loan funds are disbursed directly to a student’s school, which will apply the funds directly toward tuition, room, board, fees and other expenses. Any remaining money will be conveyed to the student. PLUS repayment begins 60 days after the final disbursement of funds, with terms extending up to 10 years. Most lenders will defer the PLUS while students are in school. Students must check directly with their lender about in-school deferment.

Perkins Loan
The Perkins Loan is a federal aid program, managed by the financial aid office at St. Bonaventure University.

Loan Forgiveness and Repayment Options
Federal legislation, including the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, provides loan forgiveness options and several different income-based repayment plans for those with potentially burdensome educational loan debt. To learn more, check out the NASFAA website. Note that these programs are subject to change or discontinuation based on new legislation, including current tax reform discussions.  Please check news sites and NASFAA.org to stay up to date on this important issue.

Alternative Loans
There are a variety of alternative loan programs offered by banks and other lenders. Alternative loan funds are disbursed directly to a student's school, which will apply the funds directly toward tuition, room, board, fees and other expenses. Any remaining money will be refunded to the student. Alternative loans have a variable interest rate, and interest starts accruing immediately after disbursement. St. Bonaventure urges students to use the Stafford and PLUS loans as first options, to borrow conservatively, and to examine all loans carefully to make sure that terms and conditions are clearly understood.

Click here to view the list of lenders provided by www.elmselect.com.

American Indian Graduate Center (Go to website)

Native American applicants should check out the possibilities described on the American Indian Graduate Center website.

Community and Civic Organizations 

While most community-based scholarship programs are geared toward undergraduate students, some may support graduate students. A local high school guidance counselor can be a good source of information on this. It’s also wise to explore the websites of area community foundations.  Search for foundations here.

Employer Tuition Benefits

Some employers have tuition reimbursement plans for staff who pursue additional schooling. Department managers and human resource officers are the best sources of information.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund (Go to website)

A scholarship program for students of Hispanic heritage. Awards range from $1,000-$5,000 annually.

National Society of Hispanic MBAs (Go to website)

This organization provides scholarship support to individuals of Hispanic heritage pursuing MBA degrees at AACSB accredited colleges and universities (SBU has this accreditation).

ROTC (Go to website)

ROTC scholarships are available for students pursuing graduate study in a variety of fields. SBU’s Seneca Battalion ROTC program is considered one of the best of its size in the country. Check out the Seneca Battalion website and contact graduate admissions at 716-375-2429 for more information.

TEACH Grant (Go to website)   Teach Grant Request Form

This federal program provides scholarships to those preparing to teach literacy or high need subjects (math, science, languages) in low-income school districts. The TEACH Grant is worth $2000 per year semester.

Troops To Teachers (Go to website)

Troops to Teachers provides support to qualifying military personnel who are pursuing teacher certification.

USA Funds Access to Education Scholarship (Go to website )

This program assists undergraduate or graduate students demonstrating significant financial need.

Veterans Educational Benefits (See below on this page)

Educational benefits received through the Montgomery GI Bill may be applied toward an advanced degree. SBU is also a Yellow Ribbon school. 

General financial aid info is available from NYSFAA.

Opportunities For Work

Federal Work-Study (need based)

Students who demonstrate financial need and are enrolled in a degree program and taking at least six (6) credit hours may be eligible for Work-Study (usually campus-based) employment. FWS earnings are not subtracted from a student's account as other aid is, but are instead paid directly to the student. FWS is a federally funded aid program.

Graduate Student Work Program

The Graduate Student Work Program operates very much like FWS employment described above, except that the Bona Work Program is funded by the University, not the federal government. Students under this program are paid $12 per hour for work in certain campus offices and positions.

Contact veterans

This New York state program provides financial assistance to help eligible veterans who are matriculated and studying on either a full-time or part-time basis. 

 

Eligibility Criteria

New York state resident who has been honorably discharged from the Armed Forces, and:

• a Vietnam veteran who served in Indochina between Dec. 22, 1961, and May 7, 1975, or 
• a Persian Gulf veteran who served in the Persian Gulf hostilities between Aug. 2, 1990, and the cessation of hostilities, or 
• an Afghanistan veteran who served in Afghanistan during hostilities on or after Sept. 11, 2001. 
  

 

Award Amounts 

For full-time study, a recipient shall receive an award of up to the full cost of undergraduate tuition for New York state residents at the State University of New York, or actual tuition charged, whichever is less. Full-time study is defined as 12 or more credits per semester.

Awards for part-time study are $500 per semester or the actual tuition, whichever is less. Part-time study is defined as 3–11 credits per semester.

No recipient may receive total assistance in excess of $10,000 through this program.

 

Documentation 

The student must first establish eligibility for this award by submitting a Veterans Tuition Award Supplement (available from HESC by request-see the link below) and appropriate documentation proving eligible veteran status (Form DD214). The deadline for establish­ing eligibility is September 1 of the appropriate academic year (ex. September 1, 2008 for the 2008-2009 academic year).

The student must also be a New York State resident, be enrolled in a degree program (full-time or part-time) at an undergraduate or graduate degree-granting institution in New York State, and have applied for financial aid through the NY Tuition Assistance and a Federal Pell Grant programs. Proof of residency may be required.

For complete details, contact NYS Higher Education Services Corp. at 1-888-NYSHESC or www.hesc.ny.gov..