2026-2027 Scholarship Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions below apply to awards initially offered to students for the 2026-2027 academic year. Students who received offers for academic years prior to 2026-2027 must visit the Terms and Conditions pertaining to their original award offer year from the Scholarship selection menu.
Review each scholarship for specific eligibility criteria; including residency classification, campus, location and/or modality. Eligibility varies per scholarship and all scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
Terms & conditions for additional scholarships will be added soon.
First-Year Merit Tuition Scholarships
Selection & Award Amount
The Arizona Tuition Award is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered annually to select non-Arizona high school graduates who are first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students. For additional eligibility information, please review the Eligibility section below.
- Priority consideration for merit scholarships is given for University of Arizona Admission applications completed by the November 1 Early Action deadline to receive priority consideration for merit scholarships. Please see the application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
- To assess students’ eligibility for both admission and merit aid, the University utilizes a comprehensive review process that considers each student’s full academic history - in the context of where they lived and learned - and other life experiences.
- Students selected for this scholarship will receive an offer letter once the student is admitted. Admissions notifications will begin January 15, 2026.
- Offers are non-negotiable, are not increased to match offers from other institutions, and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
- Students admitted for the spring semester are not eligible for this award.
Availability
Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward full-time graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.
Similarly, undergraduate students who have completed some undergraduate coursework at Arizona and are accepted into certain professional programs, such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona.
Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.
Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Application
A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2026 serves as the application for this award.
Deadline
Submit a completed University of Arizona application by the November 1 Early Action deadline to receive priority consideration for merit scholarships.
To secure funding, students must complete their Enrollment Fee by May 1, 2026. Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status.
- Be classified as a non-Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
- Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
- Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
- Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- The award must be used beginning Fall 2026 semester.
- Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
- This merit award is not available for use in the University of Arizona Online and Near You Network campuses.
- Applicants with GEDs or High School Equivalency tests are not eligible for first-year awards.
- Applicants who attend high school that do not utilize grades (ex. Mastery Transcript) may be eligible for first-year awards upon additional review. Review may require additional information.
- Homeschool applicants will be reviewed for merit aid based on their complete application, including portfolio/course work.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, students must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | ||
Minimum Units | 30 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the following academic year. | 60 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the second award year to renew for the following academic year. | 90 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the third award year to renew for the final academic year. |
Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain enrollment during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request | ||
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring and summer courses with passing grades, passing units from pass/fail courses, and units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first-year (for example: New Start students), units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- Students offered multiple awards that are designated to cover base tuition cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition from the combination of the awards. The base tuition amount does not include college fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other fees and expenses.
- This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award or National Merit Scholars Tuition Award.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award cannot be combined with the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers). For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
Residency Change
This merit award was offered based on residency at the time the student was admitted. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student is meeting all renewal criteria for the award, the merit award will be adjusted to account for the updated residency status.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds.
- For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to be disbursed. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount may be adjusted to cover the lower base tuition charges during this final semester.
- This scholarship can only be applied to undergraduate base tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Base Tuition does not include college or program fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will not be renewed for the upcoming year.
Students in the scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.
- Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility and meeting the minimum, cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0.
- Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
- Students must contact OSFA to request reinstatement no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the semester following the semester in which the student regained eligibility. Students who submit their request after this date may not have their merit award reinstated before tuition is due and may incur late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Scholarship Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a scholarship deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Scholarship Deferment Request to request the deferment of their scholarship. Review the Scholarship Deferment section above for additional information.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program during the Fall and/or Spring semester(s) are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during a Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS | INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS |
Exchange National Student Exchange, Plan B AZ Abroad Locations Direct Enroll | Arizona Faculty Led All 3rd Party Providers: CEA CIEE DIS Semester at Sea |
Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
Award Amount
$12,168 per academic year
Selection
The Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Award is offered to Arizona state resident Flinn Semi-Finalists.
Availability
Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward full-time graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.
Similarly, undergraduate students who have completed some undergraduate coursework at Arizona and are accepted into certain professional programs, such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona.
Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.
Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Application
A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2026 serves as the application for this award. Semi-finalists will be selected by the Flinn Foundation.
Deadline
Submit a completed University of Arizona application by the November 1 Early Action deadline to receive priority consideration for merit scholarships.
To secure funding, students must complete their Enrollment Fee by May 1, 2026. Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status.
- DACA students are not eligible for this award.
- Be classified as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
- Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
- Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
- Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- The award must be used beginning Fall 2026 semester.
- Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
- This merit award is not available for use in the University of Arizona Online and Near You Network campuses.
- Applicants with GEDs or High School Equivalency tests are not eligible for first-year awards.
- Applicants who attend high school that do not utilize grades (ex. Mastery Transcript) may be eligible for first-year awards upon additional review. Review may require additional information.
- Homeschool applicants will be reviewed for merit aid based on their complete application, including portfolio/course work.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, students must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | ||
Minimum Units | 30 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the following academic year. | 60 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the second award year to renew for the following academic year. | 90 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the third award year to renew for the final academic year. |
Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain enrollment during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request | ||
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring and summer courses with passing grades, passing units from pass/fail courses, and units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first-year (for example: New Start students), units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- Students offered multiple awards that are designated to cover base tuition cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition from the combination of the awards. The base tuition amount does not include college fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other fees and expenses.
- This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award, President's Saguaro Scholars Award, or National Merit Scholars Tuition Award.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
Residency Change
This merit award was offered based on residency at the time the student was admitted. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student is meeting all renewal criteria for the award, the merit award will be canceled.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds.
- For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to be disbursed. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount may be adjusted to cover the lower base tuition charges during this final semester.
- This scholarship can only be applied to undergraduate base tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Base Tuition does not include college or program fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will not be renewed for the upcoming year.
Students in the scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.
- Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility and meeting the minimum, cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0.
- Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
- Students must contact OSFA to request reinstatement no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the semester following the semester in which the student regained eligibility. Students who submit their request after this date may not have their merit award reinstated before tuition is due and may incur late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Scholarship Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a scholarship deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Scholarship Deferment Request to request the deferment of their scholarship. Review the Scholarship Deferment section above for additional information.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program during the Fall and/or Spring semester(s) are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during a Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS | INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS |
Exchange National Student Exchange, Plan B AZ Abroad Locations Direct Enroll | Arizona Faculty Led All 3rd Party Providers: CEA CIEE DIS Semester at Sea |
Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
Selection & Award Amount
This Undergraduate tuition award is offered to students who are selected as National Merit Finalists. The Office of Admission will be notified of a student's National Scholar status.
National Merit Finalist must declare the University of Arizona as your first school of choice with National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) by their deadline. Visit the NMSC website.
Priority consideration for merit scholarships is given for University of Arizona Admissions application completed by the November 1 Early Action deadline. Please see the application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
To assess students' eligibility for both admission and merit aid, the University utilizes a comprehensive review process that considers each student's full academic history - in the context of where they lived and learned - and other life experiences.
Students admitted for the spring semester are not eligible for this award.
Offers are non-negotiable, are not increased to match offers from other institutions, and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
Availability
Four consecutive years (8 semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only; based on academic year renewal requirements.
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward full-time graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.
Similarly, undergraduate students who have completed some undergraduate coursework at Arizona and are accepted into certain professional programs, such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona.
Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.
Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Application
A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2026 serves as the application for this award.
Deadline
- Submit a completed University of Arizona application by the November 1 Early Action deadline to receive priority consideration for merit scholarships.
- To secure funding, students must pay their Enrollment Fee by May 1, 2026. Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, demonstrate lawful immigration status or be a qualifying, non-citizen Arizona high school graduate who is receiving in-state tuition through Proposition 308.
- Students who receive become National Merit Finalists will be awarded the National Scholar award which supersedes and replaces all other merit tuition scholarships offered to a student.
- Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
- Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
- The award must be used beginning Fall 2026 semester.
- Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
- This merit award is not available for use in the University of Arizona Online and Near You Network campuses.
- Applicants with GEDs or High School Equivalency tests are not eligible for first-year awards.
- Applicants who attend high school that do not utilize grades (ex. Mastery Transcript) may be eligible for first-year awards upon additional review. Review may require additional information.
- Homeschool applicants will be reviewed for merit aid based on their complete application, including portfolio/course work.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, students must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | ||
Minimum Units | 30 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the following academic year. | 60 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the second award year to renew for the following academic year. | 90 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the third award year to renew for the final academic year. |
Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain enrollment during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request | ||
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring and summer courses with passing grades, passing units from pass/fail courses, and units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first-year (for example: New Start students), units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- Students offered multiple awards that are designated to cover base tuition cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition from the combination of the awards. The base tuition amount does not include college fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other fees and expenses.
- This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award, the Arizona Tuition Award, or the Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Scholarship.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
Residency Change
This merit award was offered based on residency at the time the student was admitted. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student is meeting all renewal criteria for the award, the merit award will be adjusted to account for the updated residency status.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds.
- For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to be disbursed. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount may be adjusted to cover the lower base tuition charges during this final semester.
- This scholarship can only be applied to undergraduate base tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Base Tuition does not include program or fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will not be renewed for the upcoming year.
Students in the scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.
- Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility and meeting the minimum, cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0.
- Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
- Students must contact OSFA to request reinstatement no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the semester following the semester in which the student regained eligibility. Students who submit their request after this date may not have their merit award reinstated before tuition is due and may incur late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Scholarship Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a scholarship deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Scholarship Deferment Request Financial Aid Deferment form to request the deferment of their scholarship. Review the Scholarship Deferment section above for additional information.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program during the Fall and/or Spring semester(s) are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during a Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS | INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS |
Exchange National Student Exchange, Plan B AZ Abroad Locations Direct Enroll | Arizona Faculty Led All 3rd Party Providers including:
|
Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
Selection & Award Amount
The President's Saguaro Scholars Award is designed to recognize stellar academic accomplishments and great potential, and also encourage recipients to remain in-state for their college experience.
- Approximately 100 Arizona, first-year students will receive the scholarship annually through a highly-selective awarding process.
- President's Saguaro Scholars receive $15,000 per year (split annually between fall and spring terms).
- The President's Saguaro Scholars Award may be given based on a variety of criteria related to academic performance and potential, as well as the desire to distribute awards equitably across AZ counties.
- Students will be reviewed on their overall academic performance, the strength of their academic schedule, demonstration of academic excellence through extracurricular involvement, and evidence of their academic potential and career goals.
- Award recipients will be notified by email no later than February 1, 2026.
- Enrollment Management will partner with the University of Arizona Foundation to strengthen the cohort of scholars and provide opportunities for recognition, networking, and building connections between students, as well as with donors and key campus partners.
- Offers are non-negotiable, are not increased to match offers from other institutions, and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
- Students admitted for the spring semester are not eligible for this award.
Availability
Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward full-time graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.
Similarly, undergraduate students who have completed some undergraduate coursework at Arizona and are accepted into certain professional programs, such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona.
Please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) to inquire about full eligibility requirements.
Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Application & Deadline
Submit a completed University of Arizona application by the November 1 Early Action deadline to receive priority consideration for this scholarship.
Online nomination by a teacher, counselor, high school administrator, clergy, or community member by October 15, 2025.
To secure funding, students must complete their Enrollment Fee by May 1, 2026. Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, demonstrate lawful immigration status or be a qualifying, non-citizen Arizona high school graduate who is receiving in-state tuition through Proposition 308.
- Be classified as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
- Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
- Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
- Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- The award must be used beginning Fall 2026 semester.
- Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
- This merit award is not available for use in the University of Arizona Online and Near You Network campuses.
- Applicants with GEDs or High School Equivalency tests are not eligible for first-year awards.
- Applicants who attend high school that do not utilize grades (ex. Mastery Transcript) may be eligible for first-year awards upon additional review. Review may require additional information.
- Homeschool applicants will be reviewed for merit aid based on their complete application, including portfolio/course work.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, students must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | ||
Minimum Units | 30 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the following academic year. | 60 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the second award year to renew for the following academic year. | 90 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the third award year to renew for the final academic year. |
Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain enrollment during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request | ||
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring and summer courses with passing grades, passing units from pass/fail courses, and units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first-year (for example: New Start students), units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- This award can be used toward tuition, fees, and additional educational expenses such as housing, meal plan, books, etc.
- This award cannot be combined with top scholar awards including Flinn Semi-Finalist, Baird, Dorrance, Stamps and the National Merit Scholars Tuition Award.
- This award cannot be combined with the Arizona Promise Grant, and the Arizona Native Scholars Grant.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
- This award may be used together with the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Student Loans, and other scholarships/grants which are not limited to tuition/fees.
Residency Change
This merit award was offered based on residency at the time the student was admitted. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student is meeting all renewal criteria for the award, the merit award will be adjusted to account for the updated residency status.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds.
- For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to be disbursed. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount may be adjusted to cover the lower base tuition charges during this final semester.
- This scholarship can be applied to undergraduate base tuition, fees, housing, meal plan, books and other educational expenses a student incurs. These expenses may or may not be billed to the student’s Bursar's account.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will not be renewed for the upcoming year.
Students in the scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.
- Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility and meeting the minimum, cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0.
- Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
- Students must contact OSFA to request reinstatement no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the semester following the semester in which the student regained eligibility. Students who submit their request after this date may not have their merit award reinstated before tuition is due and may incur late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Scholarship Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a scholarship deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Scholarship Deferment Request to request the deferment of their scholarship. Review the Scholarship Deferment section above for additional information.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program during the Fall and/or Spring semester(s) are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during a Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS | INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS |
Exchange National Student Exchange, Plan B AZ Abroad Locations Direct Enroll | Arizona Faculty Led All 3rd Party Providers: CEA CIEE DIS Semester at Sea |
Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
Selection & Award Amount
The Wildcat Tuition Award is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered annually to select Arizona resident high school graduates who are first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students. For additional eligibility information, please review the Eligibility section below.
- Priority consideration for merit scholarships is given for University of Arizona Admission applications completed by the November 1 Early Action deadline to receive priority consideration for merit scholarships. Please see the application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
- To assess students’ eligibility for both admission and merit aid, the University utilizes a comprehensive review process that considers each student’s full academic history - in the context of where they lived and learned - and other life experiences.
- Students selected for this scholarship will receive an offer letter once the student is admitted. Admissions notifications will begin January 15, 2026.
- Offers are non-negotiable, are not increased to match offers from other institutions, and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
- Students admitted for the spring semester are not eligible for this award.
Availability
Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward full-time graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.
Similarly, undergraduate students who have completed some undergraduate coursework at Arizona and are accepted into certain professional programs, such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona.
Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.
Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Application
A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2026 serves as the application for this award.
Deadline
Submit a completed University of Arizona application by the November 1 Early Action deadline to receive priority consideration for merit scholarships.
To secure funding, students must complete their Enrollment Fee by May 1, 2026. Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status.
- Be classified as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
- Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
- Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
- Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- The award must be used beginning Fall 2026 semester.
- Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
- This merit award is not available for use in the University of Arizona Online and Near You Network campuses.
- Applicants with GEDs or High School Equivalency tests are not eligible for first-year awards.
- Applicants who attend high school that do not utilize grades (ex. Mastery Transcript) may be eligible for first-year awards upon additional review. Review may require additional information.
- Homeschool applicants will be reviewed for merit aid based on their complete application, including portfolio/course work.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, students must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | ||
Minimum Units | 30 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the following academic year. | 60 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the second award year to renew for the following academic year. | 90 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the third award year to renew for the final academic year. |
Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain enrollment during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request | ||
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring and summer courses with passing grades, passing units from pass/fail courses, and units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first-year (for example: New Start students), units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- Students offered multiple awards that are designated to cover base tuition cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition from the combination of the awards. The base tuition amount does not include college fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other fees and expenses.
- This award cannot be combined with the Arizona Tuition Award, President's Saguaro Scholars Award, Flinn Semi-Finalist, Flinn Foundation Scholarship, or National Merit Scholars Tuition Award.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
Residency Change
This merit award was offered based on residency at the time the student was admitted. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student is meeting all renewal criteria for the award, the merit award will be adjusted to account for the updated residency status.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds.
- For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to be disbursed. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount may be adjusted to cover the lower base tuition charges during this final semester.
- This scholarship can only be applied to undergraduate base tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Base Tuition does not include college or program fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will not be renewed for the upcoming year.
Students in the scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.
- Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility and meeting the minimum, cumulative GPA requirement of 3.0.
- Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
- Students must contact OSFA to request reinstatement no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the semester following the semester in which the student regained eligibility. Students who submit their request after this date may not have their merit award reinstated before tuition is due and may incur late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Scholarship Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a scholarship deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Scholarship Deferment Request to request the deferment of their scholarship. Review the Scholarship Deferment section above for additional information.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program during the Fall and/or Spring semester(s) are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during a Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS | INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS |
Exchange National Student Exchange, Plan B AZ Abroad Locations Direct Enroll | Arizona Faculty Led All 3rd Party Providers: CEA CIEE DIS Semester at Sea |
Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
Transfer Tuition Scholarships
Award Amounts
Main Campus:
Arizona Residents - $5,000 per academic year
Non-Arizona Residents - $12,000 per academic year
Distance Campus:
Arizona and Non-Arizona Residents - $3,000 per academic year
Selection
The Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Scholarship is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to community college (2 year) transfer students who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree.
- Students must have only attended community college(s) after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
- Have a minimum 3.50 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended.
- Completed minimum of 36 units from a community college at the time of admission to Arizona.
- Total attempted college units includes all attempted coursework from accredited institutions post-high school and dual enrollment units. Unaccredited and non-credit college attendance do not count towards the completed unit requirement and do not affect eligibility.
- Phi Theta Kappa designation must be present on the student's community college transcript.
- If the community college does not include Phi Theta Kappa information on their transcript, please send a copy of your Phi Theta Kappa certificate to the Undergraduate Admissions Office (admissions@arizona.edu).
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
Availability
Two consecutive years (four semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs. This award is available to Main Campus and Distance Campus students, including domestic students with international credentials. Microcampus students are not eligible.
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 4 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward full-time graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.
Similarly, undergraduate students who have completed some undergraduate coursework at Arizona and are accepted into certain professional programs, such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona.
*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive 3 consecutive years (six semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Application
A completed Arizona Transfer Admission Application for Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 serves as the application for this award.
Deadline
Students applying for Summer/Fall 2026: Submit a completed University of Arizona transfer application by June 1, 2026. To secure funding, students must complete their Enrollment Fee by June 1, 2026.
Students apply for Spring 2027: Submit a completed University of Arizona transfer application by December 1, 2026.
Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, demonstrate lawful immigration status or be a qualifying, non-citizen Arizona high school graduate who is receiving in-state tuition through Proposition 308.
- Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- The award must be used beginning the term it was offered for, either the Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semester.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, student must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
Students Admitted in the Fall Semester
| Year 1 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. |
Minimum Units | 30 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the second academic year. |
| Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain enrollment during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request. |
Students Admitted in the Spring Semester
| Year 1 | Year 2 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | |
Minimum Units | 15 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the second semester. | 45 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, spring or summer semesters of the second award year to renew for the fourth (and final) semester. |
| Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment (at least 12 units) during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request. | |
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring, and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first semester at Arizona, units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. The base tuition amount does not include college fees, surcharges, room and board, or other fees and expenses.
- This award cannot be combined with any other tuition award including the All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition Award, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Arizona Tuition Award, or Wildcat Tuition Award.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
Residency Change
This merit award was offered based on residency at the time the student was admitted. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student is meeting all renewal criteria for the award, the merit award will be adjusted to account for the updated residency status.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds.
- For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to be disbursed. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount may be adjusted to cover the lower base tuition charges during this final semester.
- This scholarship can only be applied to undergraduate base tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Base Tuition does not include college or program fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will not be renewed for the upcoming year.
Students in the scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.
- Mid-year reinstatements during years 1-2 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
- Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for two (2) consecutive years (four (4) semesters total), unless otherwise noted above.
- Students must contact OSFA to request reinstatement no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the semester following the semester in which the student regained eligibility. Students who submit their request after this date may not have their merit award reinstated before tuition is due and may incur late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
- Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of four (4) consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Financial Aid Deferment form to defer their award. To be eligible for a deferment, students will need to be meeting renewal requirements at the time of the request.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
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Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
Award Amounts
Main Campus:
Arizona Residents - $3,000 per academic year
Non-Arizona Residents - $5,000-$10,000 per academic year
Distance Campus:
Arizona and Non-Arizona Residents - $2,000 per academic year
Selection
The Transfer Tuition Scholarship is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to community college (2 year) transfer students who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree.
- Students must have only attended community college(s) after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
- Arizona Residents: Have a minimum 3.00 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended.
Non-Arizona Residents: Have a minimum 3.50 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended. - Completed minimum of 36 units, and no more than 80 units, from a community college at the time of admission to Arizona
- Total attempted college units includes all attempted coursework from accredited institutions post-high school and dual enrollment units. Unaccredited and non-credit college attendance do not count towards the completed unit requirement and do not affect eligibility.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
Availability
Two consecutive years (four semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs. This award is available to Main Campus and Distance Campus students, including domestic students with international credentials. Microcampus students are not eligible.
Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 4 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward full-time graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.
Similarly, undergraduate students who have completed some undergraduate coursework at Arizona and are accepted into certain professional programs, such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona.
*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive 3 consecutive years (six semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements.
Application
A completed Arizona Transfer Admission Application for Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 serves as the application for this award.
Deadline
Students applying for Summer/Fall 2026: Submit a completed University of Arizona transfer application by June 1, 2026. To secure funding, students must complete their Enrollment Fee by June 1, 2026.
Students apply for Spring 2027: Submit a completed University of Arizona transfer application by December 1, 2026.
Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, demonstrate lawful immigration status or be a qualifying, non-citizen Arizona high school graduate who is receiving in-state tuition through Proposition 308.
- Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- The award must be used beginning the term it was offered for, either the Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semester.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, student must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
Students Admitted in the Fall Semester
| Year 1 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. |
Minimum Units | 30 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the second academic year. |
| Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain enrollment during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request. |
Students Admitted in the Spring Semester
| Year 1 | Year 2 |
Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note: Cumulative GPA can not be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | |
Minimum Units | 15 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the spring or summer semesters of the first award year to renew for the second semester. | 45 cumulative Arizona units Note: Units can be completed in the fall, spring or summer semesters of the second award year to renew for the fourth (and final) semester. |
| Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment (at least 12 units) during both fall and spring semesters. Note: Any breaks in enrollment must be approved through a Deferment Request. | |
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring, and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first semester at Arizona, units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. The base tuition amount does not include college fees, surcharges, room and board, or other fees and expenses.
- This award cannot be combined with any other tuition award including the All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition Award, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Arizona Tuition Award, or Wildcat Tuition Award.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
Residency Change
This merit award was offered based on residency at the time the student was admitted. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student is meeting all renewal criteria for the award, the merit award will be adjusted to account for the updated residency status.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds.
- For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to be disbursed. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount may be adjusted to cover the lower base tuition charges during this final semester.
- This scholarship can only be applied to undergraduate base tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Base Tuition does not include college or program fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will not be renewed for the upcoming year.
Students in the scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.
- Mid-year reinstatements during years 1-2 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
- Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for two (2) consecutive years (four (4) semesters total), unless otherwise noted above.
- Students must contact OSFA to request reinstatement no later than 30 days prior to the start date of the semester following the semester in which the student regained eligibility. Students who submit their request after this date may not have their merit award reinstated before tuition is due and may incur late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
- Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of four (4) consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Financial Aid Deferment form to defer their award. To be eligible for a deferment, students will need to be meeting renewal requirements at the time of the request.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
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Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
Award Amounts
Arizona Residents Only - $1,000
*Minimum Online Transfer Tuition Scholarship is $500 per semester for a minimum of 6 units, to be increased by OSFA when student is enrolled in more than 6 units.
Selection
The Online Transfer Tuition Tuition Scholarship is a competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to a select number of transfer students pursuing their first bachelor's degree at the Arizona Online Campus.
- Students must have only attended community college after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
- Have a minimum 3.0 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended.
- Completed minimum of 36 units, and no more than 80 units, from a community college at the time of admission to Arizona
- Total attempted college units includes all attempted coursework from accredited institutions post-high school and dual enrollment units. Unaccredited and non-credit college attendance do not count towards the completed unit requirement and do not affect eligibility.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
Availability
Up to three consecutive years (nine semesters total) for fall, spring and summer semesters or completion of 60 units (whichever comes first) at the University of Arizona, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is available to Arizona Online Campus students only, including domestic students with international credentials. Microcampus students are not eligible.
Application
A completed Arizona Transfer Admission Application for Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 serves as the application for this award.
Deadline
Students applying for Summer/Fall 2026: Submit a completed University of Arizona transfer application by June 1, 2026. To secure funding, students must complete their Enrollment Fee by June 1, 2026.
Students apply for Spring 2027: Submit a completed University of Arizona transfer application by December 1, 2026.
Please see our application deadline pages for the most up-to-date information.
Eligibility
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, demonstrate lawful immigration status or be a qualifying, non-citizen Arizona high school graduate who is receiving in-state tuition through Proposition 308.
- Be classified as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
- Be enrolled in the Arizona Online Campus.
- Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
- The award must be used beginning the term it was offered for, either the Summer 2026, Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semester.
- This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
Renewal Criteria
To renew the scholarship for future academic years, student must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):
| Year 1 | Year 2 | |||
| Minimum GPA | 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average | |||
| Note, Cumulative GPA cannot be rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes. | ||||
| Minimum Units | Fall & Spring Enrollment | 12 cumulative Arizona units by the end of the spring semester to receive Year 2 of the award. | Fall and Spring Enrollment | 24 cumulative Arizona units by the end of the spring semester to receive Year 2 of the award. |
| Fall, Spring & Summer Enrollment | If the student chooses to enroll in summer courses, the student must complete an additional 6 Arizona units by the end of the summer semester to receive Year 2 of the award. | Fall, Spring & Summer Enrollment | If the student chooses to enroll in summer courses, the student must complete an additional 6 Arizona units by the end of the summer semester to receive Year 3 of the award. | |
| Continuous Enrollment | Students are expected to maintain half-time enrollment (at least 6 units) during both fall and spring semesters. | |||
| Note: Any break in enrollment must be approved through a Scholarship Deferment Request. |
- Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona fall, winter, spring, and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, units from qualifying repeated courses.
- Non-Qualifying units: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, attempted but not completed units, courses excluded from record by repeating a course, non-credit certification programs, correspondence, audit, study abroad units taken during the summer, course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.
- For students who choose to enroll in summer courses before their first semester at Arizona, units completed during the summer will be counted towards both your cumulative GPA and cumulative units renewal requirements.
Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs
- Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. The base tuition amount does not include college fees, surcharges, room and board, or other fees and expenses.
- This award cannot be combined with any other tuition award including the All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition Award, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, or Phi Theta Kappa.
- This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
- Students eligible for the High School 150% Resident Tuition Rate or participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
- This award may be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website.
How the award is applied
- The award will be disbursed to the Bursar's student account approximately one week before classes begin if the student is enrolled full-time (6+ units per term) at Arizona Online campus, and has no open Scholarship related To Do items and/or holds. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough University of Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within three years (9 semesters total), the maximum period this award covers.
- This scholarship can only be applied to undergraduate base tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Base Tuition does not include college or program fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
- The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the spring portion of the award.
Reinstatement
- Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up missing Arizona units. Mid-year reinstatements require students to be on track with an average of 6 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
- Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for a maximum of three (3) consecutive years (nine (9) semesters total).
- Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement.
- Students who request reinstatement prior to the first day of classes will be more likely to avoid late fees.
- Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.
- Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
Deferments
- Eligibility for this tuition award is a maximum of nine consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
- Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a deferment.
- Students must have enrolled for at least one semester at Arizona in order to request a Scholarship deferment. Newly admitted students do not qualify for a Scholarship Deferment.
- Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
- Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona.
Campus Change
If during the semesters of eligibility, the student changes their campus and the student is meeting the renewal requirements for the current campus in which they are currently enrolled, the student will be reevaluated to retain the scholarship at the new campus. The student will then be subject to the award requirements pertaining to the student’s new campus, including minimum number of units required for disbursements, scholarship award amounts and renewal criteria.
Example: a student who changes from the Arizona Online campus to the Main Campus will first need to be meeting renewal criteria as stated above. Once campus change is completed, the student must meet all Main Campus terms and conditions for the Transfer Tuition Scholarship, including the requirement to be enrolled in 12 or more units per term for the terms moving forward. If the student changes back to Arizona Online, the student would then be held to the Online Transfer Tuition Scholarship terms and conditions and the Arizona Online Campus award amount would be reinstated for the terms moving forward.
Study Abroad
- Students may use this tuition award on specific University of Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two consecutive semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
- Students participating in programs longer than one year or in two non-consecutive semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
- For a list of which programs qualify for different types of financial aid, including this tuition award, view this chart.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program, that is sponsored by the University of Arizona, will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
- Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program not sponsored by the University of Arizona, will need to complete a Financial Aid Deferment form to defer their award. To be eligible for a deferment, students will need to be meeting renewal requirements at the time of the request.
- Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
- This tuition award can only apply towards Study Abroad tuition charges for Arizona sponsored programs. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms.
- Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS | INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS |
Exchange National Student Exchange, Plan B AZ Abroad Locations Direct Enroll | Arizona Faculty Led All 3rd Party Providers including:
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Withdrawal Policy
If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.
The Terms and Conditions listed on this page may be updated in order to further clarify policies and/or the use of each award.