American University Washington Semester Program
The Washington Semester Program is a unique opportunity to be part of a global network of doers, thinkers, innovators, and change-makers.
Students who are participating the in American University Washington Semester Program may be eligible to utilize their offered financial aid to offset their costs. Eligibility for different types of aid will vary. As part of the application process, students are encouraged to connect directly with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA).
Please review the information below in full to understand what types of aid may be eligible for the American University Washington Semester Program.
Merit Tuition Scholarships
Merit tuition scholarships are strictly intended to pay tuition charges for University of Arizona enrollment and cannot be used to pay for tuition or other expenses related to the Washington Semester Program.
Defer Your Merit Tuition Scholarship
- To receive your merit tuition scholarships (including the Arizona Tuition Scholarship, Wildcat Tuition Scholarship, National Merit Tuition Scholarships, etc.) when you return, you must submit a Scholarship Deferment for the semester you plan to be enrolled at American University.
- If a deferment is not submitted, your enrollment will not be considered continuous (which is a renewal requirement) and you will loose your merit tuition scholarship when you return to the University of Arizona.
Arizona Assurance
Arizona Assurance Grant is strictly intended to pay tuition and/or other charges directly related to University of Arizona enrollment and cannot be used to pay for tuition or other expenses related to the Washington Semester Program.
Defer Your Arizona Assurance Grant
- Students awarded the Arizona Assurance Grant must submit an Arizona Assurance Deferment for the semester you plan to be enrolled at American University.
- If a deferment is not submitted, your enrollment will not be considered continuous (which is a renewal requirement) and you will loose your Arizona Assurance Grant when you return to the University of Arizona.
Institutional Grant Funding
Institutional grants (Arizona Promise Grant, Arizona Native Scholars Grant, University Grant, etc.) are strictly intended to pay tuition and/or other charges directly related to University of Arizona enrollment and cannot be used to pay for tuition or other expenses related to the Washington Semester Program.
Eligibility When You Return
- If you have been awarded institutional grants, you can regain your eligibility for these grants when you re-enroll at the University of Arizona, as long as you meet all eligibility criteria, including having an applicable FAFSA form on file by the Priority Filing Date.
- Please note, the institutional grant funding for the semester you are away will be considered forfeited. In addition, the semester you are not enrolled at the University of Arizona will count as an "eligible semester" for renewal purposes.
- You do not need to submit any sort of appeal or deferment request for this funding. Review additional information about grant funding eligibility requirements here.
Federal Financial Aid
Federal financial aid may be able to be used to pay for tuition and/or other expenses related to the Washington Semester Program.
Submit a Consortium Agreement
- If you've been awarded federal financial aid (including the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct student and/or parent PLUS loans), you must submit a Consortium Agreement for the semester you plan to enrolled at American University. You can find the Consortium Agreement form and the corresponding deadline for the appropriate semester on our Consortium Agreement webpage.
- If a consortium agreement is not submitted and approved, you cannot use your federal financial aid to pay for expenses that are related to the participating in the Washington Semester Program. This means any federal financial aid offered to you at the University of Arizona for the semester you are enrolled at American University will be forfeited.
Frequently Asked Questions are listed below. If you find your question is not included, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yes, you will need to submit a Scholarship Deferment to request deferment of your tuition scholarship and an Arizona Assurance Deferment to request the deferment of your Arizona Assurance Grant.
You may use the same statement and supporting documentation for both deferment forms. Failure to submit one (or both) deferments will result in the loss of the funding for future semesters.
There is more information about each of these requests, including submission deadlines and terms and conditions, provided below.
OSFA is not able to answer any questions about the application process or the program itself. For additional information, you can review the information available here. You can also direct application, and program questions to the UA Washington Semester representative, Michael Greeley, at greeley@email.arizona.edu.
We understand that this is a big decision and you may still have questions about your financial aid and how it may change if you participate in the Washington Semester Program. Please reach out to a member of our Ask Aid Team here. You can visit us in person, call, or send us an email. Please make sure you refer to this program by name, American University Washington Semester Program, so we know exactly what program you are referring to and can answer your question(s) accurately.
Now that you understand what the impact of participation in the Washington Semester Program has on your financial aid, here are your next steps:
- Submit the required form(s) as described above. Depending on when you are looking at this information, the form(s) may not be available for the semester in which you need to submit them. Keep an eye on the OSFA webpage for updates and submit when they become available. Make sure you submit the form(s) no later than the published submission deadlines as late deferments and consortium agreements are not accepted.
- Proceed with the program's application steps as noted here.