Initial first-year merit tuition scholarship offers are based on a holistic review process that considers each students’ full academic history - in the context of where they lived and learned - and other life experiences. 

Selection

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 (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). Incoming first-year students who are homeschooled will be evaluated for merit aid based on portfolio/course work submitted by the admission deadline. 

1. Submit a completed University of Arizona application 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.
2. This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.
3. To assess students’ eligibility for both admission and merit aid, the University utilizes a holistic review process that considers each student’s full academic history - in the context of where they lived and learned - and other life experiences.
4. Students selected for this scholarship will receive an offer letter once the student is admitted. Admissions notifications will begin January 15, 2026.
5. Offers are non-negotiable and 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.
6. 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 graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. 

Similarly, students who 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

1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status.
2. Be classified as a non-Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
3. 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.
4. Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
5. The award must be used beginning Fall 2026 semester.
6. Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
7. This merit award is not available for use in the University of Arizona Online and Near You Network campuses.
8. Applicants with GEDs or High School Equivalency tests are not eligible for first-year awards.
9. 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.
10. 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):

• Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, 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

1. This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award or National Merit Scholars Tuition Award.
2. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
3. 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. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. 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

1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account approximately ten days 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

1. 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.
2. 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 is 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.

3. 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

1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
2. Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a scholarship deferment.
3. 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.
4. 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

1. 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 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

6. Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.

    

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

1. 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.  

2. 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. 

3. Submit a completed University of Arizona application 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.

4. This scholarship is subject to the availability of funds.

5. To assess students' eligibility for both admission and merit aid, the University utilizes a holistic review process that considers each student's full academic history - in the context of where they lived and learned - and other life experiences. 

6. Students admitted for the spring semester are not eligible for this award. 

7. Offers are non-negotiable and 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 graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion.

Similarly, students who 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
4. 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.
5. The award must be used beginning Fall 2026 2025 semester.
6. Scholarships are subject to the availability of funds.
7. This merit award is not available for use in the University of Arizona Online and Near You Network campuses.
8. Applicants with GEDs or High School Equivalency tests are not eligible for first-year awards.
9. 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.
10. 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, s Students must meet the following renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters):

• Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, 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

1. 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.
2. This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award, the Arizona Tuition Award, or the Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Scholarship.
3. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
4. 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.
5. 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. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. 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

1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account approximately ten days 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.
2. 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.
3. This scholarship can only be is 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.
4. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.

3. 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

1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
2. Students must be meeting renewal requirements in order to apply for a scholarship deferment.
3. 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.
4. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
5. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Students on Non-Arizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.

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.