Qualified Tuition Reduction and Merit
How does Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR) work with merit tuition scholarships?
Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR) is a benefit provided to full benefits-eligible employees or their qualifying dependents to receive reduced tuition at any of the three Arizona public Universities: the University of Arizona (including Global Campus), Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University.
Tuition Awards (i.e. Wildcat, National Merit, All-Arizona Academic, etc.) are intended to only pay for up to 100% of the cost of base tuition. They do not pay college fees, program fees, differential tuition, fees, mandatory fees or any other fees/ charges on a student’s Bursar student account.
Tuition Awards offered for an amount greater than the cost of base tuition will be reduced to the remaining amount of base tuition, after QTR is applied. Students and their families will be responsible for paying any other fees as noted above.
| 2025-2026 FULL-TIME (12+ UNITS) TUITION & FEES FOR IN-STATE RESIDENTS | |
|---|---|
| Base Tuition | $12,168.00 |
| Fees | $1,738 |
| Total | $13,906.00 |
The values in this example reflect the tuition and fees for a incoming student, admitted to Main Campus for Fall 2025. If you or your student is a current student, their tuition costs may differ, please visit the Bursar's website to determine their appropriate tuition rate.
| EXAMPLE 1: 2025-2026 TUITION & FEES FOR A DEPENDENT WITH QTR BUT NO MERIT TUITION SCHOLARSHIP | |
|---|---|
| Base Tuition for full academic year | $12,168.00 |
| QTR (75% Reduction) | ($9,126.00) |
| Balance of Base Tuition After QTR | $3042.00 |
| Fees | $1,738.00 |
| Total out of pocket for full academic year | $4,780.00 |
| EXAMPLE 2: 2025-2026 TUITION & FEES FOR A DEPENDENT WITH QTR + $5,000 TUITION AWARD | |
|---|---|
| Base Tuition | $12,168.00 |
| QTR (75% Reduction) | ($9,126.00) |
| Base Tuition Due | $3,042.00 |
| Tuition Award (reduced from the original $5,000 offer to remaining cost of base tuition after QTR) | ($3,042.00) |
| Base Tuition Due (after Tuition Award applied) | $0.00 |
| Fees | $1,738.00 |
| Total out of pocket | $1,738.00 |
In this example, the student's merit tuition scholarship will be reduced from $5,000 to $3,042.00 for the academic year. Base tuition is fully covered between the QTR benefit and the tuition scholarship. Students and their families would be responsible for paying the fees $1,738.00 for the academic year.
If the student is not a dependent of the employee, but rather the Employee or Employee's Spouse, then the merit tuition scholarship would be reduced to $50 ($25 for the fall and $25 for the spring).
| EXAMPLE 3: 2025-2026 TUITION & FEES (INCLUDING COLLEGE FEE) FOR A DEPENDENT WITH QTR + $5,000 TUITION AWARD | |
|---|---|
| Base Tuition | $12,168.00 |
| College of Education College Fee | $550.00 |
| Total Base Tuition plus College Fee | $12,718.00 |
| QTR (75% Reduction) | ($9538.50) |
| Tuition Award | ($3,042.00) |
| Tuition Due (after Tuition Award applied) | $137.50 |
| Other Fees | $1,738.00 |
| Total out of pocket | $1,875.50 |
QTR will reduce the amount of College Fee by 75%. This is on top of 75% off base tuition as shown above. The student's Tuition Award, however, can only apply to Base Tuition charges, per the Terms and Conditions of the award therefore the Tuition Award is reduced to cover the remaining 25% of base tuition only.
EXAMPLE 4 – SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON OF ALL EXAMPLES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
2025-2026 | WITHOUT COLLEGE FEE | WITH COLLEGE FEE | ||
| CHARGE | BASE AMOUNT NO QTR | REDUCED AMOUNT AFTER QTR IS APPLIED | BASE AMOUNT | REDUCED AMOUNT AFTER QTR IS APPLIED |
| Base Tuition | $12,168.00 | $3,042.00 | $12,168.00 | $3,042.00 |
| College Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | $550.00 | $137.50 |
| Fees | $1,738.00 | $1,738.00 | $1,738.00 | $1,738.00 |
| Total | $13,906.00 | $4,780.00 | $14,456.00 | $4,917.50 |
| Tuition Award | ($5,000.00) | ($3,042.00) | ($5,000.00) | ($3,042.000) |
| Total Out of Pocket | $8,906.00 | $1,738.00 | $9,456.00 | $1,875.50 |
Should Students Use their QTR Benefit?
Students and their families should weigh out all the options when financially planning for the student’s education at Arizona. Students who are offered Tuition Awards greater than the cost of base tuition (for example, any tuition award greater than $12,168.00 for an incoming, Fall 2025 Resident), might consider not to elect to use QTR as there is no additional cost benefit to the student. The "unused" amount of merit will not be saved for future use and cannot be converted to cash to use to pay for other expenses such as room and board, books, etc.
Disclaimer: The information above is for example purposes only and is intended to provide information for students and their families to educate them on how this benefit works with merit scholarships. OSFA is not advising students and their families that they should or should not utilize these benefits. Please refer to the Bursar’s website for more information on how QTR is applied as well as to determine the exact charges applied to each individual student.
For instructions, eligibility, application, and deadlines go to the Human Resources - Educational Benefits web page.
For more information about each individual scholarship, please visit the Terms and Conditions of the scholarship for the year the award was initially offered.