The FAFSA for the following academic year becomes available on October 1st. For example, the FAFSA for the 2021-2022 academic year became available on October 1, 2020.

The FAFSA form asks for marital status “as of today” (the day it’s filled out). If you or your parent is married now but wasn't in the requested tax year (and therefore didn't file taxes as married), the spouse’s requested tax year income will need to be added to the FAFSA form.

If you or your parent filed in the requested tax year as married but is no longer married when filling out the FAFSA form, the spouse’s income will need to be removed.

For more information visit studentaid.gov.

Congratulations! Federal guidelines do not allow for you to update marital status in the middle of an awarding year. Once you file the FAFSA indicating that you are single, you will not be able to change that information until you file the FAFSA again for the following year.

The FAFSA is completed online at fafsa.gov. The FAFSA will guide you and provide detailed explanations for each question. If you need additional help, you contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid or the FAFSA Help Line at 1800.4FED.AID.

You should never have to pay a fee to file or have someone fill out the FAFSA for you.

You should submit the information of the parent who provided the most financial support during the last 12 months or during the most recent year that you were supported by a parent. Support includes money, housing, food, clothes, car, medical and dental care, payment of college costs, etc. Also, if the parent described above is married or remarried as of the date you completed the FAFSA, you must include the financial information about your step-parent.

Your SSN and name must be correct on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

You must file a new FAFSA if:

• your SSN was incorrectly reported
• your name has officially changed (for example, you got married).

Before refiling your FAFSA, report changes to the Social Security Administration (SSA) office. Refile and submit your FAFSA once your name change has been processed by the SSA.

The FAFSA you have submitted cannot be deleted and you will have two applications on file. Therefore, you must contact our office regarding these changes to ensure we received the correct application.

If you made a mistake when entering your name, you may submit corrections by logging in at fafsa.gov and selecting “Make FAFSA Corrections”.

If you need assistance with your FSA ID please visit studentaid.gov.

Yes. “Parent” refers to a biological or adoptive parent or a person determined by the state to be a parent. They can be considered parents if they have legally adopted you. Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older siblings, and uncles or aunts are not considered parents on this form.

You can correct your FAFSA by going to fafsa.gov and selecting "Make FAFSA Corrections". For more information on correcting your FAFSA, visit studentaid.gov.

You should use 000-00-0000 for a parent that does not have a social security number. Do not use a tax payer identification (TIN) in place of a social security number.

Do not report the money on your FAFSA unless you included it in your adjusted gross income (AGI). If you did, then report your full AGI on the FAFSA, but report the amount of student aid in the “How much taxable grant or scholarship aid did you receive?” question.

Please complete the FAFSA with your current classification. If it changes after summer session classes, please contact our office so your file may be reevaluated.

To submit a FAFSA, you must first create an FSA ID. The FSA ID will act as your electronic signature. If your parent needs to sign the FAFSA, they will need to create their own FSA ID.

Next, fill out a FAFSA at fafsa.gov. You will need to complete a FAFSA every year.

For information about a how a student’s dependency status is determined visit studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency/.

Log in at fafsa.gov and select “Make FAFSA Corrections”. Navigate to the “School Selection” page and use the school code 001083 to add the University of Arizona. 

Please do not send in your Student Aid Report, it will not be used to process your financial aid. All FAFSA information must be received electronically from the Federal Processor.

To check the status of your FAFSA, visit fafsa.gov. You can also check your Financial Aid Summary in your UAccess Student Center. 

If our office needs additional information to process your FAFSA, we will notify you in your UAccess Student Center To Do List and email your CatMail account.

Yes, income earned in a foreign country is treated the same as income earned in the U.S. You need to convert all figures to U.S. dollars, using the exchange rate in effect on the day you filled out the FAFSA. Income paid to the foreign government in that country should be treated as "U.S. income tax paid." If the government of the foreign country did not tax the money, the income should be treated as untaxed income.

If you/your parent filed an income tax return with the relevant tax authority of a U.S. territory, commonwealth, or with a foreign central government, you must provide our office with a transcript that was obtained at no cost from the relevant taxing authority of a U.S. territory (Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands) or commonwealth (Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands), or a foreign central government, that includes all of the tax filer's income and tax information required to be verified for the tax year. If a transcript cannot be obtained from the relevant taxing authority, a signed copy of the income tax return(s) is acceptable.

You may need to refer to the documents/information listed below:

• Social Security number and driver license
• Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information.
• Records of your untaxed income. For example
  • child support received
  • interest income
  • veterans noneducational benefits
• Current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds, and other investments.
• The same information listed above for your parent(s) or spouse, if necessary.
• Your alien registration card if you are not a U.S. citizen.
• The University of Arizona's school code: 001083

For additional information visit studentaid.gov.

Your answers to questions on the FAFSA determine your dependency status for financial aid purposes. Being financially independent from your parents does not make you independent for financial aid purposes. 

If you do not meet the criteria to be considered independent but can document special circumstances about your independence, you should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

For more information about a student’s dependency status visit studentaid.gov.
 

Do not file another FAFSA for the spring if you submitted one for the fall. You do not need to contact our office to notify us of your change in enrollment plans.

The Federal Processor will send you an email when your FAFSA has been processed. Follow the link provided or log in to fafsa.gov to review your Student Aid Report (SAR). Review the information for accuracy and ensure the University of Arizona (school code 001083) is listed as one of your schools to receive the FAFSA data. 

If the data is accurate, and you have been admitted to the University, then Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will begin the awarding process. If there are errors in the data, please make the necessary corrections online by logging in at fafsa.gov and selecting “Make FAFSA Corrections". Once the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid has the corrected data and you have been admitted to the university, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will begin creating a financial aid offer.

2022-2023 Offer Dates

The University of Arizona Federal School Code is 001083.

Your answers to questions on the FAFSA determine your dependency status for financial aid purposes. Being financially independent from your parents does not make you independent for financial aid purposes. 

If you do not meet the criteria to be considered independent but can document special circumstances about your independence, you should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

For more information about a student’s dependency status visit studentaid.gov.
 

Do not file another FAFSA for the spring if you submitted one for the fall. You do not need to contact our office to notify us of your change in enrollment plans. 

Your answers to questions on the FAFSA determine your dependency status for financial aid purposes. Filing your own taxes does not make you independent for financial aid purposes.

If you do not meet the criteria to be considered independent but can document special circumstances about your independence, you should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

For more information about a student’s dependency status visit studentaid.gov.

You can make corrections indicating that you have a child by going to fafsa.gov and selecting "Make FAFSA Corrections". If you have childcare expenses, you may want to contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and request a Cost of Attendance appeal. Learn more about the Cost of Attendance appeal.

Yes, income earned in a foreign country is treated the same as income earned in the U.S. You need to convert all figures to U.S. dollars, using the exchange rate in effect on the day you filled out the FAFSA. Income paid to the foreign government in that country should be treated as "U.S. income tax paid." If the government of the foreign country did not tax the money, the income should be treated as untaxed income.

If you/your parent filed an income tax return with the relevant tax authority of a U.S. territory, commonwealth, or with a foreign central government, you must provide our office with a transcript that was obtained at no cost from the relevant taxing authority of a U.S. territory (Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands) or commonwealth (Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands), or a foreign central government, that includes all of the tax filer's income and tax information required to be verified for the tax year. If a transcript cannot be obtained from the relevant taxing authority, a signed copy of the income tax return(s) is acceptable.

While not having a relationship with your parent is not considered an unusual circumstance in itself, if you have qualifying circumstances, you may be able to submit a Dependency Override. Please review the Dependency Override Appeal section of our appeals webpage to learn more. A parent refusing to file the FAFSA or ending financial support isn’t considered an unusual circumstance in itself. In these cases, a student can only qualify for a Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. Please contact our office to discuss further. 

If you have no contact with your parents and don’t know where they live, or you’ve left home due to an abusive situation, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2024–25 FAFSA form. 

You will then be allowed to complete the FAFSA and submit it without any parental information. You will be granted provisional independence, which means your Federal Pell Grant eligibility will be determined and the Student Aid Index (SAI) will be calculated. You’ll then follow up with our office to submit additional documentation and complete the processing of your FAFSA.

There are 2 ways you can complete the Citizenship Verification requirement. You may either submit your documentation online or you may submit your documentation in-person at the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

1. To confirm your citizenship status online: Review the instructions in your UAccess Student Center to navigate to the Confirmation Your Citizenship Status online form. 

Use this form to submit two different types of documentation . You will need to provide:

• 1 copy of a valid photo ID (Examples: State issued Driver's License or Identification Card, etc.)

AND

• 1 copy of your Citizenship and/or Immigration Document (Example: Permanent Resident card, I-94 Form, etc.)

*Please note that you can not use your passport twice for your proof of citizenship and your government issued Photo ID. Unfortunately we can not accept military IDs as documentation.

2. To confirm your citizenship status in-person: Visit the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and provide the following documents for review:

• 1 copy of a valid photo ID (Examples: State issued Driver's License or Identification Card, etc.)

AND

• 1 copy of your Citizenship and/or Immigration Document (Example: Permanent Resident card, I-94 Form, etc.)

Examples of documents that can be presented to confirm your citizenship status:

• U.S. Birth Certificate
• U.S. Passport or Passport Card (signed)
• U.S. Travel Document
• U.S. Certificate of Naturalization (signed)
• U.S. Certificate of Citizenship (signed) Certificate of Birth Abroad

A Social Security Number (SSN) is required for students who are looking to complete the FAFSA, except for students who are residents of the Freely Associated States (Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau). If the student SSN field is blank for online and paper FAFSAs, the FAFSA will not be processed. 

While the ability to create an FSA ID has historically been limited only to parents who can be verified with a Social Security Number (SSN), now all parent and spouse contributors without a SSN can create one using the Department of Education's newly developed system to validate identity. This allows all contributors, including undocumented individuals, to create an FSA ID. Check out these step by step instructions on how to contributors without a SSN can obtain a FSA ID. 

Eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant is determined each year and is based on various factors including your household income and number of family members in the household. 

For the year 2024-2025 aid year specifically, the FAFSA Simplification Act has changed what information from your FAFSA is considered for Pell Eligibility. In addition, you could be seeing this difference as a result of a change to whom your required parental contributor(s) are and/or in your or your contributor’s (parent or spouse) financial information provided on the FAFSA. 

If you are unable to set up a two-step authentication app, you may use the SMS text or email option to receive your authentication code. An email or mobile phone (for SMS text) must be verified in order to be used for two-step verification.

The required parent contributor on a dependent student’s FAFSA will be the parent who provided the most financial support for the student in the last 12 months, no matter which parent the student lived with. This is not something that can be updated later, however, if the incorrect parent was added to the FAFSA to begin with, students will need to work with OSFA who will determine if this correction should be made. Documentation may need to be submitted to substantiate this correction. If you need to correct this information, you’ll need to reach out to our office.

Based on your answers on the FAFSA, you were able to submit your FAFSA without parental information and as a result, were given provisional independent status. This provisional independent status allowed for the calculation of a provisional SAI and aid eligibility.  However, to complete the processing of your FAFSA and be eligible for federal financial aid in 2024-2025, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will need to confirm your independent status.

Students with a provisional independent status typically fall into two situations- they are either seeking a Dependency Override or they are experiencing homelessness. If you were approved for either of these cases in past years, you can renew for 2024-2025 without submitting another appeal (unless your circumstances have changed). 

Keep an eye on your Student Center To Do List for more information about these processes.

We recommend reaching out to the Federal Student Aid Information Center for additional assistance. There are several ways to get in touch with them, including live chat, phone or email. Find all the options here. 

• Contributors who are not U.S. citizens will soon be able to create an FSA ID, which they will use to provide consent and sign the FAFSA. If the individual does not have an SSN or ITIN, they will be directed through the knowledge-based identity authentication process. This will allow anyone, including undocumented individuals, to create an FSA ID. An FSA ID is required to file the FAFSA electronically. This authentication process is not yet available but should be toward the end of 2023.
• Contributors who filed foreign taxes will manually report their converted tax information on the FAFSA, using the exchange rate as of the day the FAFSA is filed.

The FAFSA still collects information on the number of family members in college, however, it won’t have the same impact on your financial aid eligibility as it had in the past. 

Please be aware that there may be options for you/your family to report costs associated with the additional family members enrolled in college, to our office. If the additional family members in college creates a documented financial hardship, our office can work with you to file a FAFSA Data Appeal.

The number of people in your/your parent’s household will align with the number of dependents on your or your parent(s)’ U.S. tax return. If this number changes after filing the tax return,  you can indicate this update directly on your FAFSA. Note that you, and your contributors, will not have the ability to see the family size as it is part of FTI that transfers from the IRS.

Contributors who filed both international and U.S. Federal taxes will need to provide consent for their FTI to be transferred into the FAFSA. Contributors who have the Foreign Tax Exclusion, as reported on Line 8D from Schedule 1 (IRS Form 1040) will need to manually report this amount as Untaxed Income on the FAFSA in addition to transferring their FTI.

In general, this is not something you can appeal since eligibility for need-based financial aid, including the Federal Pell Grant, is determined each year. If your eligibility for specific types of financial aid changed between this academic year and next year, it could be due to a change in your or your contributor’s (parent or spouse) financial information provided on the FAFSA or a change in how eligibility is now determined. 

However, if you and/or your family have experienced special circumstances such as loss of income, large medical bills, etc. or there are other circumstances that are unique to your situation, you may have an option to appeal. Please reach out to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to learn more about what appeal options are available. 
 

An unborn child cannot be included in family size unless and until the child is born. Once your child is born, you or our financial aid office may be able to update your family size. Please contact us to learn more. 

For divorced or separated parents, income and assets are reported for the parent who provides the most financial support over the 12 months before filing the FAFSA even if the student does not live with that parent or lives with the other parent. 

Parental income and assets for a student whose parents are divorced or separated, but not remarried, are determined by including only the income and assets of the parent who provides the greater portion of the student's financial support. If the parents’ 2022 Federal Taxes were filed as Married, Filing Jointly, the Federal Tax Information (FTI) transferred over would reflect both parents so the tax information for the parent contributor will need to be entered manually.

If your financial circumstances have changed between the tax year and current year, our office can work with you to file a FAFSA Data Appeal. Please reach out to OSFA to learn more about this appeal.

Dependent students can learn more about who their required contributor(s) should be on this guidance provided by the Department of Education. 

• In general, all dependent students, even those who do not live with their parents, must provide their parent’s information on the FAFSA.
• If your legal parents (biological or adoptive parents) are married to each other, or are not married to each other and live together, you should report information about both of them on your FAFSA form. 
• If you have no contact with your parents and don’t know where they live, or you’ve left home due to an abusive situation, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2024–25 FAFSA form. You’ll be considered provisionally independent. To complete your application, you should contact the financial aid office at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend to find out what supporting documentation you’ll need to submit directly to the school.

Independent students

• The spouse of an Independent student who is married may need to be a contributor on the FAFSA, depending on how taxes were filed. If taxes were submitted as Married/Filing Jointly, the spouse does not need to be a contributor. If the tax filing status was Married/Filing Separately, the spouse will be a required contributor who must provide consent. 

In order to be eligible for federal student aid, students and contributors must provide consent to have their federal tax information (FTI) transferred directly into the FAFSA from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Providing consent even applies to contributors who don't have a Social Security Number, didn't file 2022 taxes, or who filed taxes outside the US.

Tax data will be automatically transferred directly from the IRS into your application, streamlining the process and reducing the number of questions you’ll be required to answer. 

Please be aware that you, and your FAFSA contributors, will not have the ability to see or modify the FTI when completing the FAFSA online. If your financial circumstances have changed between the tax year and current year, or you are experiencing other special circumstances, there may be an appeal option for you. More information about appeals will be shared at a later date. 

The student and all contributors must provide this consent and approval on the FAFSA in order to be eligible for federal student aid.

Please note that this information is only used to determine a student’s eligibility for financial aid and will not be used for any other purpose, nor shared with any other government agency.

Some of the most common reasons a contributors may be asked to manually enter their financial information on the FAFSA include:

• The contributor’s marital status has changed since filing their Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax return for the applicable tax year (e.g., parents filed a joint tax return but are separated, divorced, or remarried when filing the FAFSA)
• The contributor filed taxes in a U.S. territory (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands), commonwealth, or foreign country
• The contributor indicates on the online FAFSA that they have not filed a tax return but plan to
• The contributor is a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft
• The contributor did not provide consent to transfer federal tax information (FTI)
• The contributor's identifiers do not match IRS records 
• The transfer of FTI was incomplete 
• The IRS was unable to confirm tax return data 
• IRS data is unavailable for an IRS system-related outage at the time the FAFSA is being completed

Unfortunately, unless you are experiencing unusual circumstances or qualify for provisional independence as a result of homelessness or being at risk of homelessness there is no way to appeal who your required contributor(s) are. Students whose parents refuse to provide consent will be given the opportunity to indicate they would like to receive only a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

Non-filers will still be required to provide consent when completing the FAFSA to allow their federal tax information (FTI) to be imported. 

If you or your contributor have not yet filed their 2022 taxes and were required to do so, we recommend reaching out to a tax professional for assistance. Generally, those who are eligible to file taxes must do so in order to be eligible for federal aid.

If you or your parent(s) no longer have your W-2 and/or 1099-MISC forms, you can request a replacement by contacting the employer who issued the original or request a "Wage and Income Transcript" from the IRS at https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript.

On the IRS webpage, click the "Get Transcript Online" or "Get Transcripy by Mail" button to get started.

You may also complete the paper Form 4506-T and mark box 8, then mail or fax the form to the IRS. Requests submitted via this form can take up to 30 days. Once received, upload a copy through StudentForms.

There are different types of verification. Some require the student to submit tax information and a statement of who lives in their household. Others are asked to verify their identity.  Each of these different types of verification are noted on the FAFSA via codes that instruct the Institution what to verify. 

Common forms requested are:

• Student’s signed tax return (Form 1040)
• Student’s W-2 form
• Student’s spouse’s signed tax return (Form 1040)
• Student’s spouse’s W-2 form
• Parent(s)’ signed tax return (Form 1040)
• Parent(s)’ W-2 form
• Verification of Household Form
• Signed Statement Form
• Utility bills
• Leases
• IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter
• IRS Tax Return Transcript
• IRS Wage and Income Transcript
• Copy of a student’s government issued ID
• Copy of the student's passport

Generally speaking you are required to submit tax documents from the year you used to file your FAFSA (prior-prior year) 

To request a Verification of Non-filing Letter (VONF) from the IRS, please visit https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript and click on "Get Transcript Online" or "Get Transcript by Mail" to get started.

You may also complete the paper Form 4506-T, and mark box 7, then mail or fax the form to the IRS. Requests submitted via this form can take up to 30 days. Once received, upload a copy through the instructions provided in your UAccess Student Center.

Please note: If an individual does not have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), they will not be able to request a VONF. Instead, upload a signed statement explaining that the individual does not have a SSN or ITIN along with a list of each source of income received and the annual amount.

There are numerous ways you will be contacted if you are required to complete verification:

At the time you are initially selected for verification:

• An email is sent directly to your CatMail with instructions on how to proceed.
• Additionally, an item is added on your To Do List in the UAccess Student Center.

After initial selection and communication:

• OSFA sends a monthly reminder email to all students that have been selected for verification and have not completed their requirements.
• The To Do List item referenced above remains incomplete and in your UAccess Student Center To Do List.

To request another copy of your Social Security Card, please contact the Social Security Administration on-line at https://www.ssa.gov/, call 1.800.772.1213 or visit the local office at 3500 N. Campbell Ave.  We cannot accept other documentation for verification of your Social Security Number.   Without a copy of your Social Security Card, we cannot process and disburse your financial aid.

You can either complete the State of Educational Purpose requirement for verification in-person or by mailing an original copy of the completed form to our office

To appear in person at our office, please: 

• Print the Statement of Educational Purpose Form
• Appear in person at the University of Arizona Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (https://financialaid.arizona.edu/contact) and present a copy of your photo ID to verify your identity 
  • Please bring any unexpired form of government issued photo identification such as a driver license, passport or other state-issued ID. Please note that we are unable to accept Military IDs as we can not make a copy for our records. 
• Complete to top portion of the Statement of Educational Purpose in front of a Financial Aid Administrator

If you are unable to appear in person at our office, you can mail an original copy or our office: 

• Print the Statement of Educational Purpose Form
• Bring the form to a notary public and present a copy of your photo ID to verify your identity. You must visit a notary public in person, as we can not accept the use of an online notary public. 
• Complete to top portion of the Statement of Educational Purpose in front of a notary public 
• Make a copy of the unexpired valid government issued photo ID that is presented to the notary public.
  • Examples are a driver license, passport or other state-issued ID. Please note that Military IDs are not accepted due to our limitation on making a copy. 
• Mail both the completed form and a copy of your photo ID used to: 
  • The University of Arizona 
    Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid 
    P.O. Box 210066 
    Tucson, AZ 85721

Older versions of the Certificate of Citizenship and the Certificate of Naturalization instruct the holder not to photocopy. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services has advised the Department that these documents may be photocopied if done for lawful purposes such as documenting eligibility for Federal Student Aid funds.

If you or your parent(s) are a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft, access to tax information can take 8-11 weeks after the IRS has received your tax return. Resolution of IRS tax-related identity theft can take 120-180 days. Please visit https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-central for more information.

In some cases, victims of IRS tax-related identity theft may not be able to use the FAFSA’s IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) or request a Tax Return Transcript (TRT) from the IRS for 8-11 weeks after the IRS has received your tax return. We suggest trying methods on the IRS website listed above first. If they do not work, please utilize the alternative method below.

• You may call the Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) toll-free at 1-800-908-4490. Once the IPSU authenticates your identity, you can request that the IRS mail you an alternate paper tax return transcript, known as the Transcript Database View (TRDBV).
• Once you receive the TRDBV by mail, please upload it through StudentForms along with a signed and dated letter indicating that you were a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft and that the IRS has been made aware. Your name and University of Arizona student ID number must appear on each page.
• If you cannot obtain a TRDBV, you may submit a copy of the tax return or another official IRS transcript provided by the IRS if it includes all of the income and tax information required to be verified.

A student is selected for verification by the Department of Education (ED) to ensure the accuracy of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information provided. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) is required to collect additional documentation from you in order to complete this ED requirement. 

When using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, users are not able to view their tax information they are transferring because of added security and privacy protections. The tax information will be transferred into the FAFSA directly from the IRS. OSFA will have access to the transferred information if you need additional information.

The Federal government publishes guidelines each year with tax filing requirements to determine if you must file a federal tax return. Please visit  the following link for more info on who should file their taxes: https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/who-should-file

Please provide both an IRS Tax Return Transcript that includes information from the original tax return AND a signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X that was filed with the IRS. Acceptable alternatives include: Tax Account Transcripts in conjuction with Tax Return Transcripts or a Record of Account Transcript

Completing Federal Verification involves many different steps and a number of parties. In partnership with you (the student), the University of Arizona communicates with the Department of Education to verify and/or correct any FAFSA information initially provided. For a more detailed explanation, read through the following table:

You or your parent(s) can get a copy of your Tax Record Transcripts (TRT) at the IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript.

Click the "Get Transcript Online" or "Get Transcript by Mail" button to get started.

Prior-prior year tax information is needed to complete verification. The tax extension deadline falls in October, six months after taxes are due. For example, the 2024-2025 FAFSA requires 2022 tax information. The tax extension deadline for 2022 was October 1, 2023 and only students (and spouses if applicable) and parents granted an extension beyond six months may submit the following for verification:

• a copy of the IRS’s approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension for tax year 2022;
• verification of non-filing (see non-tax filers for more information) from the IRS dated on or after October 1, 2023;
• copies of all their W-2 forms (or equivalent) for 2022 employment income; and
• if self-employed, a signed statement with the amounts of their AGI and U.S. income tax paid 2022.

If you or your parent were not granted an extension beyond six months, please submit a 1040 Tax Form or Tax Return Transcript for the applicable prior-prior year.

Review the email received from our office or your UAccess Student Center To Do List item for detailed information. Then, after gathering the required documentation, submit based on the instructions provided in your UAccess Student Center To Do List item or email.

Requirements vary by tribe and are based on federal and/or tribal regulations. Some tribes offer assistance for students who are part time. Be sure you are enrolled in the appropriate number of units that your tribe requires to receive funding. Using the information listed on the funding application, contact your tribe's higher education or main office to determine enrollment requirements.

Graduate students are reviewed and offered financial aid for the next academic year during the preceding summer. Departmental aid may not be finalized by the department or Graduate College at the time your FNA is due. Therefore, graduate students must notify our office as soon as possible if being funded through Graduate Assistantships or stipends. Generally, graduate non-degree seeking students are not eligible for federal financial aid.

For information on requesting proof of enrollment, refer to the Registrar's website.

Our office offers graduate student aid and creates budgets at five graduate level units, which is part time for most programs. Full time for graduate students varies. Your tribe's definition of graduate full time course work may differ from your department's definition of full time.

Visit the Graduate College website learn more.

If your tribe has a standard funding amount, we will add an estimate (Tribal Funds Placeholder) to your financial aid offer from the University of Arizona. You should compare the scholarships and grants listed on your financial aid award letter to your Bursar account bill to determine if you qualify for a refund.

Visit the Bursar Office website to calculate your estimated tuition and fee charges.

If you receive an award or denial letter from your tribe, submit this information to our office promptly so that adjustments can be made. 

Students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at the end of each semester in order to continue to receive federal and institutional financial aid. Review the SAP Policy on our website to ensure you understand the requirements.

In addition, your tribe may have their own annual or semester renewal requirements (cumulative GPA or a minimum number of passing units) you must meet in order to continue receiving their assistance. If this information is not contained in your tribe's funding application or award letter contact them directly to ask about renewal requirements.

Students who have had changes to their financial aid and need a revised FNA to be submitted to their tribe must submit a new FNA form to our office and indicate that it is for a revision. In some situations, students may need to contact their tribe first before requesting/submitting a revised FNA to be completed as each tribe may have different rules on revisions.

Check for items that may prevent aid from releasing to your student account. Log in to your UAccess Student Center to check your Hold section & To Do List section. If you have any financial aid items listed, read the message carefully and take any action being requested.

Forms and/or documents can be submitted online via our Ask Aid Portal per the instructions below.

Third party organizations can upload documents on the behalf of students. In order to do so, you will need to provide the student’s full name, University of Arizona email, and (8 digit) University of Arizona Student ID number.

1. Log in with your NetID (or as a guest) and select your student status.
2. Under “How can OSFA help you today?” select Submit Documents Only.
3. Complete the Student Information section and, if necessary, the Your Information section.
4. Attach your file with the Choose File button.
   • Acceptable attachment formats; PDF is preferred, or Microsoft Word is also accepted.
5. Click Submit to send the form to our Ask Aid Team.

The placeholder is there until an actual scholarship check is received from the tribe/tribal organization. This placeholder will never release to your account. The placeholder will be swapped out with the actual funds when we receive the scholarship check.

Students who have received confirmation of funding (such as an award letter) from their tribe or scholarship organization but are experiencing delays with this funding can request a Temporary Loan. A Temporary Loan is short-term loan option for students to receive funding to cover emergency costs until the anticipated funds are applied to a student’s account. OSFA can issue a 0%, no fee Temporary Loan through the Bursar’s Office in these situations. Temporary loans are not designed to remedy a lack of financial planning or the negative effects of mismanagement of financial aid funds. Students should contact OSFA directly to request and be reviewed for the Temporary Loan request.

For more information on Temporary Loans, please visit the Bursar’s Office website.

Our office will send you an email confirming that your FNA has been sent to your tribe/tribal organization. If your tribe/tribal organization has a website or portal, you can create an account and check your progress there.

To request a copy of your FNA, please email our office via the Ask Aid portal.

All checks should be made payable to the University of Arizona and include the student's name, Arizona student ID, unit requirement, and the semester(s) the check is to be applied toward in a separate letter or on a Scholarship Designation form.

Funds you receive for educational purposes (including tuition, fees, books/supplies, room/board) should be mailed to the address below:

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
Administration Building, Room 208
P O Box 210066
Tucson, AZ 85721-0066

Financial aid consists of different types of scholarships, grants, work study, and student and parent federal loans. The different types of financial aid are offered based on various eligibility factors. Review the other FAQ's on this page for additional information on applying and qualifying for different types of aid.

Most of our merit tuition scholarships require students to complete 30 cumulative Arizona units each academic year and maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA in order to qualify for renewal.

Visit the Scholarship Terms and Conditions page for scholarship renewal requirements for your specific offer. Select the terms and conditions for the year you first received your scholarship.

You can request to have your academics reviewed for scholarship reinstatement. Let us know that you would like to be reviewed by submitting an email to our Ask Aid Team. Select the “Scholarship” category and “Reinstatement Request” subcategory to submit your request. Our office will then review your academics and remaining semesters of eligibility to make sure you qualify to have your scholarship reinstated. If eligible, we will add your scholarship to your financial aid offer. Monitor your CatMail account for an update once you have submitted a request.

No, the grace period will automatically apply if you qualify and have not used it previously. But don’t worry, you can always appeal later on if needed and can include any extenuating circumstances that impacted your academic progress, regardless of how long ago they occurred.

Log on and check out Scholarship Universe (SU), our online scholarship-matching tool for admitted University of Arizona students! SU connects Wildcats to millions of dollars in both school and private donor scholarship opportunities. Scholarships that are available come from a variety of academic and professional interests. These scholarships are based on a range of items in your profile responses including degree plan, academic performance, financial need, grade level, enrollment status, and more! For more information, review our SU FAQ section and videos!

Our merit tuition scholarships are offered to 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). If you enroll in a fall or spring semester at another 2-year or 4-year institution after graduating from high school, your merit scholarship eligibility will be impacted.

Summer enrollment prior to attending the 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) does not impact eligibility.

You can request to have your academics reviewed for scholarship reinstatement. Let us know that you would like to be reviewed by submitting an email to our Ask Aid Team. Select the “Scholarship” category and “Reinstatement Request” subcategory to submit your request. Our office will then review your academics and remaining semesters of eligibility to make sure you qualify to have your scholarship reinstated. If eligible, we will add your scholarship to your financial aid offer. Monitor your CatMail account for an update once you have submitted a request.

The University of Arizona Undergraduate Admission application also serves as the application for merit tuition scholarships. Admitted students are automatically reviewed and offered merit tuition scholarships that they are eligible to receive. For more information, check out our Incoming First-Year and Transfer Tuition Scholarship page.

If a student drops below full-time enrollment for the semester, the merit scholarship is subject to be adjusted in accordance with the student’s enrollment and base tuition charges. This may result in a balance with the Bursar’s Office.

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of merit scholarship eligibility. Merit scholarships may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters if students are meeting the renewal requirements. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the 8 (first-year) or 4 (transfer) semesters of maximum eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Merit scholarships typically release to your Bursar's student account approximately ten days before classes begin each fall and spring semester. Merit scholarships require that you Verify Lawful Presence and enroll full-time (12+ units per semester) at Arizona. 
 
Other scholarships may have different enrollment criteria to be released. Please review the details of each item under your Financial Aid Summary in your UAccess Student Center for more information.

If your scholarship has not released but you meet the criteria listed above and do not have any outstanding To Do List items, please contact our office.

The Scholarship Appeal review period is from June through the due date in August. Depending on the number of appeals being submitted to our office, it may take 2-4 weeks to receive your decision email. Regular processing times increase in August due to the high volume of documents being submitted to our office. Keep an eye on your CatMail account for more information from our office.

Submitting a Scholarship Appeal does not guarantee it will be approved. If you are waiting for a Scholarship Appeal decision, be prepared to pay your remaining Bursar's student account balance in order to avoid late fees

The University of Arizona merit scholarships for first-year and transfer students are determined as part of the admission application process. Check out our Incoming First-Year and Transfer Tuition Scholarships page for more information on how your scholarship was calculated. If you have any questions about that process, please contact the Office of Admissions. 

• If the scholarship donor wants to send your scholarship check directly to the University of Arizona, they should download the Scholarship Designation Form and mail both the check and form to our mailing address below. 
• If the scholarship donor sends the check to you and it is issued to the University of Arizona, please submit the check to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid by mailing your check to our mailing address below. 
• If the scholarship check is issued to you AND the University of Arizona, you will first need to endorse (sign) the back of the check. This step is really important and if not done, it can cause delays in our ability to process your check. After endorsing the check, please submit the check to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid by mailing your check to our mailing address below. Make sure you include any important documents or award letters that came with the check. 
• If the scholarship donor sends the scholarship check directly to you and it is issued to you (in your name), you can cash your check into your personal account. Make sure you notify our office of how much and who it’s from so we can keep record of it on your aid offer. Submitting a copy of your offer letter is a great and easy option.  

Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
PO Box 210066, Room 208
Tucson, AZ 85721-0066

Merit tuition scholarships for students admitted in the spring are only available for transfer students who meet certain criteria. The undergraduate admission application also serves as the application for merit tuition scholarships. Admitted students are automatically reviewed and offered merit tuition scholarships that they are eligible to receive.

Yes, passing GRO grades count for merit scholarship renewal requirements. For more information about the types of units that count for renewal, visit the Scholarship Terms and Conditions page. Select the year you were first offered your merit scholarship.

In order to qualify for the PTK Tuition Scholarship, students must be admitted to the University of Arizona by July 1st, have 36 or more transfer units at the time of admission, and a 3.50+ cumulative transfer GPA. Additionally, the PTK designation must be listed on the student's community college transcript. If the community college does not include PTK information on their transcript, please send a copy of your PTK certificate to the Office of Admissions at admissions@arizona.edu.

No, courses taken at another institution (also known as transfer credit) do not count for your scholarship renewal requirements. For more information about the types of units that count for renewal, visit the Scholarship Terms and Conditions page. Select the year you first received your merit scholarship.

Typically, our office posts private donor scholarships within 1-2 weeks after we have received the scholarship check in the mail (or wire transfer). Normal processing times increase in August, due to the large amount of scholarship checks received. If you are waiting for a private scholarship to be applied to your due balance, be prepared to pay your remaining Bursar's student account balance in order to avoid late fees.

All merit tuition scholarships require continuous fall and spring semester enrollment at the University of Arizona. If you will not be enrolled at Arizona and you are meeting the merit renewal requirements, you should submit a Scholarship Deferment request. As a reminder, students with merit tuition scholarships cannot take any courses or enroll in any other institution if they are not enrolled at Arizona.

Merit tuition scholarship offers are included with admission acceptance letters. If you have been offered a merit scholarship, please make sure you review the terms and conditions.

Most departments at the University of Arizona offer scholarship or grant funds (gift aid) to the students enrolled in their programs. We recommend contacting the department who selected you as a recipient if you have any questions. Contact information can be found in your announcement letter or email, or on Scholarship Universe if the application was posted in the online portal. The department maintains the most updated eligibility criteria and serves as the best contact for your questions.

No. Students who are in their grace period or have an approved appeal on file will both receive a reduced scholarship for that affected year. In either case, the student will receive 80% of the student’s initial merit tuition scholarship award.

No. Merit tuition scholarships are given by the University of Arizona and can only be applied toward tuition charges at the University of Arizona. Additionally, students must be enrolled full-time (12 or more units) at the University of Arizona in order to receive the scholarship funds so a consortium agreement is not necessary.

Courses taken at another institution do not count toward the renewal requirements.

No. Students who met the temporary renewal requirements after the 2020-2021 academic year are still  eligible to utilize their grace period in a future academic year or semester, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements as outlined in the Terms & Conditions for their scholarship.

If you attend only fall 2020 or spring 2021, whether due to an approved deferment or the date of your admission, you must complete a minimum of 12 University of Arizona graded units for the semester you attend and earn a minimum 2.8 cumulative University of Arizona GPA. For future years, your renewal requirements will revert back to the standard renewal requirements for your award including maintaining at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA but you will not need to “make-up” the three units you were not required to complete during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Our office receives changes from the Office of Admissions and updates student's accounts on a regular basis, typically once a month until the start of the semester. During this time, your financial aid offer may not reflect the most up-to-date merit scholarship and other applicable aid. Monitor your CatMail account for an updated financial aid offer.

Check your UAccess Student Center. If you have an open To Do List item for merit renewal indicating that our office is monitoring your account, we will automatically review your eligibility when all summer grades are posted. As long as you meet the renewal requirements, we will add your scholarship onto your financial aid offer. Our office reviews students regularly at the end of each summer session, so there is no need to submit an additional request. We will email you once this process is complete.

Yes. However, only one grace period is allowed, even if it is for only one semester. The Fall semester would count as the student’s one allotted grace period for their entire academic career. So a student would only be able to do this once.

Please review the following options:  

• For forms asking for enrollment verification, students are now able to provide official university documentation to external organizations: 

  • Log in to your Student Center at https://studentcenter.arizona.edu  
  • Click on "Academic Record" then "Enrollment Verification"  
  • Select the information you would like and hit "Submit"  
  • Then click on "Printer Friendly Version" to create a PDF. Save the PDF (Print to PDF).

You can either email this PDF or print it out to mail to the organization. This PDF has the official Registrar seal and signature and serves as an official record from the University. Screenshots and instructions can be found here: https://registrar.arizona.edu/records-enrollment/transcripts-verifications/verifications  

• You can share our general contact information as https://financialaid.arizona.edu/contact 
  To provide timely support, we do not designate a single point of contact. The request is reviewed by the first available staff member. Donors can find information about how and where to submit scholarships here: https://financialaid.arizona.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/donors 

• You can submit the form online to our office at https://financialaid.arizona.edu/contact#email. Once the form is completed, it will be forwarded directly to the organization indicated on the form.  

• The organization can submit the form directly to our office at https://financialaid.arizona.edu/contact#email. They can upload the form by selecting guest login. Once the form is completed, it will be forwarded to the organization as well.  

• Our office is unable to process invoice/billing statement requests. Bursar’s Office has a few options listed here: https://bursar.arizona.edu/billing/statements 

To qualify for a GRE fee reduction you must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien and:

• A dependent senior with a parent contribution of no more than $1,400 or
• A self-supporting senior with a contribution of no more than $1,800 or
• A self-supporting unenrolled college graduate with a contribution of no more than $1,800

If you are offered financial aid from non-federal or non-institutional sources, you must report these awards to OSFA as soon as you are made aware of them. Federal regulations require that your financial aid awards be based on the difference between your estimated cost of attendance and your available resources (calculated Student Aid Index from the FAFSA and sources of outside assistance). OSFA will recalculate your financial aid award offer based on this information, and you will receive a revised award letter. Graduate students admitted to the Arizona Online campus will only be considered for federal financial aid including the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Graduate PLUS Loan, and Federal Work Study. If a graduate student switches from the University of Arizona Main campus to the Arizona Online campus, any institutional financial aid, including fellowships, scholarships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships will be forfeited.

Financial aid must be reevaluated whenever a fellowship, tuition waiver, scholarship or stipend is awarded, even if you have already accepted/received awards.

If eligible, this certificate can be applied toward the test fees for one general test and/or one subject test. The GRE fee reduction certificate pays half of the cost of the test.

Navigate to https://www.ets.org/gre/score-users/reducing-barriers/fee-reductions.html and apply for the certificate on the Educational Testing Service website. 

During the fall and spring semesters, a minimum of 9 units is considered full-time.

For students with Graduate Assistant/ Associate appointments, full-time status consists of a minimum enrollment in 6 units of graduate credit.

A graduate student working on a thesis or dissertation who is only enrolled in 900-level units and not employed as a Graduate Assistant/ Associate must be enrolled in 3 units.

A student who has completed all course work, the thesis/dissertation unit requirements, has advanced to candidacy, is working on the thesis/dissertation, and is not employed as a Graduate Assistant/ Associate may apply for advanced status , which allows 1 unit of 900-level credit for full-time status.

During winter or pre-session, first and second summer sessions, full-time status consists of enrollment for 6 graduate units or more in any combination of pre-session, first and second summer sessions. 

Graduate teaching, research assistantships, and fellowships are awarded by individual academic departments.

You must contact the graduate advisor in your department. Applicants interested in being considered should inform the graduate advisor in their program as soon as possible.

Graduate students admitted to the Arizona Online campus will only be considered for federal financial aid including the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Graduate PLUS Loan, and Federal Work Study and are therefore not eligible to apply for a teaching assistantship and/or fellowship.

Tuition can vary based on the graduate program you are enrolled.

Please see the Bursar Tuition and Fees Calculator for more information.

Any tuition award must be calculated in your financial aid package and your financial aid will be reevaluated whenever a teaching assistantship is awarded- even if you have already accepted/received awards.

Submit the form to the testing center.

Certificates are only valid for one test and cannot be replaced if lost.

Make a copy for your records as many graduate colleges will waive your admissions application fees if you provide a copy of the GRE fee reduction certificate to them.

Generally, graduate non-degree students are not eligible for federal financial aid.

You must complete a Graduate Non-Degree Seeking Financial Aid Petition to be considered for financial aid.

If approved, you will qualify for undergraduate, senior level loan(s) (if you have not borrowed your undergraduate lifetime maximum). This aid is only available for one consecutive 12-month period beginning on the first day of the loan period.

The deadline to submit this form is the first day of class. 

Graduate students who meet the following criteria may be eligible to receive federal financial aid:

• Regularly admitted to a Graduate Program at the University of Arizona,
• be a U.S. Citizen or an eligible Non-Citizen,
• maintain Satisfactory Academic Standing, and
• enrolled for required credit hours during each semester that aid is received (a minimum of 5 during the fall and spring semesters, and a minimum of 5 during the summer.) 

If you are working on your dissertation, you only need to be registered for 3 units of 900 level.

It is also possible to receive loans for 1 unit of 900 level course work, by applying for Advance Status.

Graduate students admitted to the University of Arizona Main campus may also qualify for financial assistance not based on Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data.

Check with your graduate department advisor for information on University Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships and Research Assistantships. Apply for campus scholarships on Scholarship Universe. Private foundations and agencies are also a good source of fellowship, grant and loan funds to help pay for graduate education.

Graduate students admitted to the Arizona Online campus will only be considered for federal financial aid, which includes the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Graduate PLUS Loan, and Federal Work Study.

Please note: Any outside financial resources received must be reported to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) and may reduce the financial aid eligibility originally established by your FAFSA information.

Financial Aid awards are based on an average budget for graduate students, which includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, living expenses, a small transportation allowance, and a miscellaneous allowance. In some cases, other necessary expenses (i.e. child care expenses) can also be covered.

If your personal expenses are higher than the Estimated Cost of Attendance, contact our office to request a Special Circumstances form.

Here are some common scenarios that may prevent the To Do List item from clearing. See if one of these scenarios applies to you:

• It can take up to three business days for our office to receive your Master Promissory Note (MPN) and update your To Do List item.
• Parent data must match between Federal Student Aid (FSA) and UAccess to complete the Parent MPN. The parent that has Guest Center access should also be the parent that completed the MPN. Be sure that the Parent’s name, date of birth, and social security number match in both UAccess and FSA. Remember, this parent will need to pass a credit check.
• Sometimes, parents mistakenly complete the undergraduate subsidized/unsubsidized MPN, which is only for students. Log in to your Federal Student Aid account with your FSA ID, to verify you completed the MPN listed as “MPN for Parents” under the Complete Aid Process section.
• Finally, if you have more than one student and are borrowing more than one PLUS loan, it may have been completed multiple times for one student instead of one MPN per student. You can double check this by reviewing your MPNs and verifying that each MPN matches the applicable student name and school name.
• If you have found the solution, please allow 2-3 business days for all files to match in our system. If your situation still persists, contact our Ask Aid team for help looking into your account.

• If you submitted a FAFSA, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) will give you time to accept your federal student loans. If you do not intend on accepting federal loans, log in to our Ask Aid portal, select the category “Student/Parent Loans” from the drop down, and the “Private Educational Loan” subcategory to notify our private loan team so they can begin processing your private loan.
• Our office begins certifying Private Educational Loans after the Bursar's student accounts are charged with fall or spring enrollment tuition and fees. Due to the volume of requests, the processing time leading up to the start of the fall and spring semesters can increase beyond the three week standard.
• The student must be enrolled in the current or upcoming academic year (the semester corresponding to the loan period) before the University of Arizona can certify the student's Private Educational Loan request. However, if you have a past due balance from a previous semester and were enrolled in the minimum unit requirement by your lender, our office will certify the Private Educational Loan for the prior semester's enrollment even if you are not currently enrolled.
• If we need information from you before processing your loan certification, we will reach out to you directly via your CatMail account. Please monitor your email and submit the requested information as soon as possible.
• If you have additional questions about your Private Educational Loan, log in to our Ask Aid portal, select the category “Student/Parent Loans” from the drop down, and the “Private Educational Loan” subcategory to submit the question to our Private Loan team.

No, all financial aid refunds are released directly to the student via Web Refund or via check, depending on whether the student signed up for Web Refund or not. The parent borrower is made aware of this and agrees to this policy as part of the Parent PLUS Acceptance process in Guest Center. 

Allow for a minimum of three business days for our office to receive your MPN and update your To Do List item. It could be that you completed the incorrect MPN as there are a couple of options. You can double check by logging in to studentaid.gov with your FSA ID to verify you completed the MPN listed as MPN for Graduate/Professional Students under the Complete Aid Process section.

Federal law mandates a minimum “Right to Cancel” waiting period. It can take up to ten business days before authorizing the disbursement of state or private educational loan funds. This “Right to Cancel” period can vary per lender, but typically begins after the borrower signs the Loan Approval Disclosure (sometimes referred to as the Final Loan Terms). Be sure to include the ten business day waiting period when planning for your bill payment. After the ten day period, your funds are then sent to the University of Arizona and processed directly to your Bursar's student account.

A Federal Direct Subsidized Loan is a federal student loan for which a borrower isn’t generally responsible for paying the interest while in an in-school enrollment period (or other deferment periods). Interest begins accruing for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans as soon as the loan is credited.

To be eligible for a Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, you must be an undergraduate student with financial need. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to students pursuing an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree enrolled at least half-time. Financial need is not required to qualify.

Both of these types of loans are for students, in the student's name, and not transferrable to another borrower. You can learn more about Federal Direct loans on the Federal Student Aid website.

After you are offered loans, you must accept your loans in UAccess and complete the loan process.

A typical credit decision for a PLUS loan is returned to the university within three business days. If you have not received the credit check decision within 3-4 business days, you may have previously placed a freeze, hold, or monitor status on your credit with one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian). You will need to contact each credit bureau to ensure the credit hold is temporarily lifted for a five-business day processing period. Immediately contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once the hold has been lifted so the credit check can be reprocessed before the end of the release period.

If you would like to be offered the remaining amount of your loan, you can contact our office to request to be reviewed for your academic year eligibility. If you are still eligible, our office will reoffer the rest of the loan for you to accept.

The processing time for the COA Appeal varies depending on the time of year. On average, it takes three weeks to process. Once an appeal is submitted (via the StudentForms portal), OSFA will review all documentation and contact the student if additional documentation or clarification is needed. Students will be contacted via email and in general, an additional task will be added in the StudentForms portal.

An unresolved overaward could delay the release of aid and/or require students to return a portion of their financial aid. It’s important for students to regularly monitor their official University of Arizona email account and their UAccess Student Center for additional To Do List items, changes to aid and changes to their Bursar’s student account balance. OSFA will always send an email with the outcome of the COA Appeal review, whether it is denied or approved.

The estimated COA can only include the student’s estimated expenses. For example, if providing documentation for the cost for rent, the student’s portion of rent is the only portion that can be considered. If rent/mortgage is shared, students must provide documentation reflecting their share only (if married or living with a partner, total rent/mortgage will be split equally). The only exception to this rule is for dependent care expenses.

The costs of maintaining and supporting the student’s family are accounted for in the formula used to calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI). For more information, visit our Cost of Attendance Appeal page.

An overaward occurs when total awards exceed your COA or when your total need-based awards exceed your calculated Financial Need. Federal Regulations require the university to resolve all overawards before additional financial aid can be released. For more information please visit our overaward policy page.

An approved COA Appeal does not guarantee that aid will not still have to be reduced/canceled. It is possible that the expenses added to the COA but were not enough to resolve the full overaward. In this situation, the remaining overaward must still be resolved by reducing/canceling aid. Students should monitor their UAccess Student Center for changes to aid and changes to their Bursar’s student account balance.

Financial Aid Counselors will review each overaward individually and will first attempt to clear the overaward without reducing or canceling any aid. Certain charges on a Bursar’s student account can be added to the COA, including tuition differential charges, campus health charges and program fees. If a Financial Aid Counselor is unable to clear an overaward, students will either be notified via a UAccess Student Center To Do item that they have been offered a COA Appeal Form or once a revised financial aid offer is received, a student has the opportunity to contact our office and speak with a Financial Aid Counselor to determine if they are eligible for one. For more information please visit COA Appeal.

OSFA will do everything in its power to resolve overawards without causing a balance however, balances do sometimes occur. The balances caused by overawards are a result of OSFA reducing and/or canceling financial aid that had already credited to the Bursar's student account. Sometimes this is because funds were previously released as a financial aid refund to the student. In this event, students are no longer eligible for the funds previously released and are responsible for resolving the new Bursar Balance and/or returning the funds released to the student as a refund. 

For more information please visit our overaward policy page.

OSFA’s processing times vary depending on the time of year. Usually, allow 4-6 weeks for a Financial Aid Counselor to review.

OSFA advises students to complete all necessary To Do items as soon as possible to prevent changes from needing to be made to the aid package as these changes can cause overawards. Additionally, students should notify OSFA as soon as they are aware of any additional aid they will receive as these award additions can also cause overawards.

To prevent a future overaward, it is important for students to inform OSFA of all financial assistance they will be receiving as soon as they know. A student anticipating more aid can also request a COA Appeal from OSFA to try and prevent future overawards within the same academic year. Lastly, OSFA advises students to complete all necessary UAccess Student Center To Do items as soon as possible to prevent possible changes to a student’s aid package.

In general, a student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) reflects the maximum amount of aid a student can receive, depending on the type of aid offered. In addition to the COA, financial need reflects the maximum amount of need-based aid a student can receive. Need-based aid includes all “free-money” including scholarships and grants and also the Federal Direct Subsidized Loan. Financial need is calculated by subtracting the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) as determined by FAFSA from the COA.

Therefore, if a student is offered more aid than the estimated COA or more need-based aid than a student can receive, an overaward results and the university must resolve by either canceling or reducing the aid for which the student is no longer eligible. For more information including student examples, please visit overaward policy page.

Students are not required to complete a COA Appeal Form. But, in some cases, overawards can be resolved by a student submitting a COA Appeal Form, which is used to document additional expenses not included in a student’s standard, estimated COA. A COA Appeal does not guarantee your aid will not have to be reduced/canceled but is the only option for an opportunity to communicate additional student-related expenses you may have.

As an incoming first-year student, you will receive a financial aid offer along with a conditional selection letter for Arizona Assurance which will detail your financial aid for the academic year. Continuing students will receive an email by the end of the summer each year after all renewal criteria has been confirmed.

You can view your financial aid offer in your UAccess Student Center anytime once you are notified via email that you have been selected, conditionally selected, or renewed, or conditionally renewed for funding.

In order to maintain Arizona Assurance Program funding eligibility, you must complete 24 units by the end of each academic year.  If dropping a class during the semester causes you to complete less than 24 units during the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters), you will lose future Arizona Assurance Program funding the following academic year. Dropping a class during the semester will affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status and could cause your Federal Pell Grant to be adjusted based on your enrollment changes.

If you are considering dropping a class, you should also speak with your Academic Advisor. To find your advisor visit https://advising.arizona.edu.

Arizona Assurance funding can be renewed for up to eight consecutive semesters granted you meet all renewal criteria, each academic year. Be sure you review all renewal criteria, including important dates and deadlines to ensure you are renewed for Arizona Assurance funding.

While there is no Arizona Assurance funding offered during the summer sessions, you may be eligible for federal and institutional aid. There is no application to apply for summer aid, but you must meet certain eligibility criteria to be offered summer financial aid. Review the Summer Aid webpage for more details. Review this information early as OSFA will start offering summer financial aid at the beginning of May.

Yes, the University provides an academic support system to help you succeed in making the transition to college life and succeed in your classes. You will be offered excellent resources to help you, such as career counseling, faculty/staff mentors, peer mentors and advisors. For more information on the program expectations please visit assurance.arizona.edu.

You may contact the Arizona Assurance Scholars Program Office.
 

Students may appeal a decision about the Arizona Assurance Program funding by submitting the Arizona Assurance Program Funding Appeal Form, a personal statement and any supporting documentation to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA). Your appeal will be reviewed by the Arizona Assurance Program Appeal Committee.

Generally, appeals based on financial-need will not be considered. Appeals that are generally considered are application process issues or extenuating circumstances such as serious medical emergencies or a death in the family.

Completed appeals must be submitted to OSFA by all stated deadlines. 

You may contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at financialaid.arizona.edu/contact or (520) 621-1858. If you send an email, please be sure to use the appropriate categories below to have your question answered by an Arizona Assurance specialist on our team.

No. If you have not met the renewal criteria and have become ineligible for Arizona Assurance Program funding, you will not be able to regain Arizona Assurance funding in future terms even if you meet all other criteria. You will continue to remain eligible for Arizona Assurance Program services.

If extenuating personal circumstances beyond your control prevented you from meeting all renewal criteria, you may submit the Arizona Assurance Funding Appeal. Please see the question pertaining to appeals later in this document for more information. You must appeal the loss of the Arizona Assurance Program Funding the year it occurs.
Example, if you failed to complete all program requirements during the 2020-2021 academic year and were not renewed for 2021-2022 funding, you must appeal no later than the first day of Fall 2021 classes. 

Even if you become ineligible for Arizona Assurance Program funding, you are still encouraged to file the FAFSA by March 1 each year for institutional grant funding consideration. This is a priority deadline for institutional grant purposes only.
 

Arizona Assurance students must enroll in at least 12 units each semester at the University of Arizona. When enrolled in 12 units at Arizona and additional units at another institution, a Consortium Agreement is not necessary because the student is already being awarded financial aid at full-time status. A Consortium Agreement is not required to transfer units from another institution to your University of Arizona degree. Arizona Assurance funding cannot pay your tuition at another institution.

Yes, the following deadlines are applicable:

The deadlines listed here are only for Arizona Assurance funding.

Yes. After completion of your first year at Arizona you may use Arizona Assurance funding toward the cost to participate in a University of Arizona-sponsored Study Abroad program. 

If participating in a University of Arizona-sponsored Study Abroad program, you must still meet minimum unit completion and cumulative GPA requirements for renewal of the award. You should also notify the AZA Office to discuss how your participation affects your AZA program expectations.

You may not use Arizona Assurance funding for non-Arizona-sponsored study abroad programs and must submit an Arizona Assurance Deferment Request form and have it approved to resume receiving funding upon returning.

If you are considering participating in one of these programs, it is strongly recommended that you visit the Study Abroad webpage and contact their office for additional information. You can also learn more about the types of financial aid that may be available to use for Study Abroad by clicking here.

In addition to potentially losing future Arizona Assurance funding for not meeting all renewal requirements which include completion of 24 units per academic year, federal regulations require financial aid to be awarded under the assumption that you will attend the institution for the entire period in which federal assistance was awarded.

Unless you complete 60% of the term in which federal aid was awarded, you will be required to return all or part of the financial aid released to your Bursar's student account for that term. This applies to students who have officially (including medical), or unofficially withdrawn. Complete withdrawals will also affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status. For more information about how a withdrawal affects financial aid, you may visit our withdrawal policy webpage.

If you are considering a complete withdrawal, you should also speak with your Academic Advisor and an Arizona Assurance staff member. To find your Academic Advisor visit https://advising.arizona.edu.

Yes, this grant may be prorated for one semester.

If you change majors to a TEACH Grant-ineligible program, such as a post-baccalaureate certification program, then you will not be able to receive the grant. If you graduate and do not fulfill the TEACH Grant requirements, then the grant is converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

Yes, this grant may be prorated for less than full-time enrollment.

This grant will stay a grant, and you will be expected to begin fulfilling your teaching obligation after completing graduate school.

No, this grant is not based on financial need and does not factor into your Federal Direct Loan lifetime limit.

If your cumulative Arizona GPA drops below 3.25, then you are ineligible for the grant until your cumulative Arizona GPA returns to a 3.25.

Each year you will need to complete each of the TEACH Grant application steps in order to be reviewed for the TEACH Grant for the upcoming academic year

As long as your major was listed as a “high-need field” in the state in which you plan to teach at the time you received the TEACH Grant, you will still be eligible to fulfill your teaching obligation in that state and field.

You need to complete both the Entrance Counseling and Agreement to Serve each year that you apply for the grant.

If this happens, you are still eligible to teach at that school, and your service will count toward your TEACH service obligations.

No, student teaching does not count toward the four years you are required to teach in order to fulfill your TEACH Agreement to Serve.

Like all Federal Direct Loans, repayment would start 6 months after you graduate or fall below half-time status. At any time, you may request that the Department of Education convert your TEACH Grant into a Direct Unsubsidized loan. Once a TEACH Grant has been converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, it cannot be reconverted into a grant.

The TEACH Grant would be the only federal grant you would be eligible for as a graduate student.

While you are a graduate student, your service obligation for the TEACH Grant funds you received as an undergraduate will be suspended. However, once you earn your Master’s degree, you will have to teach for another four years regardless of how many years you taught before earning your Master’s degree. These four years of teaching will count toward your service obligation for the grants you received both as an undergraduate and as a graduate student (provided that you teach full-time in a high-need field at a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families).

Your TEACH Grant service requirement must be completed within eight years of earning your Master’s degree.

Funding may be returned for up to 14 days after it disburses. After that, you are responsible for communicating with the Department of Education your wish to convert the TEACH Grant into a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The Department of Education will help you establish a repayment plan for these funds.

It is possible to complete your teaching service agreements concurrently, meaning you could potentially fulfill both your undergraduate and graduate TEACH Grant service obligations in 4 years.

Review this flowchart to walk you through the decision process to resolve your past due balance.

• Use available financial aid: 
  • Resolve any holds, to do list items, or enrollment requirements that may be preventing your accepted financial aid from releasing to your Bursar student account..
  • Determine if you have additional loan offers you can accept. Review the Federal Loan limits for the academic year here. Have questions about how to accept loans offered to you? Visit our Accept Your Federal Direct Loans page for more information. Feel free to contact OSFA if you have questions.
  • Consider borrowing a Plus loan:
    1. Dependent Undergraduate students - discuss the Parent PLUS Loan option with your parents.
    2. Graduate/Professional students - review information about the Graduate PLUS loan and reach out to OSFA to be reviewed for a Graduate PLUS Loan offer.
  • Make an out-of-pocket payment:
    1. Review your savings, how much can you afford to use to make a payment?
    2. Be careful using credit cards. Compare interest rates and APRs to Federal Loans and Private Educational Loan Options, when available.
  • Research Private Educational Loan Options:
    1. Compare interest rates (fixed vs. variable, understand capitalization)
    2. Make a note when repayment will begin.
    3. Will a co-signer be needed? If so, will having a co-signer lower your interest rate?
    4. Be sure to clarify any prepayment fees or penalties.
  • As a long term plan, take advantage of your Federal Work Study (FWS) to avoid a past due balance being incurred in future semesters. 
  • Our financial literacy team hosts the Taking Care of That Past Due Balance Workshop throughout the year to provide resources for students. If you can’t make one of the scheduled workshops, you can access the recording and notes here.

For all tuition payment dates and deadlines, please visit the Bursar’s office page.

• For questions regarding registration, transcripts, and student services, please contact the Registrar’s office. 
• A past due balance may have an impact on your ability to live in a dorm on-campus. For more information, please contact the Housing & Residential life team at (520) 621-6501 or housing@arizona.edu.
• To make a payment, determine payment options or inquire about  a payment plan, please contact the Bursar’s office.

• No. You can only use financial aid to pay balances for the corresponding academic year. For example, if you have a past due balance from the Summer 2023 semester, your financial aid from the 2023-2024 academic year will not be applied to the past due balance. 
• Please note that the summer semester is a part of the preceding academic year. For example, the Summer 2023 semester is a part of the 2022-2023 academic year. Therefore, you can only use financial aid for the 2022-2023 academic year if you have a past due balance for the summer 2023 semester.

Our office will adjust merit scholarships at the beginning of the semester through the end of the QTR enrollment timeframe. For more information about QTR deadlines, please visit the HR website.

Please visit the Human Resources website to learn more about QTR eligibility.

QTR reduces the cost of base tuition by 75% for dependent students. Since merit scholarships cannot exceed the cost of 100% base tuition, merit scholarships will reduced down to 25% of base tuition or $25 for employee/employee spouse. Merit does not cover the cost of program differential tuition fees but these costs may be reduced by QTR. Please note that reducing merit awards due to QTR does not extend the original time frame of merit eligibility and any excess funds cannot be converted to cash to be used to pay for other costs.

*Wildcat Tuition Award reduced from $5,000 to $2,500 to cover the tuition balance due, covering the 100% cost of base tuition.

All awards and tuition programs or benefits are included when determining a student’s financial aid eligibility. QTR is a benefit that reduces tuition and must be accounted for in your Financial Aid Offer. Your Financial Aid Offer may be updated once your QTR benefit is applied, which may include reducing student and/or parent loans, institutional need-based grants, and Federal Work-Study. For more information on why your aid may have been adjusted, please visit our Understanding Your Financial Aid page.

Yes. If you are no longer receiving QTR, you may request to have your merit scholarship reinstated to its original amount based on the Terms and Conditions. Please contact our office to make this request.

Arizona's Basic Needs initiative offers support services such as a campus pantry, counseling, and psychological services. Visit the Basic Needs page for more information.

No. Payments for sorority or fraternity dues must be provided to your campus chapter.

Greek life expenses are not included as educational expenses in your cost of attendance; however, you may use any financial aid refund you receive to help cover Greek life expenses.

We will automatically review students who are both enrolled in summer units and have an official Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on record with the University of Arizona.  For more information about this process, visit our Summer Financial Aid webpage. 

If you are offered FWS for the academic year, monitor your Arizona email account for an email from the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid with information regarding accepting the FWS awards in UAccess, including the date in which you may begin to do so.

 When looking for a FWS position, you may apply for any on campus position or an off campus position with an approved local non-profit organization. 

For more information about FWS, visit our FWS webpage.

The Special Circumstances Form can be used to report changes to assets and income or report additional expenses not already included in the standard Cost of Attendance assigned to you. You must contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to request access to this online form. You will also be asked to provide supporting documentation when completing the form. 

The 1098-T forms for University of Arizona students are generated by the Bursar's Office. They are posted on UAccess under the Bursar Account menu.

The Bursar’s Office has posted general information about the form and a list of frequently asked questions to assist you.

Financial aid typically disburses to your Bursar's student account 7-10 days prior to the start of classes.

The number one reason aid does not release at that time is because the student is not enrolled in enough units (typically at least 12 units) and/or the student has open To Do List items.

Visit financialaid.arizona.edu/policies/disbursement-policy for more information.

This one-time change allowed institutional merit-based tuition scholarships to be renewed for the 2021-2022 academic year at a non-rounded 2.80 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average (GPA) and 27 University of Arizona graded units completed/graded by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year (fall 2020-summer 2021). All other terms and conditions originally outlined at the time of offering remained in place.

No. This new one-time merit renewal change allowed all students to be within a 3-unit deficit of their normal cumulative unit requirement. For example, a sophomore who completed 33 University of Arizona units during the 2019-2020 academic year could complete a minimum of 24 University of Arizona units between fall semester 2020 and summer semester 2021 and be within the 3-unit deficit of their normal cumulative unit renewal requirement.

At the start of the Fall 2020 Spring 2021 academic year, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid instituted a one-time change to merit renewal requirements to help counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for our students with merit scholarships.  Please review FAQs below that might help some of your questions for those that were given this one-time unit and GPA exception.

Only for GPA. (A minimum 3.0 cumulative University of Arizona GPA is always required at the end of all of your future academic years.) As long as you completed a minimum of 27 graded University of Arizona units by spring/summer 2021 or you were within the 3-unit deficit of your cumulative unit requirement, you were not required to “make up” the difference in units during future years. In other words, a sophomore who completed 30 units their first year and 27 units during 2020-2021 would have needed to have at least 87 completed University of Arizona units at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

Please keep in mind that while you don’t have to “make-up” any units to maintain your merit-based tuition scholarship, the scholarship is still only renewable for up to 8 consecutive semesters (or 4 consecutive semesters for transfer students) and if you complete less than 30 units per academic year, you may be delaying your graduation past the four years, at which time the merit-based tuition scholarship will expire.

This exception was for all institutional merit-based tuition scholarships received in the 2020-2021 academic year with renewal requirements of more than a 2.8 cumulative University of Arizona GPA and more than 27 graded University of Arizona units. If you have questions about your specific scholarship and whether you qualified, please check the scholarship terms and conditions or contact our office.

No, this one-time exception only applied to institutional merit-based tuition scholarships. Federal eligibility standards, including Satisfactory Academic Progress, and specific donor scholarship requirements remained in place.