2022-2023 Terms and Conditions

2022-2023 Scholarship Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions below apply to awards initially offered to students for the 2022-2023 academic year. Students who received offers for academic years prior to or after 2022-2023 must visit the Terms and Conditions pertaining to their original award offer year from the Scholarship selection menu.

Review each scholarship for specific eligibility criteria; including residency classification, campus, location and/or modality. Eligibility varies per scholarship.

First-Year Transfer International

First-Year Merit Scholarships

Award Amounts 

$1,000 to $35,000 per academic year

Initial first-year merit tuition scholarship offers are based on self-reported grades provided by the student at the time of admission. The scholarship award offers become final and cannot be appealed after the admissions grade verification is complete.

Selection

The Arizona Tuition Award is comprised of the Arizona Recognition Tuition AwardArizona Excellence Tuition Award, and the Arizona Distinction Tuition Award. The Arizona Tuition Award is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered annually to a select number of non-Arizona high school graduates who are first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation). Incoming first-year students who are homeschooled will be evaluated for merit aid based on portfolio/course work submitted by the admission deadline. 

  1. First-year applicants are evaluated for merit-based aid depending on when they graduate from high school and begin attendance at the University of Arizona. Applicants who are seniors in high school the year immediately prior to their enrollment at the University of Arizona will be evaluated for admission and merit based on their core unweighted high school GPA through your sixth semester. Applicants who have graduated from high school 1 year or more before enrolling at the University of Arizona Applicants and did not attend any higher education institutions after high school will be evaluated for admission and merit based on their 8th semester (or final high school grades even if the student graduated early) unweighted core GPA.
  2. Students must submit their complete Fall 2022 University of Arizona Admissions application no later than May 2, 2022.
  3. Students selected for this scholarship will receive an offer letter once all completed admissions application materials have been submitted before the deadline.
  4. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
  5. Awards are not offered to students admitted for spring.

Availability 

Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed application by May 2, 2022.

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Be classified as a non-Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
  3. Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
    • Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
  4. Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  5. The award must be used beginning Fall 2022 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award

 

 

54 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award

 

 

84 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year to receive Year 4 of award

 

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 3 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 27 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Not enrolled 30 units + 27 units completed in Year 1 = 57 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 2 for Year 3 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 27 units + 57 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award, National Scholar Tuition Award, or the National Merit Semi-Finalist Tuition Award.
  2. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  4. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's first year. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective firsts-year cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

51 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year

 

 

81 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the preceding academic year. Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the subsequent semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information about this.

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Wildcat Distinction for $2,000

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Not enrolled Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 24 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding
      Award Amount for Year 2

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Not enrolled 27 units + 24 units completed in Year 1 = 51 units
GPA       2.99 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Does not meet standard renewal criteria but does meet Grace Period requirements after Year 2
      Award Amount for Year 3

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 33 units + 51 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
      Award Amount for Year 4

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the Grace Period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amount 

$1,000 

Selection

The Dean's Exemplary Award is an additional scholarship opportunity for Arizona resident students only. Arizona values the rigor of curriculum that potential students take to prepare for collegiate academics. Each applicant has the opportunity, through the application process, to report level of rigor for the 16 core competencies. Through a holistic review, students who have taken a high level of rigorous core coursework will be considered for a one-time, stackable $1,000 Dean’s Exemplary Award. While holistic, most students will have 6+ AP/IB to qualify. Students should include any rigor when applying for admission and complete an admission application by June 1, 2022 to be considered.

  1. Award offers are based on rigorous high school curriculum (i.e. AP or IB courses, etc.).
  2. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions.
  3. Awards are not offered to students admitted for spring.
  4. Awards are for undergraduate studies only.

Availability 

One-time, non-renewable award offer for the 2022-2023 academic year. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Application 

A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed application by June 1, 2022.

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Be classified as an Arizona Resident for tuition purposes. 
  3. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  4. Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
    • Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
  5. The award must be used beginning Fall 2022 semester.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This cash award is stackable and can be combined with all other Arizona merit offers.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will disburse to a Bursar's student account approximately ten days before classes begin, once the student's lawful presence has been verified and the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona.
  2. The award amount is disbursed in two equal payments and the full amount is not eligible to be applied fully toward charges in a single semester.

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amounts 

$15,000 per academic year

Selection

The Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Award is offered to Arizona state resident Flinn Semi-Finalist scholars.

Availability 

Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed Admission application by May 2, 2022.

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Be classified as a Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
  3. Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
    • Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
  4. Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  5. The award must be used beginning Fall 2022 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award

 

 

54 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award

 

 

84 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year to receive Year 4 of award

 

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 3 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 27 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Not enrolled 30 units + 27 units completed in Year 1 = 57 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 2 for Year 3 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 27 units + 57 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. *This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award, National Scholar Tuition Award, or the National Merit Semi-Finalist Tuition Award. The student will receive the award with the superseding amount. 
  2. Students who achieve Designated Flinn Scholar status may keep this award. Please see our Flinn Scholars webpage here for more information.
  3. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  4. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  5. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's first year. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective first-year cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

51 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year

 

 

81 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the preceding academic year. Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the subsequent semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information about this.

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Wildcat Distinction for $2,000

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Not enrolled Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 24 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding
      Award Amount for Year 2

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Not enrolled 27 units + 24 units completed in Year 1 = 51 units
GPA       2.99 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Does not meet standard renewal criteria but does meet Grace Period requirements after Year 2
      Award Amount for Year 3

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 33 units + 51 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
      Award Amount for Year 4

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the Grace Period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3. Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

The Foster Care Success Tuition award is a scholarship program to support foster youth enrolled at the University of Arizona. The award will fund the full amount of Arizona Resident undergraduate base tuition, mandatory fees and course fees, and college/program differential tuition. The value of the Foster Care Success Tuition Award will be reduced by other federal grant aid, scholarships, public grants, and any other public aid received. The award will not be reduced by the amount of federal grant received by the student from the Department of Economic Security (DES) under the Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program. 

Award Amount  

The Foster Care to Success Tuition Award will fund the full amount of the Arizona Resident Undergraduate base tuition, college/program differential tuition, mandatory and course related fees that are not covered by any other form of federal grant aid (including but not limited to the Federal Pell Grant), scholarships, public grants, and any other public aid received. In order to estimate tuition and fees, use the Bursar's Office tuition and fees calculator online.

Availability

Students will continue to receive the tuition scholarships as long as renewal criteria (see below) are met and until the student receives a Baccalaureate Degree, obtains 144 credit hours, or until the student reaches 23 years of age, whichever comes first. This award can be used during the fall, spring, or summer semesters at Arizona. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Application 

Students must initially apply and be certified through the Foster Care to Success (FC2S) portal. The online portal is also the application for the Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program.

Deadline 

Students must submit the application online via the FC2S portal prior to the first day of classes for their initial Arizona admission term. Afterward, students will be renewed for the next academic year based on renewal criteria (see below) once a student's Free Application for Federal Student AId (FAFSA) is on file for the next academic year. The FAFSA priority filing date is March 1st each year. 

Eligibility

  1. Must be accepted to the University of Arizona by meeting regular admission requirements.
  2. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Be classified as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
  4. Must have been in foster care when the student was 14 years of age OR adopted from foster care and the adoption was finalized after the person was 14 years of age.
  5. Has total personal assets according to the FAFSA that are worth less than $10,000 (assets do NOT include scholarships or grants).
  6. Must be under 23 years of age when the tuition scholarship is first awarded. 
  7. Must complete a FAFSA each academic year (priority filing date is March 1st).
  8. Must be verified by the Arizona DES Division of Children, Youth and Families (this verification is done after the student applies through the online portal referenced above).

Renewal Criteria

  1. Students must continue to meet all initial eligibility requirements.
  2. Submit a FAFSA each academic year (priority filing date is March 1st).
  3. Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards each semester. Students who fail to meet SAP Standards will be notified of an option to submit a SAP Appeal to regain financial aid eligibility for the following semester. Review SAP Standards. Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the SAP renewal criteria by the end of the semester may submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal by the deadline. 
  4. Students must complete 30 hours of volunteer service each year after the first year the student receives the tuition scholarship.
  5. Students may receive the award based on meeting renewal criteria until one of the following conditions are met: 144 credit hours are earned, a Baccalaureate Degree is earned, or until the student reaches 23 years of age.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This value of the Foster Care to Success Tuition Award amount can also include any of the following tuition awards if selected: the National Scholar Award, Wildcat Tuition Award, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Bridge Tuition Scholarship, or the Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Award. 
  2. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

How the award is applied

  1. The award will disburse to the Bursar's student account approximately ten days before classes begin, once the student's lawful presence has been verified and the student is enrolled. Students may check their "Financial Aid Summary" on the UAccess Student Center for each award requirement. 
  2. The total award amount is for the academic year, split between the fall and spring semesters based on semester tuition and fee charges. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

Students who withdraw on or after the first day of classes must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amount 

Up to $5,000 per academic year

Selection

The IB Tuition Scholarship is offered to both Arizona and non-Arizona resident high school graduates who attend college for the first time immediately after high school graduation with an IB Diploma and earn a minimum of 24 IB credits.

  1. Award offers are based on rigorous high school IB curriculum and completion of an IB Diploma.
  2. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions.
  3. Awards are not offered to students admitted for spring.
  4. Awards are for undergraduate studies only.

Availability 

Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed application by  June 1, 2022.

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
    • Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
  3. Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  4. The award must be used beginning Fall 2022 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award

 

 

54 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award

 

 

84 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year to receive Year 4 of award

 

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 3 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 27 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Not enrolled 30 units + 27 units completed in Year 1 = 57 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 2 for Year 3 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 27 units + 57 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This award can be combined with any other merit tuition scholarship. The amount of the IB Tuition Scholarship award (up to $5,000) will vary as the combination between the total offered merit award and this award cannot exceed 100% of the amount of Undergraduate base (regular) tuition. The base tuition amount does not include differential tuition, fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other expenses.
  2. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  4. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Student A - Eligible to receive the IB Tuition Scholarship

Multiple Awards Example Using a $5,000 IB Tuition * Scholarship Offer
Base Tuition $11,300
Wildcat Tuition Total Award $ 8,000
Tuition Due $ 3,300
IB Tuition Award** $ 3,300
Tuition Due
(after award applied)
$ 0

*IB Tuition Scholarship reduced from $5,000 to $3,300 to cover the tuition balance due, covering the 100% cost of base (regular) tuition.

Student B - Not eligible to receive the IB Tuition Scholarship 

Multiple Awards Example Using a $5,000 IB Tuition ** Scholarship Offer
Base Tuition $11,300
Wildcat Tuition Total Award $12,500
Tuition Due $0
IB Tuition Award*** $0
Tuition Due
(after award applied)
$0

**IB Tuition Scholarship reduced from $5,000 to $0 due to the existing tuition scholarships already covering the 100% cost of base (regular) tuition.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

51 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year

 

 

81 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the preceding academic year. Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the subsequent semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information about this.

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Wildcat Distinction for $2,000

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Not enrolled Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 24 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding
      Award Amount for Year 2

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Not enrolled 27 units + 24 units completed in Year 1 = 51 units
GPA       2.99 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Does not meet standard renewal criteria but does meet Grace Period requirements after Year 2
      Award Amount for Year 3

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 33 units + 51 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
      Award Amount for Year 4

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amount

  1. Arizona Semi-Finalists: $13,500 per academic year 
  2. Non-Arizona Semi-Finalists: the value of the original Arizona Tuition Award + $1,500 National Merit Semi-Finalist Award. See "Arizona Tuition Award" for merit review and offer details.

Selection

This Undergraduate tuition award is offered to the National Merit Semi-Finalists who qualify by taking the Preliminary SATs (PSATs) in high school.

Availability 

Four consecutive years (8 semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*; based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed application by May 2, 2022.

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Students who become National Merit Finalists will be awarded the National Scholar award which supersedes and replaces this award.
  3. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  4. Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
    • Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
  5. The award must be used beginning Fall 2022 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award

 

 

54 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award

 

 

84 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year to receive Year 4 of award

 

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 3 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 27 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Not enrolled 30 units + 27 units completed in Year 1 = 57 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 2 for Year 3 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 27 units + 57 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. Students offered multiple awards that are designated to cover base tuition cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition from the combination of the awards. The base tuition amount does not include differential tuition, fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other expenses.
  2. Students who become National Merit Finalists will be awarded the National Scholar award which supersedes and replaces the National Merit Semi-Finalist Award.
  3. This award cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award or the National Merit Semi-Finalist Tuition Award.
  4. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  5. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  6. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's first year. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective first-year cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will disburse to a Bursar's student account approximately ten days before classes begin, once the student's lawful presence has been verified and the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse.
  2. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges. 
  3. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  4. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

51 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year

 

 

81 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the preceding academic year. Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the subsequent semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information about this.

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Wildcat Distinction for $2,000

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Not enrolled Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 24 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding
      Award Amount for Year 2

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Not enrolled 27 units + 24 units completed in Year 1 = 51 units
GPA       2.99 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Does not meet standard renewal criteria but does meet Grace Period requirements after Year 2
      Award Amount for Year 3

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 33 units + 51 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
      Award Amount for Year 4

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amount

National Scholars include National Merit Finalists and students selected for the following College Board National Recognition Programs: African American, Hispanic, Indigenous and Rural/Small Town.

The National Finalist Merit Scholarship award includes the college-sponsored, corporate-sponsored, or National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC)-sponsored awards in the total offered amount. Students must respond to NMSC requests to accept these awards. 

  1. Arizona Residents: $18,000 per academic year
  2. Non-Arizona Residents: the value of the original Arizona Tuition Award + $3,000 National Scholar Award. See "Arizona Tuition Award" for merit review and offer details.

Selection

This award is offered to the National Scholars who qualify by taking the Preliminary SATs (PSATs) in high school. The Office of Admission will be notified of a student's National Scholar status.  

If you are a National Merit Finalist, you must declare the University of Arizona as your first school of choice with National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) by their deadline. Visit the NMSC website

Availability 

Four consecutive years (8 semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*; based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs. 

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed application by May 2, 2022.

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  3. Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
    • Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
  4. The award must be used beginning Fall 2022 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award

 

 

54 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award

 

 

84 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year to receive Year 4 of award

 

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 3 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 27 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Not enrolled 30 units + 27 units completed in Year 1 = 57 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 2 for Year 3 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 27 units + 57 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. Students offered multiple awards that are designated to cover base tuition cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition from the combination of the awards. The base tuition amount does not include differential tuition, fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other expenses.
  2. This award supersedes and replaces the Wildcat Tuition Award and the Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Award.
  3. The National Scholars award package includes the college-sponsored, corporate-sponsored, or National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC)-sponsored awards. Students must respond to NMSC requests to accept these awards.
  4. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  5. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  6. This award will be reduced by the amount of the Qualified Tuition Reduction amount (QTR), or by the amount of other tuition reduction programs. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's first year. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective first-year cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

51 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year

 

 

81 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the preceding academic year. Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the subsequent semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information about this.

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Wildcat Distinction for $2,000

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Not enrolled Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 24 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding
      Award Amount for Year 2

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Not enrolled 27 units + 24 units completed in Year 1 = 51 units
GPA       2.99 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Does not meet standard renewal criteria but does meet Grace Period requirements after Year 2
      Award Amount for Year 3

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 33 units + 51 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
      Award Amount for Year 4

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amounts

$750 to $12,500 per academic year

Initial first-year merit tuition scholarship offers are based on self-reported grades provided by the student at the time of admission. The scholarship award offers become final and cannot be appealed after the admissions grade verification is complete.

Selection

The Wildcat Tuition Award is comprised of the Wildcat Recognition Tuition Award, Wildcat Excellence Tuition Award, and the Wildcat Distinction Tuition Awards. The Wildcat Tuition Award is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered annually to a select number of Arizona resident high school graduates who are first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation). Incoming students who are homeschooled will be evaluated for merit aid based on portfolio/course work submitted by the admission deadline.

  1. First-year applicants are evaluated for merit-based aid depending on when they graduate from high school and begin attendance at the University of Arizona. Applicants who are seniors in high school the year immediately prior to their enrollment at the University of Arizona will be evaluated for admission and merit based on their core unweighted high school GPA through your sixth semester. Applicants who have graduated from high school 1 year or more before enrolling at the University of Arizona Applicants and did not attend any higher education institutions after high school will be evaluated for admission and merit based on their 8th semester (or final high school grades even if the student graduated early) unweighted core GPA.
  2. Students must submit their complete Fall 2022 University of Arizona Admissions application no later than  June 1, 2022. 
  3. Students selected for this scholarship will receive an offer letter once all completed admissions application materials have been submitted before the deadline.
  4. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
  5. Awards are not offered to students admitted for spring.

Availability 

Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed University of Arizona Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed Admission application by June 1, 2022. 

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Be classified as a Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
  3. Enroll in courses at Arizona as a first-time, full-time, degree-seeking student (i.e. students who did not attend any higher education institution including Community Colleges, Universities, or International post-secondary education schools after high school graduation).
    • Summer enrollment immediately before attending fall term at Arizona does not impact eligibility. Dual enrollment (college enrollment during high school) and/or participation in non-credit bearing programs during and post high school do not impact eligibility. All attempted post-secondary credit at accredited and non-accredited institutions post-high school does impact eligibility.
  4. Students must be pursuing their first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  5. The award must be used beginning Fall 2022 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award

 

 

54 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award

 

 

84 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year to receive Year 4 of award

 

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 3 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 27 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Not enrolled 30 units + 27 units completed in Year 1 = 57 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 2 for Year 3 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 27 units + 57 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This award cannot be combined with the Arizona Tuition Award, National Scholar Tuition Award, or the National Merit Semi-Finalist Tuition Award. The student will receive the award with the superseding amount. 
  2. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  4. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website
QTR Example Using a $5,000 Wildcat Tuition* Award Offer
Base Tuition $10,000
QTR (75% reduction) $ 7,500
Tuition Due $ 2,500
Wildcat Tuition Award** $ 2,500
Tuition Due
(after award applied)
$ 0      

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

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's first year. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective first-year cohort for a potential non-resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

51 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year

 

 

81 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the preceding academic year. Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the subsequent semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information about this.

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Wildcat Distinction for $2,000

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Not enrolled Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 24 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding
      Award Amount for Year 2

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Not enrolled 27 units + 24 units completed in Year 1 = 51 units
GPA       2.99 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Does not meet standard renewal criteria but does meet Grace Period requirements after Year 2
      Award Amount for Year 3

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 33 units + 51 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
      Award Amount for Year 4

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Transfer Merit Scholarships

Award Amount 

This award covers Arizona Resident base tuition or the equivalent amount towards Non-Resident base tuition. 

Selection

The All-Arizona Academic Team Award is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to a select number of community college transfer students planning to attend one of the three state Universities and pursuing their first Bachelor degree. The Arizona Board of Regents selects students from nominations made by Arizona community colleges.

Students using the award at one of the other State Universities may transfer the award to the University of Arizona, but the student must be meeting the renewal criteria of the scholarship. See "Transferring the Scholarship" below.

Availability 

Ten consecutive undergraduate semesters or 60 undergraduate units, for fall and spring semesters only, based on semester renewal requirements. This award is available for use in all University of Arizona campuses, including Arizona Online programs.

Deadline 

Admitted to the University of Arizona within one calendar year of the original offer letter.

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. The award must be used at Arizona within one year of the original offer.
  3. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  4. Be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units each fall and spring semesters at Arizona.

Renewal Criteria

  1. Maintain at least a 3.25 cumulative Arizona grade point average each semester.
  2. Complete at least 6 units per semester at Arizona. 
    • Qualifying units include: passing units from pass/fail courses, and Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
    • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grades, incomplete grades, prior academic years, New Start, consortium, correspondence, audit courses, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (i.e. AP, CLEP), transfer units and units* from other institutions while attending the University of Arizona do not count toward the 6 units per semester.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. Students offered multiple awards designated for regular tuition cannot receive more than 100% of the cost of base tuition from the combination of the awards. The base tuition does not include differential tuition, fees, surcharges, room and board, books, or other expenses.
  2. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website
QTR EXAMPLE USING A $10,000 ALL-AZ ACADEMIC TEAM** AWARD OFFER
Base Tuition $10,000
QTR (75% reduction) $ 7,500
Tuition Due $ 2,500
All-AZ Academic** $ 2,500
Tuition Due
(after award applied)
$       0

**All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition award reduced from $10,000 to $2,500 to cover the tuition balance due, covering the 100% cost of base tuition.

How this award is applied

  1. This award is automatically applied to a Bursar's student account approximately ten days before classes once the student is enrolled in 6 units at the University of Arizona (see Eligibility above).
  2. This scholarship is applied to tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at the University of Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books, or other expenses.

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to contact OSFA before semester(s) of eligibility are over, lose the semester(s) of eligibility.
  2. Students with extenuating circumstances beyond their control preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeal Committee.

Transferring the Scholarship

Students transferring from the University of Arizona must contact the other State Universities about the transfer process. Students transferring from one of the State Universities to the University of Arizona must submit the following two items for review prior to the start of the semester in which the student intends to enroll at Arizona:

  1. Official transcript* from the school the student is transferring from.
  2. Copy of the All-Arizona Academic Team offer letter.

*Units completed at one of the other State Universities while utilizing the All-Arizona Academic Team tuition award will count toward the total 60 units covered by the award.

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this scholarship is a total of 60 units or 10 semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request by OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information on this process.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 6 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amounts 

$2,000 per academic year

Selection

The Bridge Tuition Scholarship is a competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to a select number of transfer students currently in the Bridge Program at an Arizona Community College who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree.

  1. Students must have only attended community college after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
  2. Have a minimum 2.50 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended
  3. Completed minimum of 36 units, and no more than 80 units, from a community college at the time of admission to Arizona
    • Total attempted college units includes all attempted coursework from accredited institutions post-high school and dual enrollment units. Unaccredited and non-credit college attendance does not impact eligibility. 

Availability

Two consecutive years (four semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs. This award is available to Main Campus and Distance Campus students, including domestic students with international credentials. Microcampus students are not eligible.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 4 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive 3 consecutive years (six semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed Arizona Transfer Admission Application for Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline

Completed admission application by July 1, 2022 for Fall 2022 admits. 

Completed admission application by December 1, 2022 for Spring 2023 admits. 

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Be classified as a Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
  3. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  4. Semesters without lawful presence verified will be lost and counted against the scholarship's total four semesters.
  5. The award must be used beginning the term it was offered for, either the Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Fall Admits Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

Fall Admits Only:

 

30 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award (final year of the award)

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

15 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive the award for the following year

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

45 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive the award for the final, fourth semester of the following year

 

Examples:
Example 1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits Only)

 

First Fall semester

(Semester 1)

First Spring semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding (final year of funding)

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

First Spring Semester

(Semester 1)

Cumulative Total at end of 1st year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units 15 Arizona units completed
GPA   3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
  Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

Fall semester

(Semester 2)

Spring semester

(Semester 3)

Cumulative Total at end of 2nd year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 + 15  Arizona units completed in Year 1 = 45 cumulative units
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for one additional semester in Year 2
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This award cannot be combined with any other tuition award including the All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition Award, Bridge Tuition Scholarship, or PTK Tuition Scholarship.
  2. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  4. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's admitted term. If during the four semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective incoming cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will disburse to a Bursar's student account approximately ten days before classes begin, once the student's lawful presence has been verified and the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges. 
  3. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
 

Fall Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 27 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

12 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

 

 

42 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the following academic year (only if the student has remaining semesters of eligibility). Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the following semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information.

Examples:

Example #1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits only)

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Bridge Tuition Award for $2,000

 

First Fall Semester

(Semester #1)

First Spring Semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     2.89 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status

Does not meet standard renewal criteria at end of year 1.

Meets Grace Period renewal criteria at end of year 1 for year 2 funding.

    Award Amount for Year 2

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Bridge Tuition Award

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for two (2) consecutive years (four (4) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of four (4) consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
ELIGIBLE UARIZONA-SPONSORED STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS INELIGIBLE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amounts 

$500 per semester*

*Amount will vary each semester based on enrollment if the student is enrolled in more than 6 units.

Selection

The Bridge Online Tuition Scholarship is a competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to a select number of transfer students currently in the Bridge Program at an Arizona Community College who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree at the Arizona Online Campus.

  1. Students must have only attended community college after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
  2. Have a minimum 2.50 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended.
  3. Completed minimum of 36 units, and no more than 80 units, from a community college at the time of admission to Arizona
    • Total attempted college units includes all attempted coursework from accredited institutions post-high school and dual enrollment units. Unaccredited and non-credit college attendance does not impact eligibility. 

Availability

Up to three consecutive years (nine semesters total) for fall, spring and summer semesters or completion of 60 units (whichever comes first) at the University of Arizona, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is available to Main Campus and Distance Campus students, including domestic students with international credentials. Microcampus students are not eligible.

Application 

A completed Arizona Transfer Admission Application for Fall 2022, Spring 2023 or Summer 2023 serves as the application for this award. 

Deadline 

Ideally, the student should be least one semester away from transferring to Arizona when applying (if the student wants to be part of Bridge).

Completed admission application by July 1, 2022 for Fall 2022 admits. 

Completed admission application by December 1, 2022 for Spring 2023 admits. 

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award.
  2. Be classified as a Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
  3. Be enrolled in the Arizona Online Campus. 
  4. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  5. The award must be used beginning the term it was offered for, either the Fall 2022, Spring 2023, or Summer 2023 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the next academic year.

  1. GPA: 3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average. Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.
  2. Units:
    • 12 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award 
      • Spring semester admitted students: 6 cumulative Arizona units completed at the end of the semester.
    • 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester see Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This award cannot be combined with any other tuition award including the All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition Award, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship, or Bridge Tuition Scholarship (not Arizona Online Campus).
  2. This award cannot be combined with any other tuition benefit, including the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers), deferred billing, Tuition Assistance or the Arizona Online Corporate Partner discount. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website
  3. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.

Campus Change

If during the semesters of eligibility, the student changes their campus and the student is meeting the renewal requirements for the current campus, the student will be reevaluated to maintain the scholarship at the new campus. The student will then be subject to the award requirements pertaining to the student’s new campus.

Example: a student who changes from the Arizona Online campus to the Main Campus will be held to all Main Campus terms and conditions for the award, including the requirement to be enrolled in 12 or more units per term for the terms moving forward. If and when a student changes back to Arizona Online, that same student would need to be held to the Arizona Online terms and conditions for the award. 

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up missing Arizona units. Mid-year reinstatements require students to be on track with an average of 6 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
    • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for three (3) consecutive years (nine (9) semesters total).
    • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
    • Students who request reinstatement prior to the first day of classes will be more likely to avoid late fees.
  2. Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of nine consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have units waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

The Foster Care Success Tuition award is a scholarship program to support foster youth enrolled at the University of Arizona. The award will fund the full amount of Arizona Resident undergraduate base tuition, mandatory fees and course fees, and college/program differential tuition. The value of the Foster Care Success Tuition Award will be reduced by other federal grant aid, scholarships, public grants, and any other public aid received. The award will not be reduced by the amount of federal grant received by the student from the Department of Economic Security (DES) under the Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program. 

Award Amount  

The Foster Care to Success Tuition Award will fund the full amount of the Arizona Resident Undergraduate base tuition, college/program differential tuition, mandatory and course related fees that are not covered by any other form of federal grant aid (including but not limited to the Federal Pell Grant), scholarships, public grants, and any other public aid received. In order to estimate tuition and fees, use the Bursar's Office tuition and fees calculator online.

Availability

Students will continue to receive the tuition scholarships as long as renewal criteria (see below) are met and until the student receives a Baccalaureate Degree, obtains 144 credit hours, or until the student reaches 23 years of age, whichever comes first. This award can be used during the fall, spring, or summer semesters at Arizona. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs.

Application 

Students must initially apply and be certified through the Foster Care to Success (FC2S) portal. The online portal is also the application for the Arizona Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program.

Deadline 

Students must submit the application online via the FC2S portal prior to the first day of classes for their initial Arizona admission term. Afterward, students will be renewed for the next academic year based on renewal criteria (see below) once a student's Free Application for Federal Student AId (FAFSA) is on file for the next academic year. The FAFSA priority filing date is March 1st each year. 

Eligibility

  1. Must be accepted to the University of Arizona by meeting regular admission requirements.
  2. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Be classified as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
  4. Must have been in foster care when the student was 14 years of age OR adopted from foster care and the adoption was finalized after the person was 14 years of age.
  5. Has total personal assets according to the FAFSA that are worth less than $10,000 (assets do NOT include scholarships or grants).
  6. Must be under 23 years of age when the tuition scholarship is first awarded. 
  7. Must complete a FAFSA each academic year (priority filing date is March 1st).
  8. Must be verified by the Arizona DES Division of Children, Youth and Families (this verification is done after the student applies through the online portal referenced above).

Renewal Criteria

  1. Students must continue to meet all initial eligibility requirements.
  2. Submit a FAFSA each academic year (priority filing date is March 1st).
  3. Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards each semester. Students who fail to meet SAP Standards will be notified of an option to submit a SAP Appeal to regain financial aid eligibility for the following semester. Review SAP Standards. Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the SAP renewal criteria by the end of the semester may submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal by the deadline. 
  4. Students must complete 30 hours of volunteer service each year after the first year the student receives the tuition scholarship.
  5. Students may receive the award based on meeting renewal criteria until one of the following conditions are met: 144 credit hours are earned, a Baccalaureate Degree is earned, or until the student reaches 23 years of age.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This value of the Foster Care to Success Tuition Award amount can also include any of the following tuition awards if selected: the National Scholar Award, Wildcat Tuition Award, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Bridge Tuition Scholarship, or the Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Award. 
  2. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

How the award is applied

  1. The award will disburse to the Bursar's student account approximately ten days before classes begin, once the student's lawful presence has been verified and the student is enrolled. Students may check their "Financial Aid Summary" on the UAccess Student Center for each award requirement. 
  2. The total award amount is for the academic year, split between the fall and spring semesters based on semester tuition and fee charges. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

Students who withdraw on or after the first day of classes must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amounts

Arizona Residents - $5,000 per academic year
Non-Arizona Residents - $12,000  per academic year

Selection

The Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Scholarship is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to community college (2 year) transfer students who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree.

  1. Students must have only attended community college(s) after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
  2. Have a minimum 3.50 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended.
  3. Completed minimum of 36 units from a community college at the time of admission to Arizona.
    • Total attempted college units includes all attempted coursework from accredited institutions post-high school and dual enrollment units. Unaccredited and non-credit college attendance does not impact eligibility.
  4. Phi Theta Kappa designation must be present on the student's community college transcript.
    • If the community college does not include Phi Theta Kappa information on their transcript, please send a copy of your Phi Theta Kappa certificate to the Undergraduate Admissions Office (admissions@arizona.edu). 

Availability

Two consecutive years (four semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs. This award is available to Main Campus and Distance Campus students, including domestic students with international credentials. Microcampus students are not eligible.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 4 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive 3 consecutive years (six semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed Arizona Transfer Admission Application for Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline

Completed admission application by July 1, 2022 for Fall 2022 admits. 

Completed admission application by December 1, 2022 for Spring 2023 admits. 

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  3. Semesters without lawful presence verified will be lost and counted against the scholarship's total four semesters.
  4. The award must be used beginning the term it was offered for, either the Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Fall Admits Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

Fall Admits Only:

 

30 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award (final year of the award)

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

15 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive the award for the following year

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

45 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive the award for the final, fourth semester of the following year

 

Examples:
Example 1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits Only)

 

First Fall semester

(Semester 1)

First Spring semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding (final year of funding)

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

First Spring Semester

(Semester 1)

Cumulative Total at end of 1st year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units 15 Arizona units completed
GPA   3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
  Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

Fall semester

(Semester 2)

Spring semester

(Semester 3)

Cumulative Total at end of 2nd year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 + 15  Arizona units completed in Year 1 = 45 cumulative units
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for one additional semester in Year 2
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This award cannot be combined with any other tuition award including the All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition Award, Bridge Tuition Scholarship, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Arizona Tuition Award, or Wildcat Tuition Award.
  2. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  4. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's admitted term. If during the four semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective incoming cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
 

Fall Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 27 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

12 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

 

 

42 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the following academic year (only if the student has remaining semesters of eligibility). Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the following semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information.

Examples:

Example #1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits only)

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Bridge Tuition Award for $2,000

 

First Fall Semester

(Semester #1)

First Spring Semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     2.89 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status

Does not meet standard renewal criteria at end of year 1.

Meets Grace Period renewal criteria at end of year 1 for year 2 funding.

    Award Amount for Year 2

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Bridge Tuition Award

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the Grace Period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for two (2) consecutive years (four (4) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of four (4) consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of four (4) consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amounts

Arizona Residents - $3,000 per academic year
Non-Arizona Residents - $5,000-$10,000 per academic year

Selection

The Transfer Tuition Scholarship is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to community college (2 year) transfer students who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree.

  1. Students must have only attended community college(s) after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
  2. Arizona Residents: Have a minimum 3.00 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended.
    Non-Arizona Residents: Have a minimum 3.50 combined cumulative college GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended.
  3. Completed minimum of 36 units, and no more than 80 units, from a community college at the time of admission to Arizona
    • Total attempted college units includes all attempted coursework from accredited institutions post-high school and dual enrollment units. Unaccredited and non-credit college attendance does not impact eligibility. 

Availability

Two consecutive years (four semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs. This award is available to Main Campus and Distance Campus students, including domestic students with international credentials. Microcampus students are not eligible.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 4 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive 3 consecutive years (six semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed Arizona Transfer Admission Application for Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline

Completed admission application by July 1, 2022 for Fall 2022 admits. 

Completed admission application by December 1, 2022 for Spring 2023 admits. 

Eligibility

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or demonstrate lawful immigration status. DACA students are not eligible for this award. 
  2. Students must be pursuing a first Bachelor's Degree for Undergraduate studies.
  3. The award must be used beginning the term it was offered for, either the Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 semester.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Fall Admits Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

Fall Admits Only:

 

30 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award (final year of the award)

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

15 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive the award for the following year

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

45 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive the award for the final, fourth semester of the following year

 

Examples:
Example 1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits Only)

 

First Fall semester

(Semester 1)

First Spring semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding (final year of funding)

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

First Spring Semester

(Semester 1)

Cumulative Total at end of 1st year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units 15 Arizona units completed
GPA   3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
  Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

Fall semester

(Semester 2)

Spring semester

(Semester 3)

Cumulative Total at end of 2nd year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 + 15  Arizona units completed in Year 1 = 45 cumulative units
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for one additional semester in Year 2
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs

  1. This award cannot be combined with any other tuition award including the All-Arizona Academic Team Tuition Award, Bridge Tuition Scholarship, or PTK Tuition Scholarship.
  2. This award cannot be combined with ROTC tuition awards, the GI Bill, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program are not eligible for this award.
  4. This award will be adjusted if the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR, a benefit for faculty and staff) or other tuition reduction programs (or waivers) are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's admitted term. If during the four semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective incoming cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
 

Fall Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 27 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

12 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

 

 

42 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the following academic year (only if the student has remaining semesters of eligibility). Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the following semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information.

Examples:

Example #1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits only)

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Bridge Tuition Award for $2,000

 

First Fall Semester

(Semester #1)

First Spring Semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     2.89 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status

Does not meet standard renewal criteria at end of year 1.

Meets Grace Period renewal criteria at end of year 1 for year 2 funding.

    Award Amount for Year 2

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Bridge Tuition Award

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for two (2) consecutive years (four (4) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of four (4) consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of four (4) consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

International Merit Scholarships

Award Amounts 

$5,500 - $22,000 per academic year  

Selection 

The Global Wildcat Tuition First-Year Award is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered annually to a select number of international students attending Arizona.

  1. Students selected for this scholarship will receive an email. 
  2. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions.
  3. The award must be used the semester for which it was first offered.
  4. Awards are not offered for any summer term.

Availability 

Four consecutive years (eight semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs, Global Partner Programs or for Global Microcampus program use.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive five consecutive years (ten semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed Admission Application for Fall 2022 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed admission application by  June 1, 2022 for Fall 2022 admits. 

Eligibility

  1. A limited number of merit-based scholarships will be awarded to international students based upon their application for admission who exhibit outstanding academic records and test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE Academic). 
  2. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
  3. Awards are for undergraduate studies only.
  4. Conditionally admitted students who enroll in the CESL U-Track Pathway and successfully complete one semester in the program AND enroll full-time at the University of Arizona the following semester will be awarded the scholarship they would have qualified for originally.
  5. If a student is classified as an Arizona resident, this scholarship will be adjusted to cover a proportional amount of resident tuition, if eligible.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award

 

*12 cumulative Arizona units for spring admits

54 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive Year 3 of award

 

 

84 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year to receive Year 4 of award

 

 

Examples:

Wilma Wildcat - Year 1 Renewal

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 3 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 27 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Not enrolled 30 units + 27 units completed in Year 1 = 57 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 2 for Year 3 funding

Wilma Wildcat - Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 27 units + 57 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Tuition Awards

  1. This award covers a portion of non-resident tuition only. Tuition does not include fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses.
  2. This award may not be combined with any other tuition award including National Merit Finalist, National Scholar, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship, some ROTC Tuition Awards, the Arizona-Sonoran Tuition Award, any Sponsored students, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. This scholarship may be reduced each year the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR) (a benefit for faculty and staff) is utilized or other tuition reduction programs are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website
  4. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Program are not eligible for this award.

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's admitted term. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective incoming cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.

 

  First Year Year 2 Year 3

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 24 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

51 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year

 

 

81 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 3rd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the following academic year. Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the subsequent semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information about this.

Example:

Wilma Wildcat - Year 1 Renewal

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Wildcat Distinction for $2,000

  Summer semester prior to first fall semester First Fall semester First Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Not enrolled Completes 12 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units 24 Arizona units completed
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding
      Award Amount for Year 2

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 12 Arizona units Not enrolled 27 units + 24 units completed in Year 1 = 51 units
GPA       2.99 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Does not meet standard renewal criteria but does meet Grace Period requirements after Year 2
      Award Amount for Year 3

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Wildcat Distinction

Wilma Wildcat - Year 3 Renewal

  Second Fall semester Second Spring semester Summer after Second Spring semester Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 3 Arizona units 33 units + 51 units completed in Years 1 and 2 = 84 units
GPA       3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
      Renewal Status Meets standard Renewal Criteria after Year 3 for Year 4 funding
      Award Amount for Year 4

100% of original offered award

$2,000 Wildcat Distinction

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for four (4) consecutive years (eight (8) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

Award Amounts 

$5,500 - $11,000 per academic year  

Selection 

The Global Wildcat Tuition Transfer Award is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered to international transfer students who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree.

  1. Students must have only attended community college after their high school graduation. Any students that have enrolled at a four-year (college or university) institution after graduation from high school are not eligible.
  2. Students must have a minimum 3.00 cumulative college grade point average.
  3. Completed minimum of 12 or more transferable units at the time of admission application from non-U.S. college or at a U.S. junior college or community college are eligible for the awards above. 
  4. Arizona students who begin their studies in a Global Direct program or dual degree program are eligible for this award.
  5. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions.
  6. The award must be used the semester for which it was first offered.
  7. Awards are not offered for any summer term.

Availability 

Two consecutive years (four semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only*, based on academic year renewal requirements. This award is not available for use in Arizona Online programs, Global Partner Programs or for Global Microcampus program use.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive semesters may use the remaining semester(s) toward graduate tuition (only) at Arizona in the semester immediately following undergraduate degree completion. Students who meet the aforementioned criteria may notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) once admitted to an Arizona Graduate Degree-Seeking program and enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Students who are accepted into certain professional programs such as Pharmacy, which do not require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree, may qualify to use their remaining semester(s) of their merit tuition award towards this program after completing their undergraduate coursework and are admitted into the PharmD program at Arizona. Please contact OSFA to inquire about full eligibility requirements.

*Students who are enrolled in the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture’s 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program will receive 3 consecutive years (six semesters total) for fall and spring semesters only, based on academic year renewal requirements. 

Application 

A completed Admission Application for Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 serves as the application for this award.

Deadline 

Completed admission application by June 1, 2022 for Fall 2022 admits. 

Completed admission application by November 1, 2022 for Spring 2023 admits. 

Eligibility

  1. International student status. 
  2. Offers are non-negotiable and are not increased to match offers from other institutions and remain the same as the initial offer for continuing students, even if a student improves their GPA at Arizona.
  3. Awards are for undergraduate studies only.
  4. Conditionally admitted students who enroll in the CESL U-Track Pathway and successfully complete one semester in the program AND enroll full-time at the University of Arizona the following semester will be awarded the scholarship they would have qualified for originally.
  5. If a student is classified as an Arizona resident, this scholarship will be adjusted to cover a proportional amount of resident tuition, if eligible.

Renewal Criteria

Students must meet the standard, minimum renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring and summer semesters) in order to receive the scholarship for the following academic year.

Standard Minimum Renewal Requirements are as follows:

  Fall Admits Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

 

 

3.00 cumulative University of Arizona grade point average.

 

 

Minimum Units

Fall Admits Only:

 

30 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive Year 2 of award (final year of the award)

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

15 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year to receive the award for the following year

 

 

Spring Admits Only:

 

45 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year to receive the award for the final, fourth semester of the following year

 

Examples:
Example 1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits Only)

 

First Fall semester

(Semester 1)

First Spring semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding (final year of funding)

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

First Spring Semester

(Semester 1)

Cumulative Total at end of 1st year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units 15 Arizona units completed
GPA   3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
  Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for Year 2 funding

Example 2: Wilbur Wildcat – Year 2 Renewal (Spring Admits Only)

 

Fall semester

(Semester 2)

Spring semester

(Semester 3)

Cumulative Total at end of 2nd year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 + 15  Arizona units completed in Year 1 = 45 cumulative units
GPA     3.0 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status Meets Renewal Criteria after Year 1 for one additional semester in Year 2
  • Qualifying units within the academic year include: Arizona winter and summer courses, passing units from pass/fail courses, Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) units, prior academic year units (this includes non-degree seeking terms and terms before the student started their current program) and New Start courses.
  • Non-Qualifying units include: failed, E grade, incomplete or I grades, consortium, Outreach College courses, correspondence, audit, Study abroad units taken during the summer, and/or course credit received from testing (including AP and CLEP credits) transfer units and units from other institutions.

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria by the end of the spring semester (or summer, if enrolled in summer courses) see Grace Period and Reinstatement section below.

Multiple Tuition Awards

  1. This award covers a portion of non-resident tuition only. Tuition does not include fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses.
  2. This award may not be combined with any other tuition award including National Merit Finalist, National Scholar, Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship, some ROTC Tuition Awards, the Arizona-Sonoran Tuition Award, any Sponsored students, and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.
  3. This scholarship may be reduced each year the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR) (a benefit for faculty and staff) is utilized or other tuition reduction programs are utilized. Students offered multiple awards designated for base tuition, cannot receive more than 100% of base tuition. For more information about tuition rates, please visit the Bursar's website
  4. Students in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) Program are not eligible for this award.

Residency Change

This merit award was offered based on residency during the student's admitted term. If during the eight semesters of eligibility the student's residency changes and the student still qualifies for renewal, the student will be reevaluated based on the merit review of the respective incoming cohort for a potential resident merit award. Students should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once residency changes for a reevaluation. Non-Resident students who have earned an Arizona high school degree or General Education Diploma and qualify for 150% of Undergraduate Resident Tuition Rate do not qualify for this award.

How the award is applied

  1. The award will be disbursed to a Bursar's student account as early as ten days before classes begin, once the student is enrolled full-time (12+ units per term) at Arizona. Students are strongly encouraged to complete enough Arizona units each academic year to remain on track to graduate within four years, the maximum period this award covers.
  2. For students who are in their final semester before graduation and do not need to be enrolled full time (due to completion of their academic plan), OSFA will work with the Office of the Registrar to verify a graduation date on file and then allow this merit scholarship to disburse. Tuition costs for a student who is enrolled less than full time may be lower, therefore the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the lower tuition charges during this final semester.
  3. This scholarship is applied to undergraduate tuition charged through the Bursar's Office at Arizona. Tuition does not include program or mandatory fees, surcharges, differential tuition, room and board, books or other expenses. If your program does not charge tuition through the Bursar's student account, you are ineligible to use this award toward your tuition charges.
  4. The total award amount is for the academic year which is evenly split between the fall and spring semesters. Students who graduate in December are not eligible to receive the full academic year amount for one semester.
  5. Award amounts may be split into two portions that add up to the grand total amount offered.

Grace Period

Students not meeting the standard, minimum renewal criteria posted above but who maintain the following requirements will be granted an automatic grace period for the following academic year.

  1. Students are eligible for a grace period one time in their University of Arizona academic career. OSFA will automatically identify all students who meet the grace period requirements.
 

Fall Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 1

Spring Admits

Year 2

Minimum GPA

 

Note that GPAs are not rounded or recalculated for scholarship purposes.

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

2.8-2.99 Cumulative GPA

 

Minimum Units 27 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

12 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 1st award year

 

 

42 cumulative Arizona units completed by the end of the 2nd award year
  1. Students who are granted an automatic grace period will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the term(s) in which the grace period is active.
  2. If the student meets all standard, minimum renewal criteria after the grace period academic year ends (see standard renewal requirements table above), the student will be renewed and receive 100% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount during the following academic year (only if the student has remaining semesters of eligibility). Alternatively, if the student meets all standard renewal criteria after one semester of being in the grace period, the student may be eligible for reinstatement of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship for the following semester (at 100% of the original offered scholarship amount). See the Reinstatement section below for more information.

Examples:

Example #1: Wilma Wildcat – Year 1 Renewal (Fall Admits only)

Original Offered Merit Tuition Scholarship: Bridge Tuition Award for $2,000

 

First Fall Semester

(Semester #1)

First Spring Semester

(Semester 2)

Cumulative Total at end of first year
Units Completes 15 Arizona units Completes 15 Arizona units 30 Arizona units completed
GPA     2.89 Cumulative GPA maintained
    Renewal Status

Does not meet standard renewal criteria at end of year 1.

Meets Grace Period renewal criteria at end of year 1 for year 2 funding.

    Award Amount for Year 2

80% of original offered award

$1,600 Bridge Tuition Award

Reinstatement

  1. Students failing to meet the standard renewal criteria by the conclusion of the spring semester but who are enrolled in the summer semester will automatically be reviewed by OSFA after the conclusion of the summer semester.
  2. Students failing to meet the renewal criteria by the conclusion of the academic year (fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters) will either:
  • Be placed the grace period as described above

or

  • Not be renewed for the upcoming academic year

Students in either scenario above may become eligible for reinstatement if they raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 3.00 and make up all missing Arizona units.

  • Mid-year reinstatements during years 2-4 require students to be on track with an average of 15 Arizona units completed per fall and spring semesters of award eligibility.
  • Students eligible for reinstatement will be awarded 100% of their original offered tuition scholarship for the term(s) following the semester(s) in which they regained eligibility. Note, the award amount for a single semester is never to exceed 50% of the original offered tuition scholarship.
  • Scholarships are only eligible for reinstatement for two (2) consecutive years (four (4) semesters total).
  • Students must contact OSFA by the last day of the semester in which they are requesting reinstatement. 
  • The priority deadline to contact OSFA and request reinstatement is 30 days prior to the start date of the semester. Students who submit their request before the priority deadline will be processed prior to the first day of classes, which may prevent late fees. 

3.Students with extenuating circumstances preventing them from meeting the standard renewal requirements by the conclusion of the academic year may submit a Scholarship Appeal Form and supporting documents (by the deadline) for review by the Scholarship Appeals Committee.

  • Students with an approved Scholarship Appeal will be eligible to receive 80% of their original offered tuition scholarship award for the academic year following the year in which they were not renewed.
  • Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).

Deferments

  1. Eligibility for this tuition award is a total of eight consecutive semesters, interrupted only by an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
  2. The student must be enrolled at least one semester at Arizona in order to apply for a deferment. New incoming students inquiring about deferring their Admission and/or Scholarships (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information.
  3. Students must visit the Office of the Registrar website in order to determine enrollment eligibility upon return to the University of Arizona.
    • Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Scholarship Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit award upon return to Arizona. 

Study Abroad

  1. Students may use this tuition award on an UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program for a maximum of 1 year (two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters only. Students must be meeting the renewal criteria in order to qualify and participate in an eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad program.
    • Students participating in programs longer than two semesters must contact OSFA to inquire about their merit eligibility.
  2. Students participating in an ineligible Study Abroad program will receive automatic scholarship deferments from OSFA as long as the student is meeting renewal requirements. Students participating in these programs will be notified by email of their scholarship deferment status prior to the start of the semester they plan to be away.
  3. Renewal: Students who participate in an eligible study abroad program are still required to maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Students receiving either direct or transfer credit from their study abroad program will have 15 units per semester waived for scholarship renewal purposes for each term(s) that they are in the program. Please note, units taken during the Study Abroad Summer semester will not be waived and not count toward your total unit requirement for the academic year.
  4. This tuition award can pay Study Abroad tuition charges only. If the Study Abroad tuition charges are less than the amount of this tuition award, this award will be adjusted to the amount of Study Abroad tuition charges. Any unused funds cannot be used for other expenses or be applied to future terms. 
  5. Students on Non-UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad programs must have an approved Scholarship Deferment Request from OSFA.
Eligible UArizona-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs Ineligible Study Abroad Programs

Exchange 

National Student Exchange, Plan B

AZ Abroad Locations

Direct Enroll

UArizona Faculty Led

All 3rd Party Providers:

CEA

CIEE

DIS

Semester at Sea

Withdrawal Policy

If a student withdraws on or after the first day of classes begin, the student forfeits that semester of scholarship eligibility. This scholarship may be reviewed for reinstatement in future semesters. However, that semester in which your scholarship(s) were lost are still counted against your total eligibility. Scholarships cannot be extended past the original semesters of eligibility. If you have other financial aid, you must review the withdrawal policy here.

The Terms and Conditions listed on this page may be updated in order to further clarify policies and/or the use of each award.