Arizona Native Scholars Grant
Information below is for the current, 2024-2025 academic year. Updated information for the 2025-2026 academic year is coming soon!
The Arizona Native Scholars Grant (ANS) is an institutional grant program that ensures the tuition, mandatory fees, and college fee are covered for Native, Arizona Resident, Undergraduate students seeking their first Bachelor's degree.
The amount of the ANS grant will be different for each student depending on the amount of gift aid (Federal Pell Grant, merit tuition scholarships, institutional aid, and other non-Tribal scholarships) they receive. The ANS grant can only be applied to a student’s base tuition, fees, and the college fee after all other gift aid (grants and scholarships) has been applied.
The ANS grant does not cover any other expenses, including books, parking, housing or meal plan charges. This can be awarded up to four years (eight consecutive semesters).
To be eligible for the Arizona Native Scholars Grant (ANS), incoming Fall 2024 First Year, Readmit, Transfer New Admits, and Current students who have not met eligibility requirements in a prior term must:
- Have a complete University of Arizona application by June 1st. Please note, a completed application means all necessary information for an admissions decision are on file. For full details regarding application dates and deadlines click here.
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by June 1st*. FAFSA must be Official with a calculated SAI.
- Be an enrolled and verified** member of one of the 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes, which entitles you to be considered an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
- Enroll full-time (12 + units) at the University of Arizona's main campus in a degree-seeking program
To be eligible for the Arizona Native Scholars Grant (ANS), incoming Spring 2025 First Year, Readmit, Transfer New Admits, and Current students who have not met eligibility requirements in a prior term must:
- Have a complete University of Arizona application by November 1st. Please note, a completed application means all necessary information for an admissions decision are on file. For full details regarding application dates and deadlines click here.
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by November 1st*. FAFSA must be Official with a calculated SAI.
- Be an enrolled and verified** member of one of the 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes, which entitles you to be considered an Arizona resident for tuition purposes.
- Enroll full-time (12 + units) at the University of Arizona's main campus in a degree-seeking program
*The FAFSA must be Official with a calculated Student Aid Index (SAI). FAFSA errors that cause the FAFSA status to be Rejected must be resolved before OSFA can consider a student for ANS eligibility.
**To confirm your eligibility for the Arizona Native Scholars Grant you'll need to upload your Tribal Enrollment documentation. Learn more and upload your documents through the Office of the Registrar's Native American Exception webpage. Tribal Enrollment verification documentation must be submitted on or before:
Fall 2024: September 3, 2024
Spring 2025: January 22, 2025
Please note:
- ANS does not require students to demonstrate financial need to be eligible
- Current students not meeting the deadlines above will automatically be considered for the ANS Grant in future semesters
- Students not awarded the ANS Grant as a result of other extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control are encouraged to speak with OSFA for an opportunity to appeal using the General Aid Appeal
Frequently Asked Questions are listed below. If you find your question is not included, please do not hesitate to contact us.
There is no application for the ANS Grant. Students must meet all eligibility requirements listed above and make sure they follow the process to verify their enrollment as a member of one of the 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes eligible for in-state tuition. Learn more and upload your documents through the Office of the Registrar's Native American Exception webpage.
Tribal Enrollment verification documentation must be submitted on or before:
- Fall 2024 semester: September 3, 2024
The ANS Grant amount will vary for each student who receives it. ANS will cover the student’s remaining tuition, fees, and college fee after all other gift aid (grants and scholarships) has been applied,.
The ANS Grant does not cover housing, meal plans, books and other misc. charges.
Example Student A
Student A is offered a $745 Pell Grant and a $3,000 Wildcat Tuition Award.
| Example Student A | |
|---|---|
| Base Tuition & Fees | $12,700 |
| Federal Pell Grant | -$745 |
| Wildcat Tuition Scholarship | -$3,000 |
| Arizona Native Scholars Grant | $8,955 |
Example Student A's ANS grant would be $8,955.
Example Student B
Student B is offered a $6,495 Pell Grant. Student B also has an annual $550 College Fee based on his academic program.
| Example Student B | |
|---|---|
Base Tuition & Fees plus College Fee of $550 | $13,250 |
| Federal Pell Grant | -$6,495 |
| Arizona Native Scholars Grant | $6,758 |
Example Student B's ANS grant would be $7,205.
Example Student C
Student C is offered a $10,000 Wildcat Tuition Award and a $1,000 tribal scholarship.
| Example Student C | |
|---|---|
| Base Tuition & Fees | $12,700 |
| Wildcat Tuition Award | -$10,000 |
| Arizona Native Scholars Grant | $2,700 |
Tribal Scholarship *Not factored into the ANS gap calculation | $1,000 |
Example Student C's ANS grant would be $2,700.
No, these awards cannot be combined.
Students will be given the award that offers the most coverage if meeting eligibility and/or selection criteria for more than one of these programs. In addition, since the Arizona Native Scholars Grant and Arizona Promise Grant offer the same funding, students meeting the eligibility criteria for both of these awards will be offered the Arizona Promise Grant instead of the Arizona Native Scholars Grant.
No, the ANS Grant is only for use with Main Campus enrollment.
Students who initiate a campus change out of main campus will lose their ANS starting with the effective term of the campus change. ANS cannot be reinstated later even if the student initiates a campus change back to Main Campus.
No, you do not need to submit a deferment request for ANS. When you return to the University you will automatically be reviewed for continued ANS funding if you meet all other eligibility and deadline requirements. However, please note that any terms you are away from the University will count against the total semesters of eligibility.
Note, if you have a merit tuition scholarship, you must submit a Financial Aid Deferment Request for any terms you are away from the University.
Students will need to be enrolled as a full-time student (at least 12 units) by the first Pell Recalculation Date of the semester.
- Students who have not already received a disbursement and not enrolled full-time by the first Fall Pell Recalculation Date will have their fall Arizona Native Scholars Grant canceled automatically. The Fall portion of this grant cannot be reinstated thereafter.
- Spring enrollment will be evaluated on the first Spring Pell Recalculation Date. If the spring portion of the Arizona Native Scholars Grant has not already disbursed to the student and the student is not enrolled in at least 12 Arizona units at that time, the spring portion of the Arizona Native Scholars Grant will be canceled automatically and cannot be reinstated.
*Please note that after a student's first term receiving an ANS Grant disbursement, a canceled ANS Grant as a result of less than Full-Time enrollment in a future term, will count against the maximum 8 semesters of eligibility
Example:
- Fall 2023: Student is awarded ANS Grant for the first time and receives the Fall disbursement. This is term #1.
- Spring 2024: Student is not enrolled full-time by the Spring 2024 PRD deadline as stated above and ANS does not disburse as a result and is later canceled. This counts as term #2, even though the disbursement did not occur.
The ANS Grant can be awarded for up to a total of 4 academic years, or 8 consecutive fall and spring semesters, as long as you meet all renewal requirements each academic year.
Any semesters you are not eligible to receive ANS (i.e., miss the FAFSA filing deadline, received additional aid that covered the gap between tuition/fees and gift aid, etc.) will count towards the total semesters of eligibility. We encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to ensure you graduate within the 4 academic years of the award eligibility.
Example:
- Fall 2022/Spring 2023: Student is awarded ANS Grant and receives both the fall and spring disbursements. This is term #1 and term #2.
- Fall 2023/Spring 2024: Student does not file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the priority filing deadline and is therefore not eligible to be awarded for ANS for the Fall 2023/Spring 2024 semesters. These count as terms #3 and #4.
- Fall 2024/Spring 2025: The same student files the FAFSA by the priority filing deadline and is awarded ANS for fall 2024/spring 2025. This counts as term #5 and term #6.
No, ANS funding is only available for the fall and spring semesters.
For information about funding during summer or winter, please visit our Summer Financial Aid or Winter Financial Aid webpage.
Your ANS Grant will not be released to your Bursar student account unless you are enrolled in at least 12 Arizona units (full-time) each fall and spring semester. Students not enrolled full-time by the first Fall Pell Recalculation Date will have their ANS Grant canceled automatically. The spring semester portion of the ANS Grant may be reinstated as long as the student is enrolled full-time by the first Pell Recalculation Date of the spring semester.
If you make enrollment changes after receiving ANS and receive a tuition refund as a result of the enrollment change, ANS may be reduced or canceled as it can only credit toward specified charges and cash refunds for this award are not allowed.
If you withdraw from the University, your ANS Grant may be reduced during the Return to Title IV calculation just like other institutional aid. Please also see the Bursars webpage for more information on refunds and withdrawals.
- A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with an official SAI must be submitted each year no later than March 1st (Please note, this deadline has been extended to June 1st for the 2024-2025 academic year only)
- Remain an enrolled member of one of the 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes and Arizona resident for tuition purposes
- Remain enrolled full-time (12 + units each fall and spring semester) at the University of Arizona Main Campus
- Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards
- Have remaining semesters/terms of eligibility (please see more information about this below)
The ANS Grant can be awarded for up to a total of 4 academic years, or 8 consecutive fall and spring semesters as long as you meet all renewal requirements each academic year.
Any semesters you are not eligible to receive ANS (i.e., miss the FAFSA filing deadline, received additional aid that covered the gap between tuition/fees and gift aid, etc.) will count towards the total semesters of eligibility. We encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to ensure you graduate within the 4 academic years of the award eligibility.
Example:
- Fall 2022/Spring 2023: Student is awarded ANS Grant and receives both the fall and spring disbursements. This is term #1 and term #2.
- Fall 2023/Spring 2024: Student does not file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the priority filing deadline and is therefore not eligible to be awarded for ANS for the Fall 2023/Spring 2024 semesters. These count as terms #3 and #4.
- Fall 2024/Spring 2025: The same student files the FAFSA by the priority filing deadline and is awarded ANS for fall 2024/spring 2025. This counts as term #5 and term #6.
No, only undergraduate students seeking their first Bachelor's degree are eligible to receive the ANS grant.
The ANS Grant, along with all other federal and institutional financial aid will begin to release ten days before the start of the semester as long as the student is enrolled in 12 or more units and meets all other disbursement policy requirements. This includes having all financial aid To Do items and Holds resolved.
OSFA encourages students to review their UAccess Student Center To Do Items and Holds regularly and promptly act on any items requested to finalize the processing of financial aid. To Do items and Holds can delay the release of financial aid to the Bursar student account.
Students who begin enrollment in the spring term can qualify for ANS as long as they are meeting all eligibility criteria listed at the top of this page and they meet all dates and deadlines associated with the spring semester.
For Spring 2024, the dates include:
- Submitting your Arizona Admissions Application and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by November 1, 2023
- Submit all required documentation for the Tribal Enrollment Verification. Learn more and upload your documents through the Office of the Registrar's Native American Exception webpage. Tribal Enrollment verification documentation must be submitted on or before January 17, 2024.
ANS can be combined with tuition scholarships, Qualified Tuition Reduction or other tuition specific programs (waivers), but only up to the cost of tuition. Students offered multiple awards designated for tuition, cannot receive tuition awards that total more than 100% of tuition.
ANS can not be used for other charges like class fees, books, parking, housing or meal plan charges.
ANS is combined with a students’ Federal Pell Grant and all other gift aid (including merit tuition scholarships) to cover the following charges:
- Regular base undergraduate tuition
- Fees
- College Fee
- Honors College Fee