Financial Aid Deferment Request Policy and Form

Defering Your Merit Tuition Scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance Grant

If you need to take a step away from your studies for things like participation in a faith-based mission, health/medical needs, or military service, and you are a recipient of a Merit Tuition Scholarship and/or the Arizona Assurance grant, submit a Financial Aid Deferment request form to ensure you can regain this funding when you return to the University of Arizona.

Most other forms of aid, including the Federal Pell Grant, Arizona Promise Grant and the Arizona Native Scholars Grant, do not require you to submit a deferment request as eligibility for them is determined each year based on information from your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Review the terms and conditions for the aid you have received to determine if a deferment is needed.

You have the option to submit a Financial Aid Deferment form if you are:

  • a recipient of a merit tuition scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance funding and
  • have completed at least one semester at the University of Arizona and
  • Meeting current renewal requirements and
  • wish to defer your award(s) while you are away and not enrolled at the University of Arizona (or any other institution).

Students are only eligible to defer their merit tuition scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance Grant if they are not planning to enroll in college coursework at another post-secondary institution during their absence. A deferment does not extend the merit tuition scholarship or Arizona Assurance funding beyond the original semesters of eligibility (8 semesters for first-year students and 4 semesters for transfer students). 

Newly Admitted Students: The student must have enrolled and successfully completed at least one semester at the University of Arizona in order to apply for a financial aid deferment. If you are a newly admitted student and have not completed at least one semester, please review the procedure to defer your admission to the university.

Important: Financial Aid Deferments are only available for students who are currently eligible for and receiving a merit tuition scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance funding. This means that students must be meeting the renewal requirements of their scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance funding in order to qualify for a deferment.

FORM SUBMISSION DEADLINE

Financial Aid Deferment Form

Use for: Merit Tuition Scholarships and Arizona Assurance.

 August 26, 2024

To submit this form to our office, please review the Form/Document Submission instructions.

Students who wish to defer their merit tuition scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance grant beginning in the Fall 2024 semester must submit a deferment request by August 26, 2024. 

The following grants and scholarships are eligible for a financial aid deferment request form. 

  • Arizona Assurance
  • All-Arizona Academic Team Scholarship
  • Arizona Alumni Club Tuition Scholarship (UAHA, UABA, AASFAA, AIA)
  • Arizona Tuition Scholarship (Recognition | Excellence | Distinction)
  • Baird Scholarship
  •  Online Transfer Tuition Scholarship
  • Fine Arts Tuition Award (Art, Dance, Music, TFTV)
  • Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Award
  • IB Tuition Scholarship
  • Global Wildcat Award
  • Global Transfer Wildcat Award
  • National Merit Finalist Tuition Scholarship*
  • National Merit Semifinalist Tuition Scholarship
  • National Scholar Tuition Scholarship
  • Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Scholarship
  • Sonoran Tuition Scholarship
  • Gatos MX
  • Transfer Tuition Scholarship
  • Wildcat Tuition Scholarship (Recognition | Excellence | Distinction)

*National Merit Finalist Scholars must request a leave of absence from The National Merit Scholarship Corporation in addition to completing the University of Arizona's deferment process.

For any award not listed here, contact the granting organization, department, or donor to learn about deferment policies. 

An approved financial aid deferment form will preserve a student’s eligibility for the semesters they are away. It does not increase the amount of the award in any semester or extend the total semesters of eligibility. To be eligible for a deferment, students must be eligible for renewal (meeting both GPA and units requirements) at the time of their request.

The terms of your approval, including what your renewal requirements will be after you return, will be outlined in your approval email. If your deferment is approved for only one semester, you will be required to complete half of the total units required for the renewal of the tuition scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance within the academic year of the approved deferment. 

Students do not have to notify OSFA of their return, but students must return to the University of Arizona after their approved semester(s) away to have their award reinstated as approved. If you request an extension to your deferment request for any reason, you must submit a new complete deferment request for consideration with an updated personal statement and supporting documentation. 

A deferment request cannot be approved if the student withdraws after the Bursar's Office 100% refund deadline. This includes medical withdrawals. If a merit tuition scholarship or Arizona Assurance funding disburses fully or partially to a student's Bursar's Account and the student does not receive a 100% (or complete) tuition refund, it counts toward the student's total used semesters of eligibility. A 100% tuition refund does not guarantee a deferment approval. If the student is not eligible for a deferment due to a withdrawal, they may have an option to file a Financial Aid Appeal for the next academic year. 

Students who qualify for Back2UA but do not have an approved Financial Aid Deferment from OSFA will not qualify for reinstatement of their merit tuition scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance upon returning to Arizona.

Students who request any changes or extensions to a previously granted deferment must complete another deferment request prior to the semester in which they were required to return. If students extend their time away from the University of Arizona without an approved extension, they will not be eligible for reinstatement.

Study Abroad

PROGRAM

USE ARIZONA ASSURANCE FUNDING OR MERIT TUITION FUNDING?

DEFERMENT FORM REQUIRED?

Arizona Sponsored Study Abroad Programs

Yes

No

Non-Arizona Sponsored Study Abroad Programs

No

Yes, students participating in a non-Arizona-sponsored study abroad program must submit an approved Financial Aid appeal for the term(s) for which the student will not be attending Arizona.

Reasons for Deferment Other than Study Abroad

OSFA considers each deferment request independently according to the circumstances of that request. Common examples of situations for requesting a deferment include, but are not limited to: 

  • Religious missions
  • U.S. military service 
  • Non-Arizona-sponsored Study-Abroad (International Student Exchange) programs
  • Internships and volunteer programs related to major, future career goals and circumstances unique to college students only
  • Student’s own medical or physical illness or injury or disability
  • Other extenuating circumstances that are beyond the student’s control

Non-Medical Reasons

Students seeking a deferment based on circumstances other than their own mental or physical illness or injury or disability must:

  • Attach a personal statement explaining the circumstances of the request, which should be no longer than one page in length;
  • Attach supporting documentation (e.g., letter from religious leader related to religious missions, letter of support from your academic advisor, letter of acceptance into non-Arizona-study abroad program, call to active duty, letter from attorney or other individual confirming circumstances beyond the student’s control, etc.).
  • Complete the Financial Aid Deferment Request form in its entirety  

Medical Reasons

If the reasons for requesting a deferment relate to the student’s own mental or physical illness or injury or disability, you must:

  • Provide a personal statement without describing the condition itself. The personal statement should address:
    • How the condition will prevent your ability to enroll for the term(s) listed on your deferment form
    • If this condition will span more than one semester, indicate what steps you are taking to improve your condition. 

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid reserves the right to modify this process at any time.  Submission of a deferment request does not guarantee approval. Decisions are final and cannot be overturned or appealed.