Disbursement Policy
Disbursement of aid is the process by which financial aid is actually placed into the Bursar student account. Refunding is the process where the student receives payment of funds from their financial aid in excess of bills and fees due the University.
Financial aid disbursements at the University of Arizona occur Monday through Friday during each semester, starting on the first official disbursement day. This official disbursement day will change depending on the semester and year, specific dates can be found below.
U.S. Department of Education regulations allow schools to use Federal Student Aid only to pay current academic year charges. Therefore, students are not able to use Federal Student Aid to pay Bursar student account charges for a previous academic year.
Before any funds are paid to a student, the Office Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) must check for enrolled units, satisfactory academic progress, To Do List items, and holds. Some To Do List items and holds will prevent financial aid from disbursing to a Bursar student account. We encourage students to check their To Do List items and holds often and especially prior to disbursement.
The University of Arizona’s academic year is made up of fall, winter, spring, summer, in that order. However, all academic year long financial aid is divided into two equal disbursements, half in the fall term and half in the spring term. Students may also be offered financial aid that only applies to one term (example, a spring admit will receive aid only for the spring term).
Winter session financial aid is limited. For students enrolling in winter session, your charges may be paid for with any remaining eligibility for fall financial aid, if you did not enroll full-time for the fall semester. Otherwise, the spring portion of your financial aid may be applied towards winter session charges.
The summer semester is at the end of one academic year and aid for summer is also limited. Please see our summer financial aid website for information about how to apply for summer financial aid. Since the summer semester is the end of one academic year, summer charges cannot be paid with Federal Student Aid offered for the subsequent fall term, which begins the following academic year.
The quickest way to receive your refund is by setting-up Web Refund (also known as ACH delivery or direct deposit). You can set-up Web Refund through your UAccess Student Center. You must have your web refund set up 10 days prior to the first day of classes to receive the earliest refund electronically. Additional help for setting up UAccess Web Refund is available at https://bursar.arizona.edu/refunds/options. For more information about financial aid payments go to https://bursar.arizona.edu/payment/financial-aid.
Not all students will be eligible for a refund. Your financial aid offer will provide you with a means of obtaining funds up to the Cost of Attendance (COA). If you choose not to participate in programs offered, you will then be responsible for satisfying your charges.