Financial Aid Deferment Request Policy and Form

Financial Aid Deferment Request Policy and Form

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 your first semester or full academic year at the University of Arizona and
  • wish to defer your award(s) for one or two terms while you are away and not enrolled at the University of Arizona.

FORM SUBMISSION DEADLINE

Financial Aid Deferment

Use for: Merit Tuition Scholarships and Arizona Assurance.

The Spring 2024 deadline has passed.

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

The University of Arizona requires that, for the award programs listed below, students must maintain continuous fall and spring semester enrollment at the University of Arizona. Students who will not be continuously enrolled at Arizona must submit the Financial Aid Deferment Request form to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) at least one month prior to a scheduled leave, or as soon as reasonably possible when an unanticipated leave is required due to mental or physical illness or injury or disability.

A deferment is used when a student is not enrolled at the University of Arizona for one or more fall/spring semesters in which a merit tuition scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance funding is offered.

Students who have approved deferments may not be enrolled in any institution, including the University of Arizona, for credit during the deferred semester(s). 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).

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.

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 deferment. This means the student should have completed a minimum of 15 units and have a 3.00 cumulative GPA (for merit tuition scholarships) or a minimum of 12 units and have a 2.0 cumulative GPA (for Arizona Assurance) at Arizona in order to qualify.

Pre-enrollment deferments will not be considered. Newly admitted students inquiring about deferring their Admission, Merit Tuition Scholarship and/or Arizona Assurance funding (who have not attended Arizona for at least 1 semester) may visit the admissions website for more information about the admissions deferment process. 

Eligible Awards

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

  • Arizona Assurance

  • Academic Recognition Scholarship

  • All-Arizona Academic Team Scholarship

  • Arizona Alumni Club Tuition Scholarship (UAHA, UABA, AASFAA, AIA)

  • Arizona Presidential Scholarship

  • Arizona Tuition Scholarship (Recognition | Excellence | Distinction)

  • Baird Scholarship

  • Bridge Tuition Scholarship

  • Fine Arts Tuition Award (Art, Dance, Music, TFTV)

  • Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Award

  • IB Tuition Scholarship

  • International Excellence Tuition Scholarship

  • International Tuition Scholarship

  • National Merit Finalist Tuition Scholarship*

  • National Merit Semifinalist Tuition Scholarship

  • National Scholar Tuition Scholarship

  • Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Scholarship

  • Sonoran Tuition Scholarship

  • 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.

Approvals

Approvals preserve semesters of eligibility only while the student is not enrolled. They do not increase the amount of the award in any semester or extend the total semesters of eligibility. Students must be maintaining the renewal requirements (GPA and units) for continuation of their award to be eligible for a deferment.

One semester deferment approvals require a student 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 in the semester immediately following the completion of the approved deferment. 

Withdrawals

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.

Extensions

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.

Reasons for Deferment

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

Requirements for Seeking Deferments

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:

Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid realizes that it will not always be feasible for students to collect medical documentation associated with their deferment  request. Effective 3/23/2020, the requirement for students to include any medical documentation will be waived until further notice.

If you check this box on the Financial Aid Deferment form, you must:

  • Provide a personal statement without describing the condition itself. The personal statement should address all items listed below:
    • 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, you must indicate what steps you are taking to improve your condition. 

Important Information About the Deferment Process

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.