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

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.