Funding for Indigenous Wildcats
As an Indigenous Wildcat, you may be eligible to apply for scholarships from your tribe, tribal organization, or other scholarship organizations. In addition, you may also be eligible to receive other kinds of financial aid like grants, Federal Work Study, or student loans
Workshop
Tribal Scholarships for Native Students Workshop
Are you a Native student looking for scholarships? Join our customized workshop for information on various tribal scholarships, as well as an overview of Scholarship Universe.
Scholarship Universe is our streamlined, unique scholarship matching database for Wildcats like you! Take-aways from this session include how to
- maximize your search so you spend your time in the portal wisely,
- utilize the statistics feature so you narrow down the opportunities that are most likely to turn into $$ for you, and
- turn your partial matches into complete matches, increasing your chances to be selected.
This virtual workshop will be presented in conjunction with our Tribal Aid Liaison, so you can get the individualized help you need.
Workshops will be held virtually on zoom at 2:00 pm, Arizona time on:
- Monday, February 27th
To register for this workshop series, RSVP at bit.ly/NativeSUWorkshop
Arizona Native Scholars Grant - New for Fall 2022!
The University of Arizona is excited to announce the Arizona Native Scholars Grant (ANS). ANS is an institutional grant program that ensures tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials and program fees are fully covered for Native, Arizona Resident, Undergraduate students. ANS will fill in the difference between a student’s tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials, program fees and all other gift aid the student receives (Pell Grant, merit scholarships, etc.).
Learn more about the Arizona Native Scholars Grant!
Financial Needs Analysis (FNA) Process
The FNA, or Financial Needs Analysis form, is a key part of your tribal scholarship application and must be completed each semester or year, depending on your tribe/tribal organization. The form contains information on your Arizona cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room/board etc.) and the resources (financial aid, Estimated Family Contribution from the FAFSA) you are receiving for the corresponding academic year or semester.
Your tribe or nation will use the FNA to determine your eligibility for their scholarship and/or grant funding. An FNA is usually included in your tribe's scholarship application. Generally, you must first complete your personal information and sign the FNA form, allowing our office to submit your information.
How OSFA Processes Your FNA
FNA Received
When your FNA has been received by OSFA, you will see a notification on your Student Center To Do List in UAccess. You can click on the To Do list item for more information.
Federal Verification
If you have been selected to complete federal verification, we will review your account to confirm that you have submitted all requested documentation. Then, our office will complete the federal verification review.
SAP Review
New Transfer/Re-admits/Continuing students (those who have registered at the University of Arizona in a prior term) will be reviewed by our office to ensure they are meeting SAP requirements so the FNA can be completed.
FNA sent to Tribe/Tribal Organization
Once your federal verification is complete and you are meeting all SAP requirements, your FNA will be sent to your tribe/tribal organization.
Processing can take up to 2-3 weeks, sometimes longer during peak times.
Placeholder Added
When applicable, an estimated award (placeholder) will be added to your Financial Aid Summary until a scholarship check is received from your tribe/tribal organization.
Release of Scholarship Funds
Once funds are received from your tribe/tribal organization, we will honor all requirements notated in the award letter(s) and release the funds directly to the student Bursar account. If you are not meeting the requirements notated on the award letter, the tribe/tribal organization will be contacted for further instructions.
It is recommended that funds must be received at least 10 days before your earliest class of the semester.
Open To Do List Items can delay funding from being released to your Bursar student account.
In-State Tuition for Members of Arizona Tribes
The following list of Arizona Tribes are federally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the state of Arizona as eligible for in-state tuition. If you are an enrolled member of any one of the Arizona Tribes listed below, make sure you submit the Native American Exception form to the Office of the Registrar. Proof of tribal enrollment (e.g. Certificate of Indian Blood or tribal ID card) must be submitted to prove tribal affiliation.
Tribal Enrollment Verification System
The Tribal Enrollment Verification System is for Native students who are enrolled members of a federally- or state-recognized U.S. tribe.
Your tribal enrollment documentation can be requested by a university department or entity as part of your eligibility criteria for institutional funding and/or Arizona residency classification for tuition purposes. This webpage is a one-time, one-stop secure location where you can voluntarily upload your verification document (i.e., Certificate of Indian Blood, Tribal Membership Card, Tribal Enrollment Certificate, etc.), which will be accessible only by authorized University of Arizona personnel.
For more information or questions, contact Karen Francis-Begay, Assistant Vice Provost, Native American Initiatives, Office of the Provost at kfbegay@arizona.edu or 520-621-0964.
Contact your Tribal Aid Liaison
Did you know that the OSFA has a dedicated staff member who is available to assist you in navigating your aid options? If you are interested in contacting our Tribal Aid Liaison, please reach out to our office with your preferred method of contact.
- Scroll down to ‘Visit Us Virtually’ on our Contact Us page.
- Under the Tribal Aid Related Questions, click the link to send an email.
- Be sure to select the "Tribal Aid" category to ensure your email goes to our tribal liaison.
Same-day appointments are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- Scroll down to ‘Visit Us Virtually’ on our Contact page.
- Under the Tribal Aid Related Questions click the Meet with our Tribal Aid Liaison button.
- Select an available time slot.
