The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is committed to supporting PharmD students in their academic pursuits. All current AND new PharmD students must file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to be considered for federal and some institutional aid options. Please review the important information regarding the FAFSA outlined below:

• The FAFSA is available on October 1 each year for the academic year that begins in the fall; the University of Arizona priority filing date is April 1 for new admits and March 1 for current students.  Students should submit their FAFSA by the priority filing date to ensure that they are offered their financial aid in a timely manner.
• Be sure to include the University of Arizona school code (001083) when you submit your FAFSA to avoid delays in the processing of your aid. For more information on how to apply for financial aid, click here.
• All FAFSA-eligible PharmD students are considered to be independent of their parents for the purposes of Federal Financial Aid. This means that, even if you were not eligible for Federal Financial Aid as an undergraduate due to your parents' or legal guardians' financial status, you now will be eligible for Federal Student Aid as an independent, graduate/professional student.

• If you have any questions or concerns about the FAFSA filing process, please review our Financial Literacy team's workshop recordings and notes.

International students are not eligible for federal financial aid. Please work directly with your department to determine eligibility for other scholarships and awards.

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is committed to supporting PharmD students in their academic pursuits. As a professional-level student, you may be eligible to receive up to $33,000 in a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan each Academic Year. See below for a sample break-down of financial aid offered to students in the 2022-2023 PharmD Cohort. Please note that this information is intended to provide you with an estimate only; actual loan amounts may vary based on individual Cost of Attendance and borrowing history, among other factors. Loan amounts will also be reduced if you are awarded any scholarships or grants from the College of Pharmacy or other sources.

Annual Limits for Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans for Doctor of Pharmacy (Public Health)

*The Budget Control Act of 2011 ended federally funded subsidized loans for graduate students.

**PharmD students can borrow up to a maximum of $33,000 if they are enrolled in a standard 9-month academic year (fall and spring). If a PharmD student is attending in the summer as well (12-month academic year), they can request up to an additional $4,167.00 (total up to $37,167.00).

Alternatively, you may wish to pursue a Private Educational Loan with a lender of your choice. Private lenders offer varying terms and options for students, and we encourage you to research several lenders to discern which loan and lender may be the best fit for you. Visit our Private Educational Loans webpage or an overview of this loan type, questions to consider when researching lenders, and a lender comparison chart.

After you are offered loans, you must accept your loans in UAccess and complete the loan process. 

If your Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans do not cover your full Cost of Attendance (COA), we can offer you a Graduate PLUS loan, per your request, up to your remaining COA. For additional information regarding the Graduate PLUS loan, you may visit the Federal Student Aid Website; for information specific to UA students, click here. Please review the annual and lifetime limits below:

Annual Limits for Graduate PLUS Loans

PLUS Loans require a credit check and are only available for graduate/professional level students

There is no stated lifetime/aggregate dollar amount limit for Graduate PLUS loans. However, Graduate PLUS loans are subject to a credit check by the Department of Education.

After you are offered loans, you must accept your loans in UAccess and complete the loan process. 

This is a supplemental form required by Pharmacy students only for a special loan program. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the Health Professions Student Loan will be awarded to eligible applicants starting in November 2023. Priority deadline to submit an application is October 1, 2023, and the application closes January 31, 2024. The 2024-2025 application will be available in July 2024.

Visit our forms page to complete the Health Professions Loan Program Application.

Students who have not completed a Bachelor's Degree or at least 90 college-level units

Per federal regulations, students must have completed at least 90 college-level units in order to be eligible for graduate-level loans. Students are encouraged to submit all transcripts for review during the application process.

FAFSA-eligible students are permitted to borrow Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loans at the Graduate/Professional level in the semester after they have earned 90 or more units of cumulative college credit, as determined by a review of all official transcripts. Once students have earned 90 units, contact OSFA directly to be reevaluated for graduate-level loan eligibility.

Students who have not yet completed at least 90 college-level units will be eligible for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan funding based on the following:

All financial aid requirements must be completed, and requested corrections submitted, before a financial aid award package can be considered. PharmD students typically receive notification in July of their Federal Financial Aid award package from the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA). Please visit our Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer page for more information. 

• Graduate Center Office of Fellowships Funding Alerts
• Graduate Center Office of Fellowships Funding for International Students
• Private Educational Loans
• National Low Income Housing Coalition Rental Assistance Programs
• Wildfire AZ Community Action Initiatives