Summer Financial Aid

Financial aid is offered based on the number of units in which you are enrolled. By registering for the full number of units you intend to take you will be considered for the maximum amount of summer aid opportunities and receive the most accurate offer, helping you to plan ahead. 

*Please see the Federal Pell Grant section below for additional details about how enrollment impacts Pell. Please see the University Grant section below for additional details about how to be considered for grant awarding. Undergraduates who enroll in less than six units may still be eligible for Federal Work Study (see Federal Work Study section below).

**Graduates who enroll in less than five units but are enrolled in summer dissertation units may still be eligible for federal aid. Students should review the Application for Advanced Status available through the Graduate College.

Any changes in summer enrollment, including adding or dropping/withdrawing from courses, could cause your aid offer to be adjusted. Read on to learn more about complete withdrawals and important considerations for Pell Grant and University Grant recipients. 

Complete Withdrawal

A complete (official) or unofficial withdrawal affects students’ current financial aid, eligibility for future financial aid, and personal finances. Federal regulations require Title IV financial aid to be offered under the assumption that a student will attend the University of Arizona for the entire period in which federal assistance was offered.

For more information review the Withdrawal Policy or reach out to our AskAid Team for individualized guidance.

Federal Pell Grant Requirements

Federal Pell Grant regulations apply to summer classes in the same way they do in the regular academic year. This means that students must begin (and maintain) attendance in all courses for which they receive a Pell Grant payment. All Summer Pell Grant awards will be reviewed for Pell Recalculation using enrollment as of end of day July 20th.. Pell Recalculation refers to the process in which Pell Grant students - who make enrollment changes during the summer - will have their Pell Grant adjusted to reflect their current enrollment.  

Review our Pell Recalculation Policy to learn more. 

University Grant Requirements

Undergraduates who display certain financial need and who enroll in at least six University of Arizona units by the end of day May 29, 2026 may be offered the summer University Grant. In cases where students are enrolled in at least six units and are awarded summer University Grant, but later drop to less than six units, the University Grant may be cancelled.

The following example is provided to illustrate this: 

A student initially enrolls in three summer courses totaling nine units over two summer sessions (one 3-unit 5 Week First course and two 3-unit 5 Week Second courses). The student is offered a summer University Grant, but later drops their two 5 Week Second courses before the University Grant funds are released to their Bursar student account.

The student would not be eligible to receive their summer University Grant payment unless they enrolled in an additional three units (for a total of six).

Once you enroll in summer classes and submit your 2025-2026 FAFSA form, our review process typically takes about ten business days. Initial offers will be sent starting in mid-May. Check your Arizona email for status updates on your summer offer.

See our FAQ ‘How many units do I need to enroll in to receive summer financial aid?’ for the minimum number of units you will need to enroll in to receive summer financial aid. 

You can expect to receive your aid disbursement as early as four days prior to the start of your earliest summer class provided you are meeting eligibility requirements to receive financial aid.

For example, if you are taking one 3-unit class during the summer Pre-Session starting on May 18 and one 3-unit class during the five week first session starting on June 9, your aid will be released to your Bursar student account on May 14.

To ensure you receive your disbursement, you should also check that you are enrolled in the minimum number of summer units required and complete any UAccess Student Center to-do items as soon as possible. Learn more about our General Disbursement Policy and view summer session dates on the Office of the Registrar website. 

Your summer cost of attendance and aid offer will be determined based on the number of units for which you are enrolled and the enrollment duration (how many months you are enrolled). For instance, if your summer classes span two months, your cost of attendance will reflect a two-month budget.

We will also review financial need and aid eligibility from the prior academic year (Fall 2025/Spring 2026) to determine the aid types and amounts you are eligible for in the summer semester. 

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans will be offered based on your remaining academic year loan eligibility. This means that federal direct student loan(s) you received during the preceding fall and spring semester (Fall 2025/Spring 2026) is taken into account when determining how much in student loans you are eligible to receive in the summer. These academic year loan borrowing limits are put in place by the Department of Education.

For example, a dependent first-year student who borrowed their full $5,500 in student loans during fall and spring will not be eligible for any additional student direct loans because they borrowed the maximum amount a dependent, first-year student can borrow.

For more information about academic year loan limits, visit our Federal Direct Loan Limits webpage.

Federal regulations do not allow students to receive federal financial aid from two schools at the same time. However, through an approved consortium agreement, you can attend the University of Arizona (Arizona) and another accredited post-secondary institution (referred to as the “visiting institution”) during the same semester and receive federal financial aid from Arizona for the total combined units. This process most benefits Federal Pell Grant recipients who are enrolled in less than twelve units at Arizona.

You must be enrolled in a minimum of six University of Arizona units in order to request a consortium agreement or to receive summer University Grant funding. Review all Consortium Agreement policies prior to submitting.

You will be notified by email if you do not meet SAP standards after the Spring 2026 semester concludes. If your SAP status is "Suspension" (or has been in Suspension since a semester prior to Spring 2025), summer financial aid offers will be delayed pending approval of a Summer SAP Appeal form.

For additional information about SAP, see Satisfactory Academic Progress Guidelines

Non-degree seeking students are not eligible to receive federal financial aid. However, if you are a graduate non-degree seeking student and enrolling in prerequisite coursework required for admittance into a University of Arizona graduate degree seeking program, you may be eligible for federal direct student loan(s). Review the requirements for this exception and access the Graduate Non-Degree Seeking Federal Financial Aid Petition form. If approved, you will be notified of your summer aid eligibility in a separate email.

An overaward occurs when the financial aid you are offered exceeds your cost of attendance or if the amount of need-based aid you were offered exceeds your calculated Student Aid Index (SAI).

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) will first try to resolve the summer overaward without you having to take action. If OSFA cannot resolve the overaward and you are at risk of losing financial aid offered to you, OSFA will reach out and ask that you consider submitting a Cost of Attendance Appeal.

There are other actions you can take to help OSFA resolve an overaward. This may include: 

• Declining all or a portion of your student loans (if applicable). You can contact our team for assistance with declining your student loans.
• Declining all or a portion of your parent loans (if applicable). Parent PLUS loans can be declined in UAccess Guest Center.

Undergraduate Summer Loans

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans will be offered based on your remaining academic year loan eligibility. If you are a dependent undergraduate student, you may also be offered a Parent PLUS loan up to your remaining cost of attendance, provided you are enrolled in a minimum of six summer units.

Example: A dependent student was offered $3,500 in subsidized and $2,000 in unsubsidized loans during the 2025-2026 academic year (fall and spring) and only accepted $2,000 of their subsidized loan for fall and spring. For summer, they can be offered up to $3,500 in federal student loans ($1,500 subsidized and $2,000 unsubsidized)*.  Additionally, they will be offered a Parent PLUS Loan up to their remaining summer cost of attendance.

Graduate Summer Loans

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans are offered based on your remaining academic year loan eligibility. You may also be offered a Graduate PLUS loan up to your remaining cost of attendance, provided you are enrolled in a minimum of five summer units. 

Example: A graduate student was offered the full $20,500 unsubsidized loan during the 2025-2026 academic year (fall and spring) and accepted $15,000 of this loan offer. For summer, they can be offered up to a $5,500 unsubsidized loan and a Graduate PLUS loan covering their remaining cost of attendance. 

Loan Acceptance Deadlines

*Academic year loan amounts are determined by dependency status as determined by the FAFSA, grade level and cost of attendance.

Students who are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant may receive up to 150% of their scheduled Pell award for the year. This means that a student can receive a Pell Grant award based on 100% enrollment intensity (12+ units) for each semester of the academic year, including the summer semester. A student cannot exceed 150% of Pell for one academic year. For more information about how enrollment effects the Pell Grant award, visit the Pell Grant Eligibility page on our website. 

The University Grant is a need-based, institutional grant designed to assist Arizona resident with the cost of tuition.

Students who meet the following requirements will be reviewed for University Grant eligibility:

• Arizona resident
• Pursuing their first undergraduate bachelor's degree
• Enrolled in at least 6 Arizona summer units and have a completed a 25/26 FAFSA form by end of day May 29, 2026
• Demonstrate certain level of financial need as determined by their 25/26 FAFSA form

Students who were offered Summer University Grant but later drop below 6 units and have not received the Summer University Grant disbursement will have until the end of day July 20th, 2026 to re-enroll in 6+ units or their Summer University Grant will be canceled.

Summer University Grant funding is offered based on the availability of funds and financial need. Financial need for summer University Grant eligibility is determined on a yearly basis, so eligibility in previous years does not guarantee future eligibility.

Students participating in UROC and Med Start Programs, graduate students, second bachelor’s degree students, non-degree seeking students, students enrolled in the Arizona Online campus and students not enrolled in at least six University of Arizona summer units are not eligible to receive summer University Grant funding.

For more information about summer Federal Work-Study, please read our frequently asked questions below.

Private educational loans are credit-based loans that require a credit check and generally, a co-signer. They are not part of are not a part of the Federal Direct Loan Program. 

The loan period for summer 2026 private loans is May 18, 2026, to August 12, 2026.

For more information about private educational loans, visit our Private Educational Loan webpage.

If you would like to start or continue working during the summer session, you will need to complete a Summer Federal Work-Study Application (The application go live date is March 16, 2026).

Enrollment in summer classes is not required for summer FWS.  Additionally, Undergraduate students who enroll in less than six units, and graduate students who enroll in less than five units, may still be eligible for FWS.

Follow the steps below to successfully utilize your FWS award:

1. Find a job: 

On Campus

• Center for Career Readiness
• Other Federal Work-Study Job Opportunities

Off Campus

• Off-campus employment is limited to federal, state and non-profit companies that we have established contracts with. Additional information about off campus employment can be found at Off-Campus Employment
• List of Non-profit Organizations

2. Activate Your FWS Award: When you are hired, give your FWS Authorization form to your employer. They must complete the Employer Information section and send the original form back to OSFA before you start working.

3. Start work: May 26, 2026 is the first day you can start utilizing your summer FWS offer.

4. Track your earnings: Keep track of your earnings using the FWS Balance Sheet.

5. Meet and maintain eligibility requirements: Eligibility For Financial Aid.

If you would like to continue working during the fall and spring semesters, make sure you complete the 2025-2025 FAFSA form. If you have not been awarded FWS but would like to be considered, send a request to romerom@email.arizona.edu. Allow two weeks for review.

WordCats and MathCats Tutors

If you are interested in tutoring a child in reading or math, read about the WordCats and MathCats program. 

Contact the FWS Program at romerom@arizona.edu if you need further assistance.

Temporary loans may be available to students who are waiting for their financial aid to release to their Bursar student account for a variety of reasons, and have indirect costs (costs not applied to the Bursar student account) that need to be paid before aid releases. Temporary loans are issued for limited amounts and are meant to be used to cover emergency expenses until financial aid can be released. Temporary loans are available on a case-by-case basis to students with special circumstances.

Temporary loans have a $25 fee when issued and a limited interest rate which accrues only if the student’s pending aid is not released within 30-60 days (depending on the terms selected at the time the loan is issued).

For more information, please contact our AskAid Team.

Your summer financial aid offer cannot be appealed, however, if your current financial situation has changed since you filed your 2025-2026 FAFSA, if you have additional expenses not reflected in your cost of attendance or have other extenuating circumstances, we encourage you to review our appeal information. 

Your summer aid is intended for the costs incurred during the summer, however, because the summer semester is part of the current academic year (i.e., 2025-2026 academic year is made up of Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026), summer financial aid will be credited to the balance on your Bursar student account (as long as you’ve completed the Financial Aid Authorization) even if the balance is from the Fall 2025 and/or Spring 2026 semester(s). As a result, it is possible that your summer aid could be depleted with prior term(s) charges.

To avoid possible late fees and past due balance charges, we strongly recommend paying your balance by the stated due dates. Visit the Bursar's Office website for more information about your Bursar student account. 

The summer semester is part of the prior academic year and per the Department of Education, financial aid from a prior academic year cannot be used to pay charges for a future academic year.