Arizona Native Scholars Grant

Arizona Native Scholars Grant 

The Arizona Native Scholars Grant (ANS) is an institutional grant program that ensures the tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials and program fees are fully covered for Native, Arizona Resident, Undergraduate students seeking their first Bachelor's degree.
ANS will fill in the gap between a student’s tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials, program fees and all other gift aid the student receives (Pell Grant, merit scholarships, etc.). This can be awarded up to four years (eight consecutive semesters). 

Eligibility Requirements: 

*The FAFSA must be Official with a calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). FAFSA errors that cause the FAFSA status to be Rejected must be resolved before OSFA can consider a student for ANS eligibility. FAFSA rejected reasons and instructions to resolve the issues can be found on both the Student Aid Report (SAR) and on the student's UAccess Student Center To Do List. 

**All students must complete the Tribal Enrollment Verification process in order to confirm eligibility for this program. Tribal Enrollment verification documentation, along with any residency classification forms and supporting documentation must be submitted on or before: 

  • August 29, 2022 for students enrolled fall 2022 semester
  • January 18, 2023 for students enrolled in spring 2023 semester
  • August 28, 2023 for students enrolled fall 2023 

Please note:

  • ANS does not require students to demonstrate financial need to be eligible
  • Current students not meeting the deadlines above will automatically be considered for the ANS Grant in future semesters 
  • Students not awarded the ANS Grant as a result of other extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control are encouraged to speak with OSFA for an opportunity to appeal using the General Aid Appeal

 

Frequently Asked Questions are listed below. If you find your question is not included, please do not hesitate to contact us.

There is no application for the ANS Grant. Students must meet all eligibility requirements listed above and make sure they follow the process to verify their enrollment as a member of one of the 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes eligible for in-state tuition. 

Tribal Enrollment verification documentation, along with any residency classification forms and supporting documentation must be submitted on or before: 

  • August 29, 2022 for Summer/Fall 2022 admits and current students enrolled in the Fall 2022 semester
  • January 18, 2023 for Spring 2023 new admits and current students not enrolled in the Fall 2022 semester
  • August 28, 2023 for Summer/Fall 2023 admits 

The ANS Grant amount can vary for each student who receives it. After all other gift aid (Pell Grant, merit scholarships, etc.) has been applied, ANS will cover the student’s remaining tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials and program fees.

Please see examples below: 

 *In example below, tuition plus mandatory fees for first-year Resident students starting in the Fall 2022 semester is $12,700.  

Example Student A

Student A is offered a $745 Pell Grant and a $3,000 Wildcat Tuition Award. 

This student’s ANS grant would be $8,955.

Example Student A
Base Tuition & Mandatory Fees  $12,700
Federal Pell Grant -$745
Wildcat Tuition Scholarship -$3,000
Arizona Native Scholars Grant $8,955

 

Example Student B

Student B is offered a $6,495 Pell Grant. Student B also has a $500 Tuition Differential charged ($1,000 for the year) based on his academic program.

This student’s ANS grant would be $7,205.

Example Student B

Base Tuition & Mandatory Fees plus

Tuition Differential Charge of $1000

 $13,700
Federal Pell Grant -$6,495
Arizona Native Scholars Grant $7,205

 

Example Student C

Student C is offered a $10,000 Wildcat Tuition Award and a $1,000 donor scholarship.

This student’s ANS grant would be $1,700.

Example Student C
Base Tuition & Mandatory Fees  $12,700
Wildcat Tuition Award -$10,000
Donor Scholarship -$1,000
Arizona Native Scholars Grant $1,700

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.). ANS does not provide coverage for any other expenses, including class fees, books, parking, dorm and meal plan charges.

The ANS Grant will be offered for the first time in the Fall 2022 semester to incoming First Year, Transfer and Readmits admitted for Summer/Fall 2022 and continuing undergraduate students who meet all eligibility criteria listed above.

No, these awards cannot be combined. Students will be given the award that offers the most coverage if meeting eligibility and/or selection criteria for more than one of these programs. In addition, since the Arizona Native Scholars Grant and Arizona Promise Grant offer the same funding, students meeting eligibility criteria for both of these awards will be offered the Arizona Promise Grant instead of the Arizona Native Scholars Grant.   

Example 1 - 

A student meeting all eligibility criteria for both the Arizona Promise Grant and the Arizona Native Scholars Grant will receive the Arizona Promise Grant which offers the same amount of funding to cover tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials and program fees. 

Example 2 - 

A student meeting all eligibility criteria for both the Arizona Assurance Program and the Arizona Native Scholars Grant will receive the Arizona Assurance Grant as that offers the most funding coverage. 

No, the ANS Grant is only for use with Main Campus enrollment. Students who initiate a campus change out of main campus will lose their ANS starting with the effective term of the campus change. ANS cannot be reinstated later even if the student initiates a campus change back to Main Campus.

No, you do not need to submit a deferment request for ANS. When you return to the University you will automatically be reviewed for continued ANS funding. However, please note that any terms you are away from the University will count against the total semesters of eligibility. 

Note, if you have a merit tuition scholarship, you must submit a Financial Aid Deferment Request for any terms you are away from the University.

Students will need to be enrolled as a full-time student (at least 12 units) by the first Pell Recalculation Date of the semester.

  • Students who have not already received a disbursement and not enrolled full-time by the first Fall  Pell Recalculation Date  will have their fall Arizona Native Scholars Grant canceled automatically. The Fall portion of this grant cannot be reinstated thereafter.
  • Spring enrollment will be evaluated on the first Spring Pell Recalculation Date. If the spring portion of the Arizona Native Scholars Grant has not already disbursed to the student and the student is not enrolled in at least 12 Arizona units at that time, the spring portion of the Arizona Native Scholars Grant will be canceled automatically and cannot be reinstated. 

*Please note that after a student's first term receiving an ANS Grant disbursement, a canceled ANS Grant as a result of less than Full-Time enrollment in a future term, will count against the maximum 8 semesters of eligibility 

Example: 

  • Fall 2022: Student is awarded ANS Grant for the first time and receives the Fall disbursement. This is term #1. 
  • Spring 2023: Student is not enrolled full-time by the Spring 2023 PRD deadline as stated above and ANS does not disburse as a result and is later canceled. This counts as term #2, even though the disbursement did not occur.  

 

The ANS Grant can be awarded for up to a total of 4 academic years, or 8 consecutive fall and spring semesters as long as you meet all renewal requirements each academic year. 

Any semesters you are not eligible to receive ANS (i.e., miss the FAFSA filing deadline, received additional aid that covered the gap between tuition/mandatory fees and gift aid, etc.) will count towards the total semesters of eligibility. We encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to ensure you graduate within the 4 academic years of the award eligibility.

Example: 

  • Fall 2022/Spring 2023: Student is awarded ANS Grant and receives both the fall and spring disbursements. This is term #1 and term #2.
  • Fall 2023/Spring 2024: Student does not file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the priority filing deadline and is therefore not eligible to be awarded for ANS for the Fall 2023/Spring 2024 semesters. These count as terms #3 and #4. 
  • Fall 2024/Spring 2025: The same student files the FAFSA by the priority filing deadline and is awarded ANS for fall 2024/spring 2025. This counts as term #5 and term #6.

No, the ANS Grant will only be available for the fall and spring semesters. For information about summer funding, please visit our Summer Financial Aid webpage.

Your ANS Grant will not be released to your Bursar student account unless you are enrolled in at least 12 Arizona units (full-time) each fall and spring semester. Students not enrolled full-time by the first Fall Pell Recalculation Date will have their ANS Grant canceled automatically. The spring semester portion of the ANS Grant may be reinstated as long as the student is enrolled full-time by the first Pell Recalculation Date of the spring semester.   

If you make enrollment changes after receiving ANS and receive a tuition refund as a result of the enrollment change, ANS may be reduced or canceled as it can only credit toward specified charges and cash refunds for this award are not allowed. 

If you withdraw from the University, your ANS Grant may be reduced during the Return to Title IV calculation just like other institutional aid.  Please also see the Bursars webpage for more information on refunds and withdrawals.

  • The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be submitted each year no later than March 1st 
  • Remain an Arizona resident for tuition purposes 
  • Remain enrolled full-time (12 + units each fall and spring semester) at the University of Arizona Main Campus
  • Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards
  • Have remaining semesters/terms of eligibility (please see more information about this below)

The ANS Grant can be awarded for up to a total of 4 academic years, or 8 consecutive fall and spring semesters as long as you meet all renewal requirements each academic year. 

Any semesters you are not eligible to receive ANS (i.e., miss the FAFSA filing deadline, received additional aid that covered the gap between tuition/mandatory fees and gift aid, etc.) will count towards the total semesters of eligibility. We encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to ensure you graduate within the 4 academic years of the award eligibility.

Example: 

  • Fall 2022/Spring 2023: Student is awarded ANS Grant and receives both the fall and spring disbursements. This is term #1 and term #2.
  • Fall 2023/Spring 2024: Student does not file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the priority filing deadline and is therefore not eligible to be awarded for ANS for the Fall 2023/Spring 2024 semesters. These count as terms #3 and #4. 
  • Fall 2024/Spring 2025: The same student files the FAFSA by the priority filing deadline and is awarded ANS for fall 2024/spring 2025. This counts as term #5 and term #6.

No, only undergraduate students seeking their first Bachelor's degree are eligible to receive the ANS grant. Undergraduates seeking their second Bachelor's degree are not eligible. 

Yes, as long as you meet all eligibility criteria listed above, it does not matter if you are classified as an Arizona Resident for tuition purposes solely for your tribal enrollment. 

Yes, as long as you meet all eligibility criteria listed above, you will be reviewed for the ANS Grant the term you become eligible and can receive it for up to 8 consecutive semesters thereafter. Please note that other financial aid limits and eligibility could be impacted the longer it takes to graduate with your first Bachelor's degree.

The ANS Grant, along with all other federal and institutional financial aid will begin to release ten days before the start of the semester as long as the student is enrolled in 12 or more units and meets all other disbursement policy requirements. This includes having all financial aid To Do items and Holds resolved.

OSFA encourages students to review their UAccess Student Center To Do Items and Holds regularly and promptly act on any items requested to finalize the processing of financial aid. To Do items and Holds can delay the release of financial aid to the Bursar student account.