Arizona Promise Grant
The University of Arizona is committed to providing you a quality education and delivering the financial resources you need to earn your degree.
Information below is for the current, Fall 2023/Spring 2024 academic year. Please return back to this page for updated information for the Fall 2024/Spring 2025 academic year.
The Arizona Promise Grant (AZP) is a state grant program for Arizona resident, Pell-eligible, first-year University of Arizona students that will fill in the difference between a student’s tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials and 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).
Effective Spring 2023, the Arizona Promise Grant is replacing the Pell Pledge Grant (PPG) for students admitted for Fall 2021 and later.
To be offered the Arizona Promise Grant (AZP), incoming students must:
- Have a complete University of Arizona application for an upcoming fall term by April 1st. Please note, a completed application means all necessary information for an admissions decision are on file. For full details regarding application dates and deadlines click here.
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1st
- Be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant
- Hold Arizona residency for tuition purposes
- Be a domestic, first-year student
- Hold a minimum 2.5 core unweighted high school GPA through your sixth semester
- Enroll full-time (12 + units) at the University of Arizona's main campus
Frequently Asked Questions are listed below. If you find your question is not included, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The AZP amount can vary for each student who receives it. After all other gift aid (Pell Grant, merit scholarships, etc.) has been applied, AZP will cover remaining tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials and program fees.
Please see examples below:
*Tuition and mandatory fees for first-year Resident students starting in the Fall 2022 semester is $12,700.
Example Student A
Student A is offered a $6,495 Pell Grant and a $3,000 Wildcat Tuition Award.
This student’s AZP grant would be $3,205.
EXAMPLE STUDENT A | |
---|---|
Base Tuition | $12,700 |
Federal Pell Grant | -$6,495 |
Wildcat Tuition Scholarship | -$3,000 |
Arizona Promise Grant | $3,205 |
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 AZP grant would be $7,205.
EXAMPLE STUDENT A | |
---|---|
Base Tuition + Tuition Differential Charge of $1000 | $13,700 |
Federal Pell Grant | -$6,495 |
Arizona Promise Grant | $7,205 |
Example Student C
Student C is offered a $6,495 Pell Grant and a $10,000 Wildcat Tuition Award.
This student’s AZP grant would be $0.
EXAMPLE STUDENT A | |
---|---|
Base Tuition | $12,700 |
Federal Pell Grant | -$6,495 |
Wildcat Tuition Scholarship | -$10,000 |
Arizona Promise Grant | $0 |
New, first-year students who meet the following criteria will be automatically reviewed for AZP:
- Have a complete University of Arizona application for an upcoming fall term by April 1st
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1st
- Be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant
- Hold Arizona residency for tuition purposes
- Be a domestic, first-year student
- Hold a minimum 2.5 core unweighted high school GPA through your sixth semester
- Enroll full-time (12 + units) at the University of Arizona's main campus
It is important to note there is no option to specifically appeal to become AZP eligible if you do not fit the above listed criteria.
However, a first-year student could become eligible or lose eligibility for AZP in certain situations. In this case, you will be automatically reviewed by OSFA.
The following items might affect your AZP eligibility:
- Federal verification
- A change in residency status
- A special circumstances appeal decision by OSFA
- Other
There are several key differences between these awards:
- The Pell Pledge Grant (PPG) is specifically for students who meet all eligibility criteria listed above but have a Pell eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC) higher than 0 and were admitted for the Fall 2020/Spring 2021 academic year.
- AZP, effective Spring 2023, is reserved for students admitted for the Fall 2021 semester and later, are Pell eligible, and meet all other eligibility criteria listed above.
- Another key difference is the amount of coverage provided. Please see FAQ’s below for a detailed look at what charges AZP pays as compared to the fees paid by PPG.
A student must be eligible for AZP in their first year enrolled at the University of Arizona. A student cannot gain eligibility for the first time in subsequent years.
The Arizona Promise Grant is replacing the Pell Pledge Grant (PPG) for students admitted for Fall 2021 and later.
A student may gain eligibility for AZP or PPG if the completed review results in a change to their EFC during their first year at the University of Arizona. In subsequent years, a student may switch between AZP and PPG either if their EFC changes based on that year’s FAFSA or if completed verification or FC appeal reviews for that year results in a change to their EFC.
Examples
Student A:
In her first year enrolled at Arizona, student A has an EFC of 100 as calculated by the FAFSA and is awarded PPG.
Student A is flagged for verification that year. After OSFA completes the verification review, the student’s EFC changes to 0 as calculated by the FAFSA.
Student A is now eligible for AZP with the 0 EFC. Her PPG award is canceled and the AZP award is given for the academic year.
Student B:
In his first year enrolled at Arizona, student B has an EFC of 0 as calculated by the FAFSA and is awarded AZP.
In his sophomore year enrolled at the University, his EFC, as determined by the FAFSA, is 450.
Student B is no longer eligible for AZP because he no longer has a 0 EFC but because he received AZP in year one and has a Pell eligible EFC in his sophomore year, he is given the PPG award for his second year.
Student C:
In her first year enrolled at Arizona, student C has an EFC of 7000 as calculated by the FAFSA. Since this is not a Pell eligible EFC, student C is not awarded AZP or PPG but is considered for other institutional need based grants including the University Grant.
In her sophomore year, Student C has an EFC of 0 as calculated by the FAFSA.
Student C is not awarded AZP for her sophomore year because she did not have either AZP or PPG in her first year. She is awarded the Federal Pell Grant since she is now Pell Grant eligible and is considered for other institutional need based grants including the University Grant.
Yes, AZP will be reinstated for the year you regain eligibility. In this example, your sophomore year, the year you were not eligible, will also be counted in your total semesters of eligibility if the grant is reinstated.
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be submitted each year no later than March 1st
- Be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant (as determined by the FAFSA)
- 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
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 Pell Pledge Grant and the Arizona Promise Grant will receive the Arizona Promise Grant only since this award covers tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials and program fees, whereas Pell Pledge Grant covers just base tuition.
Example 2 -
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.
Effective Fall 2023, AZP can be combined with Arizona Assurance Grant.
AZP is combined with a students’ Federal Pell Grant and all other gift aid (including merit tuition scholarships) to cover the following charges:
- Regular base undergraduate tuition
- Mandatory Fees
- Tuition differential charges and
- Program fees charged by your college
No, AZP does not cover individual course fees. Please see the question above for the full list of all charges that AZP can cover.
Yes, a student who is classified as an Arizona resident for tuition purposes anytime during their first year at the University of Arizona (and meets all other eligibility criteria for AZP) will be automatically reviewed for AZP.
No, the AZP award is only for use with Main Campus enrollment. Students who initiate a campus change out of main campus will lose their AZP starting with the effective term of the campus change. AZP 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 AZP. When you return to the University you will automatically be reviewed for continued AZP 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 Promise Grant award 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 Promise 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 Promise Grant will be canceled automatically and cannot be reinstated.
AZP funding 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 AZP (i.e., are not eligible based on your FAFSA for the Federal Pell Grant, miss the FAFSA filing deadline, 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.
No, AZP funding is only available for the fall and spring semesters.
For information about funding during summer or winter, please visit our Summer Financial Aid or Winter Financial Aid webpage.
Your AZP award 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 AZP award canceled automatically. The spring semester portion of the AZP award 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 AZP and receive a tuition refund as a result of the enrollment change, AZP 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 AZP award 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.
AZP was offered for the first time in the Spring 2022 semester only to students who met eligibility criteria listed above and were admitted for the fall 2021 semester. AZP has been offered each fall semester thereafter.
Yes, students who defer their fall admission to the following spring (i.e., admitted Fall 2023 and defer to Spring 2024), can still get their Arizona Promise Grant for the spring semester. The spring semester will count as semester #1.
Students who admit for the fall semester and defer to the following fall or later (i.e., admitted Fall 2023 and defer to Fall 2024 or later), cannot retain their Arizona Promise Grant selection. These students will need to meet all eligibility criteria stated above to be reviewed for Arizona Promise Grant.
Students who admit for the spring semester are not eligible for the Arizona Promise Grant at all.
Students who admit for the spring semester are not eligible for the Arizona Promise Grant.
AZP can be combined with tuition scholarships, Qualified Tuition Reduction or other tuition specific programs (waivers), but only up to the cost of tuition. Students offered multiple awards designated for tuition, cannot receive tuition awards that total more than 100% of tuition.
AZP can not be used for other charges like class fees, books, parking, housing or meal plan charges.