Financial Aid Appeal Policy and Form
You have the option to submit this Financial Aid Appeal if one of the following situation(s) applies to you:
- You did not meet the renewal requirements of your merit tuition scholarship and/or your Arizona Assurance for continued funding and/or
- You were not considered or selected for Arizona Assurance but had an extenuating circumstance that caused you to not meet invitation/selection criteria (provided here).
This appeal cannot be used for students who:
- Did not receive a merit tuition scholarship upon admission to the University of Arizona or
- Do not have an extenuating circumstance that caused them to not be considered, selected for, or renewed for Arizona Assurance funding
-
Are currently in their merit tuition scholarship grace period
| FORM TYPE | SUBMISSION DATE |
|---|---|
|
2024-2025 Merit Tuition Scholarship and Arizona Assurance Appeal To open a .pdf you may need to download the free Adobe Reader |
Priority Submission Deadline: July 1, 2024 Final Submission Deadline: October 1, 2024 |
To submit this form to our office, please review the Form/Document Submission instructions.
Please note: Beginning in Fall 2022, those with an approved appeal will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the academic year for which the appeal was approved.
Reasons for Submitting the Financial Aid Appeal
Common examples of situations to request an appeal include, but are not limited to:
- Student’s own medical or physical illness or injury or disability
- Personal Reasons
- Withdrawal/Non-enrollment
- Family, including death of a family member
- Other extenuating circumstances that are beyond the student’s control
Requirements for the Financial Aid Appeal
- Complete the Financial Aid Appeal form in its entirety and
- Include a personal statement explaining the circumstances of the request, which should be no longer than one page in length and
- Attach supporting documentation (e.g., letter of support from academic advisor, letter from religious leader related to religious missions, letter of acceptance into non-Arizona-study abroad program, call to active duty, letter from attorney or other individual confirming circumstances beyond the student’s control, etc.) to support your appeal reason
Non-Medical Reasons
Students seeking an appeal for reasons other than mental or physical illness or injury or disability must submit the following to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (address on the form):
- Complete the Financial Aid Appeal form in its entirety
- Include a personal statement explaining the circumstances of the request, which should be no longer than one page in length;
- Attach supporting documentation (e.g., letter of support from academic advisor, third-party statements, police reports, an obituary or death certificate, court documentation, or a letter from an attorney or other professional, detailing the reasons for the student’s inability to meet requirements ).
Student’s own mental or physical illness or injury or disability
Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid realizes that it will not always be feasible for students to collect medical documentation associated with their Financial Aid Appeal request. Effective 3/23/2020, the requirement for students to include any medical documentation will be waived until further notice.
Alternatively, if you are appealing for your own mental or physical illness or injury or disability, you must:
- Provide a personal statement without describing the condition itself. The personal statement should address all items listed below:
- How the condition negatively impacted your ability to maintain necessary renewal requirements.
- How you attempted to maintain your scholarship/Arizona Assurance eligibility during the most recent term, considering these circumstances.
- How the circumstance(s) that prevented you from meeting the renewal requirements have now been resolved.
- If this condition occurred during prior semesters, you must indicate what steps were taken to improve your condition.
Important Information About the Appeal Process
The University reserves the right to modify the appeal policy at any time. Submission of an appeal request does not guarantee approval. Incomplete or missing documentation will delay the appeal process. Any changes to financial aid awards will be contingent on the types of funds available, eligibility policies, and regulations. After initial review, additional documentation may be required. Appeal review may result in required application corrections. Students waiting for an appeal decision should be fully prepared to assume responsibility for all course enrollment and account balance payment, regardless of the appeal decision. Appeal decisions are final and cannot be overturned or re-appealed.
Arizona Assurance Renewal & Appeal Communication Timeline
Phase I Renewal Review
In mid-March of each year, our office will review all students who received Arizona Assurance funding in the current academic year to determine if they pass Phase I Renewal Criteria:
- Has received Arizona Assurance funding for less than 8 terms
- Filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming academic year by March 1st
- Is deemed Pell Grant eligible as determined by the FAFSA
- Is a confirmed Arizona Resident for tuition purposes
- Maintained consecutive full-time enrollment during the regular fall and spring terms
Students who meet all Phase I renewal eligibility will be notified via email to their Arizona Catmail and will also be assigned Phase II Arizona Assurance renewal criteria To Do items in their UAccess Student Center.
Students who do not meet Phase I renewal criteria will be notified via email to their Arizona Catmail of the non-renewal. If extenuating circumstances caused these students to not meet renewal criteria, they may submit the Financial Aid Appeal at that time.
Phase II Renewal Review
At the close of the spring semester (or the summer for students enrolled in summer courses), OSFA will review all students who met Phase I renewal requirements to determine if they are meeting all Phase II renewal criteria:
- Completed at least 24 Arizona units
- Maintained at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA
- Completed all program requirements
Students who meet all Phase II renewal eligibility will be notified via email to their Arizona Catmail.
Students who do not meet Phase II renewal criteria will be notified via email to their Arizona Catmail of the non-renewal. If extenuating circumstances caused these students to not meet renewal criteria, they may submit the Financial Aid Appeal at that time.
Once communications are sent to students regarding Arizona Assurance Phase II renewal status, the Arizona Assurance Appeal Committee will begin meeting on a bi-weekly basis to review all complete appeal submissions.
This review will take place on a first-come-first served basis. Students completing Arizona summer courses in order to regain eligibility will have their appeals reviewed when summer grades have been posted unless otherwise requested due to extenuating circumstances via the personal statement.
Students will receive a decision via email on their Financial Aid Appeal approximately two weeks after the committee review takes place, however, during the start of the semester, processing time may be delayed.
If you were initially not renewed for your merit tuition scholarship but recently satisfied renewal requirements, you must contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) and request a scholarship reinstatement within 30 calendar days from the first day of class for the semester in which you are requesting the reinstatement of your scholarship. Students placed in the automatic grace period cannot appeal the grace period since an approved appeal has the same outcome as an automatic grace period (receiving 80% of the original offered tuition scholarship).
Please note: Beginning in Fall 2022, those with an approved appeal will receive 80% of their original Merit Tuition Scholarship Award amount for the academic year for which the appeal was approved.
Scholarship Renewal & Appeal Communication Timeline
At the conclusion of each spring semester (or summer for those who enroll during this timeframe to meet renewal requirements), our office will review all students who received a merit tuition scholarship in the current academic year to determine their merit renewal eligibility for the upcoming year. Refer the scholarships listed below under Eligible Awards to view the list of scholarships that are reviewed by our office. Review the terms and conditions for each specific merit scholarship for more information on the renewal criteria.
An email notification will be sent to the student based on their renewal status:
- Meets renewal requirements
- Does not meet renewal requirements
- Does not meet renewal requirements but at the time of review the student demonstrated summer enrollment at the University of Arizona. During this time, a student’s merit eligibility for renewal is pending until all summer grades have posted.
Once communications are sent to students regarding their merit scholarship renewal status, the Scholarship Appeals Committee will begin meeting on a bi-weekly basis from June to September to review all complete appeal submissions. This review will take place on a first-come-first served basis. Students completing Arizona summer courses in order to regain eligibility will have their appeals reviewed when summer grades have been posted unless otherwise requested due to extenuating circumstances via the personal statement.
Students will receive a decision via email on their Financial Aid Appeal approximately two weeks after the committee review takes place, however, during the start of the semester, processing time may be delayed.
Eligible Awards
- This policy relates to the following scholarships:
- Academic Recognition Scholarship
- All-Arizona Academic Team Scholarship
- Arizona Alumni Club Tuition Scholarship (UAHA, UABA, AASFAA, AIA)
- Arizona Tuition Scholarship (Recognition | Excellence | Distinction)
- Baird Scholarship
- Bridge Tuition Scholarship
- Fine Arts Tuition Award (Art, Dance, Music, TFTV)
- Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Award
- IB Tuition Scholarship
- International Excellence Tuition Scholarship
- International Tuition Scholarship
- National Merit Finalist Tuition Scholarship
- National Merit Semifinalist Tuition Scholarship
- National Scholar Tuition Scholarship
- Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Scholarship
- Sonoran Tuition Scholarship
- Transfer Tuition Scholarship
- Wildcat Tuition Scholarship (Recognition | Excellence | Distinction)
For any scholarship not listed here, contact the awarding department/donor to learn about their appeal policies.
Appeal Review Committee and Decision Timeline
The University of Arizona Scholarship Appeals Committee will review all complete Financial Aid Appeals for Merit Tuition Scholarship submissions and may take up to 6 weeks to review. Appeals received by July 1st; however, will receive a decision prior to the first day of Fall classes.
Committee members include anonymous staff from the Admissions Office, Honors College and various academic advisors from across campus. OSFA staff are not voting members. The Scholarship Appeals Committee's decision is final and cannot be overturned or re-appealed.