Arizona Teachers Academy

Scholarship Details

The scholarship covers all tuition and mandatory fees for participating teacher certification programs at the University of Arizona once an applicant has already accepted all other non-loan aid, such as institutional and private scholarships, federal Pell grants, and select stipends. For a list of mandatory fees covered by the ATA scholarship, you may refer to the Bursar’s fee descriptions.  Please note: the ATA Scholarship does not cover such fees as candidacy fees, course fees, or study abroad charges.

ATA Scholarships are awarded on the basis of need, merit, standing, and residency. However, applicants who (a) are Arizona residents, and (b) have junior-, senior-, or graduate-level standing at the start of their certification program, are strongly preferred. Special consideration will also be given to students in corresponding pre-majors.

Please note that the ATA Scholarship is a funding source, not a teacher certification program, and will only be awarded to students who are either admitted to a participating certification program or, in the case of undergraduate students, in corresponding pre-majors.

Undergraduate students have a maximum of eight semesters to complete their teacher certification program, and graduate students have a maximum of four. Enrollment must be continuous and in good standing for a student to remain eligible for funding. Fall and Spring semesters count towards these semester limits while Summer sessions do not. Students who have reached their maximum number of semesters and have not yet completed their teacher certification program may not reapply or be eligible for additional ATA funding to complete that certification program.

Upon completing your teacher preparation program, you will have one year to begin your first year of full-time classroom teaching in any birth-grade 12 public or charter school in Arizona. This teaching commitment will be for as many academic years as you received funding. For example, if you receive ATA funding each year over a two academic year period, then your teaching commitment is for two consecutive full school years; or if you receive funding for one semester in one academic year and another semester in another academic year, the commitment is for two consecutive school years as well.  Additionally, failure to complete your teaching program will result in the immediate repayment of the award amount you received from the ATA while at the University of Arizona.

Please note that only Fall and Spring semesters funded by the ATA count towards your commitment; sessions taken during the Summer, however — though funded by the ATA — will not.  **Due to March 2021 changes to A.R.S § 15-1655, this applies to Summer sessions taken after January 1, 2021. Any Summer sessions taken prior to that will count towards the service commitment.

Additionally, if you are a graduate student teaching full-time in an ATA-eligible school while also receiving Academy funding, this concurrent teaching will only count towards your postgraduation service commitment once you complete your teaching program at the University of Arizona.

Review this list of University of Arizona teacher certification programs participating in the ATA Scholarship and contact the program directly for any questions about its specific selection processes, application requirements, important dates, etc. Please note that the ATA Scholarship is a funding source, not a teacher certification program, and will only be awarded to students who are either admitted to a participating certification program or, in the case of undergraduate students, in corresponding pre-majors.

You may apply for the ATA Scholarship prior to being accepted into a participating teacher certification program at the University of Arizona. However, your scholarship application will not be considered until the application deadline has passed, and you are either in an ATA-eligible certification program or, in the case of undergraduate students, a corresponding pre-major. Please note, only ATA-eligible undergraduate programs require a scholarship application while ATA-eligible graduate programs do not. Visit the Application page for details.

Prior to receiving your ATA funding, you must have your Free Application for Student (FAFSA) for the academic year you are applying to the ATA Scholarship successfully processed by both the U.S. Department of Education and the university’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA). Otherwise, there will be delays in disbursing the award to your account.