Financial Planning & Resources

All students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The University of Arizona federal school code is 001083. Learn more on how to complete your FAFSA form.

FEDERAL

Types of aid through FAFSA

• Grants and Scholarships: Money that does not have to be repaid. Grants are usually need-based while scholarships are usually merit-based. 
• PLUS Loans*: Money that must be repaid; loans made to graduate or professional students and parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid. Eligibility is not based on financial need, but a credit check is required. Borrowers who have an adverse credit history must meet additional requirements to qualify.
• Subsidized Loan: Money that must be repaid; interest does not accrue while in school; six month grace period after graduation.
• Unsubsidized Loan*: Money that must be repaid; interest does accrue while in school and begins immediately once the loan is disbursed.
• Work Study: Provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student’s course of study.

*Graduate and professional students are only eligible for unsubsidized loans and PLUS loans through the federal government.

Visit Federal Student Aid for more details on all federal financial aid.
 

NON-FEDERAL

• Fellowship: Like a scholarship, a fellowship is money that does not have to be repaid; students usually apply to these through their specific departments.
• Private Loans: Must be repaid to private lender; these loans often have much higher interest rates than federal loans and require direct application through the lender. You cannot apply for private loans through FAFSA.

Scholarships

• Scholarship Universe is our scholarship-matching tool for admitted University of Arizona students. SU connects Wildcats to millions of dollars in internal and external scholarships.
• Arizona Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership awards up to $2,500 per year for Arizona residents with substantial financial need
• AZ Assurance can provide up to $2,000 per year
• AZ Earn to Learn Scholarship allows AZ residents to earn a matched-savings scholarship while providing financial education and support.
• College of Education Scholarship Information (apply through Scholarship Universe)
• First-Year and Transfer Scholarships from the University of Arizona
• UA Achievement Award can provide out-of-state students up to $6,000 per year

Grants

• Federal Pell Grants can provide up to $6,895 per year. The University of Arizona also offers incoming freshmen the opportunity to receive funding through
• Arizona Promise Grant which covers the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, tuition differentials, and program fees by filling in the difference between a student’s overall costs and all other gift aid (scholarships, grants) a student receives.

The Office of Fellowships and Community Engagement helps graduate students to identify and apply for grants, fellowships, and other funding sources for their studies or research.

• Graduate Assistantships
• FAFSA (Federal aid that provides Unsubsidized loans and Graduate PLUS loans)
• Graduate College Search List
• GPSC Research Grant
• Funding Tips

Scholarships

• Arizona Teaching Fellows: Receive a stipend of up to $4,800 by completing a practicum and student teaching and serving as a teacher in the Sahuarita, Flowing Wells, Santa Cruz Valley, Marana, and Tucson Unified School Districts.
• Arizona Teachers Academy: If selected, the scholarship will pay your tuition for the duration of your enrollment in participating teacher certification programs at the University of Arizona. In return, you agree to teach in a public or charter school anywhere in the state for as many years as you received the scholarship. You may apply for the scholarship before you are are accepted into a participating program, but you will not receive the award until you are accepted into that program.

Grants

• TEACH Grant* may be awarded to qualifying students who agree to serve for four years as a teacher in a high-need field in a low-income school. *This applies to currently enrolled university students only.

Loans

• Teacher loan forgiveness will forgive up to $17,500 of federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans of five years. Funding is tied to a commitment to service after graduation.

• Early Childhood Education
• Elementary Education
• Mild-Moderate Disabilities

• ASUA basic needs
• AmeriCorps Math Tutoring
• Childcare resources
• GPSC Grants for Basic Needs, Completion, and Promising Practice
• SSS-TRiO provides free financial planning support and exam preparation for their students
• Wordcats/Mathcats - must have Federal Work Study

• College Navigator: Compare tuition costs, average financial aid awarded, specific admissions requirements, and programs and majors offered at post-secondary institutions throughout the nation.
• College Scorecard: Compare postsecondary institutions across the nation on cost of attendance and recent trends, graduation rates, loan default rates, and median borrowing amounts. Narrow your institutional search by location, enrollment size, type of college, major, and degrees offered. You can also calculate the cost of attendance using the Net Price Calculator.
• Federal Student Loan Program: learn about subsidized, unsubsidized, and PLUS loans.
• National Student Loan Data System: View a history of your loans and grants, see who owns your loans, and complete loan exit counseling.
• Regional College Access Center are scholarships for various student groups.
• Scholarship Universe: University of Arizona’s scholarship matching system, which is accessible to all current or officially admitted students.
• UA Net Price Calculator
• University of Arizona Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid provides resources for understanding your financial aid offer.
• U.S. Department of Labor’s Scholarship Search Tool: Search more than 7,000 scholarships, loans, and other financial aid opportunities.

Deferment: A period during which repayment of your loan is temporarily delayed
Forbearance: Allows you to temporarily postpone or reduce your loan payments
Forgiveness: Allows you to not repay your loans; also known as cancellation or discharge