Academic Advisors FAQs

Yes, if the study abroad experience is through the UA’s study abroad program. There is no additional funding provided, but students are able to use what would regularly be awarded to them.

Renewal requirements for AZA require continuous enrollment unless the student has an approved deferment on file for Arizona Assurance with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. A deferment form can be submitted for extenuating circumstances and will be reviewed by a committee. Financial Aid Deferment Request Policy and Form.

Arizona Assurance does NOT provide funding for summer or winter sessions.

While AZA does not offer funding during the summer sessions, students may be eligible for federal and institutional aid. There is no summer application to apply for summer aid but there are certain eligibility criteria to be awarded summer financial aid. Visit the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid - Summer Financial Aid webpage for more details. Students should review this information early; OSFA suggests students enroll for summer by April 29th.

There is a PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS drop down menu above. There you and the student are able to review their program requirements as well as the unit, GPA, and FAFSA requirements for the year. Their cohort year is based on when they entered the UArizona as a first-year student. 

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) provides funding for Arizona Assurance, makes initial selections for AZA, reviews renewal criteria, and awards all financial aid.

The Arizona Assurance office provides retention and graduation support for AZA students, oversees their program requirements, connects them to resources, and is able to answer AZA funding and general financial aid questions.

Both offices work in partnership to support Arizona Assurance students.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS (outside the classroom experience) must be completed by the end of the spring semester for that academic year. If the student does not believe they will be able to meet this requirement they should attend office hours or schedule an appointment with an AZA outreach and advocacy coordinator to discuss their options.

ADVISOR FORMS are due by the last day of finals in the spring semester for the academic year.

2.0 CUMULATIVE GPA & UNITS are checked after all grades have posted in May. Students who are not meeting the GPA or unit requirement at that time AND are enrolled in summer courses at UArizona will be reviewed again after summer session II.

The FAFSA deadline is March 1^st for submission and May 1^st for corrections.

Arizona Assurance students are required to meet with their academic advisor twice each academic year, once per semester. AZA students are only provided four years of funding, and we believe it is important for students to meet with their academic advisor regularly so they are mapping out their educational plan with their advisor.

In order to ensure these meetings are happening, we ask that the academic advisor complete the form. These are completely online and housed within Qualtrics. You can access the form by clicking on the ACADEMIC ADVISORS drop down menu above. 

If students miss a requirement they will lose funding and may need to appeal. Students can talk with their AZA outreach and advocacy coordinator for support in writing and submitting the appeal. 

Units are based on the cumulative total passed, and not per semester or each academic year alone. Cumulative units only include the number of units passed; not taken (grades of E, F or W do not count towards the total), and all units must be UArizona units.

Transfer units will only be considered through the appeal process and with a letter from the student’s academic advisor indicating how many transfer units will be applied towards the student’s degree.

Below are the cumulative unit totals by year. Students have the entire academic year, including summer sessions, to meet the cumulative total:

• First-year students – 24 UA units
• Second-year students – 48 UA units
• Third-year students – 72 UA units
• Fourth-year students – do not have unit criteria as they are no longer eligible for renewal following their fourth year

Although unit amounts can differ by semester as long as cumulative totals are met, students must be at 12 units or more for their Arizona Assurance funding to disburse.

Arizona Assurance provides funding for four consecutive years. If students only meet the minimum unit requirements each year, they will be on track for a fifth year and Arizona Assurance does not provide funding a fifth year.

Students who have lost their Arizona Assurance funding are able to complete an appeal to request their funding be restored.

The only time we ask for a letter from an academic advisor is when a student is submitting an appeal requesting transfer units be included in their total cumulative unit amount. Transfer units are not calculated in cumulative totals unless a request is made through an appeal.

Our main goal is to make sure students are making progress towards degree completion. A letter from the academic advisor is verification that this is indeed happening through a combination of UArizona units and transfer units.

We request that the letter include how many transfer units will be applied towards the student’s degree.

The units must be posted and visible in the student’s UAccess Student Center at the time the appeal is submitted so OSFA is able to verify they are already in the UArizona system.

The AZA required GPA is a 2.0 cumulative GPA. This is only checked following the spring semester. If the student is not meeting the 2.0 cumulative GPA at that time but is enrolled in summer units, the GPA will be checked again after summer session II.

If students fail a class they will not lose their scholarship. However, they do still need to obtain a 2.0 GPA, and meet the unit requirement. The unit requirement is based on units passed, not taken. If students are concerned about grades or meeting the unit requirement, please advise them talk to an AZA outreach and advocacy coordinator.

Please advise the student to visit AZA office hours and speak with an outreach and advocacy coordinator.

All units should to be taken at UArizona in order to count toward the yearly academic unit requirement. If students do not meet the unit requirement with their total UArizona units, they may submit and appeal. We will ask academic advisors to verify, through a letter, how many units the student is transferring and how many of those will apply towards their degree. The units must be on the student's record at the time of appeal for verification by OSFA.

Students are only eligible for Arizona Assurance their senior year of high school, and, if selected, they must enroll at the University of Arizona Tucson campus the fall semester following graduation.

Transfer students are not eligible for Arizona Assurance.

Current UA students are not eligible if they are not already in the program.

For a full list of eligibility criteria, please visit the financial aid website: Arizona Assurance Eligibility.