Summertime… Stay Cool by Taking Advantage of Summer Enrollment and Financial Aid Opportunities

May 6, 2022
Author: Meghan McKenney, Director of Counseling
Students staying cool in the summer On The Mall

With summertime around the corner, it’s time to celebrate another academic year completed! And while that celebration is well deserved, summer is also a great time to take advantage of summer class opportunities that can help a student get ahead and maintain tuition scholarships. To get us started, here’s a quick breakdown of how summer financial aid works and a reminder about how summer enrollment can help a student keep their scholarships.

Summer enrollment can help a student progress toward the completion of their degree. Not only does this help the student be able to graduate on time but it also may help the pocketbook when comparing summer tuition rates to fall/spring tuition rates (check out the summer tuition rates here). The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) offers a variety of summer financial aid options. Here are some summer aid basics:

  • In general, students need to be enrolled at least half-time (6 units for Undergraduates, 5 units for Graduates) to be eligible for summer financial aid
  • Summer financial aid opportunities include Federal Pell Grant, University Grant, and Federal Direct Student and Parent Loans
  • Students don’t even have to apply! Undergraduate students with a 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file and enrolled in 6+ units will automatically be reviewed for summer aid
  • Summer Federal Work Study is also available, but does require a student application
  • Summer financial aid offers will begin to go out early May

Interested in learning more about summer aid? Visit OSFA’s summer aid webpage for more information.

                Tuition Scholarships cannot be used during the summer semester, but summer is still a fabulous time for students to take a few additional courses to help ensure they meet their scholarship renewal requirements. This allows students to continue receiving their scholarship. Here is some general information about renewal requirements and how summer enrollment can help.

  • In general, students need to complete at least 30 Arizona units by the end of each academic year which includes fall, spring, and summer semesters, and earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Each cohort and scholarship can differ though, so be sure you and your student are reviewing the terms and conditions and know exactly what the requirements are
  • Summer units can count toward both the unit and GPA requirement mentioned above. In addition to reviewing the terms and conditions of your award, also be sure to review for what grades count and do not count toward renewal
  • OSFA will begin to review students for renewal after spring grades post but if students are enrolled in summer courses, that review will be held until the completion of summer
  • Students who are not enrolled in summer courses but are notified they are not meeting renewal requirements after spring grades post, still have an opportunity to earn their scholarship back by enrolling in summer courses. No need to let OSFA know either, we will automatically review anyone who enrolled for summer for renewal of their scholarship
  • Lastly, OSFA recently introduced the new one-time grace period policy to further support students in maintaining their scholarships and persisting on to graduation. Learn more about the one-time grace period in your student’s terms and conditions

In summary, summer is a great time to let loose, relax and celebrate the academic year successes but it’s also a great time to get ahead and take action to ensure scholarship funding continues to the following academic year. OSFA is here to support you and your students so don’t hesitate to reach out to our office and speak to one of our friendly Ask Aid Representatives. We offer a variety of options to reach out to us too, so pick what works best for you – phone (best time to call is mornings), email, chat, virtual drop-in appointments using Zoom, and good old fashion in person assistance in the Administration building lobby. Check out OSFA’s contact page for average wait times and all these contact modalities.

Stay cool this summer and Bear Down!