Arizona State utilizes a number of programs and grant offerings to help its college students pay for their education.
This mixture involves a combination of federal grants, state grants, and private grants of varying sizes and purpose.
All are intended to help students that need financial aid find monetary resources to meet tuition and support requirements.
Let’s begin by discussing the various state grants and scholarships that are available…
Arizona Board of Regents High Honors Tuition Waiver Scholarship
For those attending an Arizona state government university as opposed to a private post-secondary institution, the High Honors program can provide a paid-for relief from college tuition on an annual basis. Recipients must be attending an Arizona state college or university that is part of the state system.
The waiver program will pay for the first year of a student after high school graduation if that student is eligible for the program and has passed all three Arizona high school standardized tests. After the first year, a recipient can also pick up three additional years of consecutive funding if the attending an approved school.
The Early Graduation Scholarship Grant (EGSG) Program
The EGSG program is a smaller state program that rewards high school students for excelling and finishing their high school programs faster than normal. Many such students tend to be in college prep courses already as they perform better than their average peers in classes. Students who are awarded the grant must graduate from a high school early and quickly enroll in a college, university, or recognized post-secondary institution that is accredited by the state.
Those students determined to be eligible as awardees can receive an EGSG grant that varies but maximizes at $1,500 per year. Such awardees have to have graduated at least one semester faster than a normal high school track. Those who graduate two semesters early can get a larger grant up to $2,000 annually. The grant is one-time award and is not repeated for second or third year college students, even former recipients.
Those awarded have to have lived as a resident in Arizona resident for at least a calendar year by the grant application date, must have matriculated from an Arizona high school, and must have satisfactory class scores in classes already taken. Enrollment in a college or post-secondary institution has to be at least half-time status. Additionally, passing scores on Arizona state proficiency exams are required as well.
The Arizona Private Post-secondary Education Student Assistance Program (PFAP)
The PFAP grant works on a need basis rather than class grade performance. The grant program aims to help Arizona families financially afford private college attendance for students working towards a bachelor’s degree. Recipients can receive a maximum of $2,000 annually with a two year total eligibility period. Covered expenses can include school fees, tuition, and textbooks. The grant has a catch, however. If the student doesn’t complete his college degree, the grant funds received have to be paid back to the state.
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The Post-secondary Education Grant Program (PEG)
An additional source of financial support for those in private colleges and universities is the PEG grant. Unlike the PFAP, the PEG grant is not need-based in terms of award. It is also intended to help students enroll and attend program in private post-secondary schools while working towards a bachelor’s degree. Recipients receive up to $2,000 annually and can continue to receive the grant for up to a total of four years.
Eligible expenses that the grant can be used for include school costs such as tuition and registration fees as well as classroom-related books and materials. The grant funds are doled out on a priority basis with prior recipients taking preference over new applicants as the program wants the prior student to complete their degrees once in a school. Also similar to the PFAP, if the student does not obtain a bachelor’s degree within five years, she must pay the grant funds received back to the state program.
The Arizona Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership
The AzLEAP program works with Arizona state and private-side institutions to provide grant funds to needy students. The grants are targeted to low-income recipients working in undergraduate college programs. Such recipients have shown a valid financial need for support trying to attend a post-secondary school. Grant recipients can be eligible to receive up to $2,500 annually but most awardees see grants closer to $1,000 annually.
Each post-secondary school that is part of the program handles the actual distribution of the AzLEAP grant to eligible students.
Recipients must be a valid U.S. resident or citizen. The student must also be a legal resident of Arizona state. A minimum of half-time enrollment is necessary when studying at a post-secondary school after receiving the AzLEAP grant. All applications are processed through the Federal grant application FAFSA form (for details how to apply click here!) Recipients also need to maintain a good grade performance record while receiving the grant as well.
Arizona Private Scholarships
The Arizona Community Foundation (ACF)
As one of the top major private-side grant providers in Arizona, the The ACF moves almost $4 million annually to eligible students. This makes the ACF one of the top grant providers in the state from a non-government entity, impacting over 1,000 students in colleges statewide. The program is relatively new, beginning in the mid- 2000s. Today ACF scholarships pay for both support services as well as student counseling aimed at low-income students, focusing on helping the succeed in degree programs.
The Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation (AFFCF) Support Program
The AFFCF is an extension of a state government effort to financially help former Arizona foster children obtain a college education in-state once they have phased out of foster care (see http://www.azdes.gov/InternetFiles/InternetProgrammaticForms/pdf/etv_application.pdf). This direct Arizona state aid helps pay for attendance to a state post-secondary school by a recipient. The recipients must be either a past or current state ward to be eligible for funding.
Conclusion
As noted earlier, Arizona State grants and related programs are similar to other states in that they provide educational financial support for college students and prospective attendees to attend in-state post secondary schools. Depending on the student’s program, need or performance or both, and priority in award, a number of grants could conceivably pay for a student’s full tuition cost. Nothing is guaranteed as students have to compete annually for eligibility, but multiple opportunities exist.
