Financial Aid and Student Loans in Arizona

If you’re planning on attending college in the state of Arizona, you’re in good company. The state ranks 19th out of 50 in terms of college affordability, averaging $27,246 per year at four-year universities.  State-specific grants, scholarships, and financial aid can help you make college more accessible.

At Funding U, we provide our prospective borrowers with a checklist of payment options to work through in order to minimize your funding gap. By using third-party sources of free money, you will be able to reduce your upfront expenses and lower the amount of money you need to borrow. Best of all, many of these scholarship and grant opportunities offer extremely straightforward application processes.

As part of our state by state guide, on this page we’ll provide you with a comprehensive summary of scholarships, grants, and student loans in Arizona.

What scholarship programs does Arizona have?

Finding a scholarship seems out of reach for many students, but thousands of scholarships go unclaimed every year because not enough students applied for them. Here are a few of the most notable scholarships in Arizona.

PMI Phoenix Chapter Scholarship

PMI Phoenix Chapter Academic Scholarship was created to promote and further academic and professional development education in project management. It provides the recipient a total of $2,500 for pursuing a for-credit education in project management at qualifying institutions.

Arizona BPW Foundation Scholarship

The Arizona Business and Professional Women’s Foundation promotes the advancement of Arizona’s working women through scholarships, research, and education. Scholarships are awarded to women 21 years or older who are returning to school at a community college to acquire better job opportunities or advance their current careers. All scholarship recipients are required to attend one Arizona BPW Foundation event per year.

Arizona Elk Society Scholarship

The Arizona Elk Society provides scholarships up to $1,000 per year to High School Seniors and College students. These scholarships are available to students who will attend or are already attending accredited colleges and universities, with the hope that these students will become the next generation of wildlife conservationists. 

What Grant Programs Does Arizona Have?

Arizona isn’t known for offering a broad range of grants and scholarships, but there is one specific grant that you can utilize if you’re attending college in the state: the AzLEAP. Let’s explore it in more detail:

Arizona Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (AzLEAP)

AzLEAP offers assistance to students in Arizona that have financial hardship. The program operates via a partnership with the state of Arizona and eligible universities. While the state provides funding, the grant is awarded directly from the university. You can receive up to $2,500 per year via the grant, but the amount is often lower.

To be eligible for the AzLEAP, you must:

• Be a US Citizen
• Resident of Arizona
• Demonstrate a reliable academic record
• Exhibit part-time or full-time enrollment
• Be eligible for Pell Grants (exhibit financial need)

Several federal options allow you to take advantage of free money for attending a college or university. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular options:

Pell Grants

Pell Grants are one of the nation’s most popular funding options for financially stressed individuals. To become eligible for this type of grant, you will need to prove that you come from a background that requires financial assistance.

First, you will need to prove your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) — the amount of money that your family can afford to provide for assistance with your education costs. Your EFC gets determined by the full disclosure of your family’s finances.

In addition to the EFC, applicants are assessed by their status as a student: full-time or part-time. The government will also determine the portion of the year that you were at the school. Those who consistently maintain their status as full-time students are more eligible for a Pell Grant.

If you would like to apply for a Pell Grant, you will need to begin by filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form will also allow you to apply for other federal grants or funding opportunities.

Additionally, depending on the college that you plan on attending, there might be college-specific grants available. In some cases, the eligibility of these grants is based on the income of your family.

Contact your college’s admissions department to request more information about the grants they offer to their students.

What Student Loans Programs Does Arizona Have?

While Arizona doesn’t have any state-specific student loan programs to offer students, there is still a range of options available to future and current college attendees.

Let’s assess your three main options:

Federal Student Loans

Prospective students and residents of Arizona have the option of seeking government assistance in the form of federal student loans.

You’ll need to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Private Co-Signed Student Loans

For private student loans, there is an array of options. Students seeking assistance in addition to federal student loans may opt for a private co-signed student loan, for example.

No Co-Signer Student Loans in Arizona

Prospective students who don’t have or need a co-signer can take advantage of Funding U’s no co-signer student loans.

Eligibility and restrictions include minimum GPA requirements and graduation rate of the chosen college or university. These can be used in addition to federal student loans to receive further financial support. If you’d like to learn more, click here.

What Schools Does Funding U Lend To In Arizona?

Generally speaking, Funding U’s no co-signer loans are offered to students at eligible four-year, non-profit, undergraduate degree-granting universities (which means we do not lend to for-profit schools, 2-year schools, graduate schools, or trade schools). Our eligibility requirements are based on models that aim to predict how likely a student is to graduate, and because of that we have minimum GPA requirements that students must meet and minimum 6-year graduation rates that schools must reach in order to be eligible. To find out more about how we determine our eligibility, click here.

Below is a table listing all of the schools in Arizona that Funding U is currently lending to, with additional details on which grades we are currently lending to, based on the school’s 6-year graduation rate.