The starting point
Public Big 12 flagship with a published $4,000–$20,000/year Arizona Tuition Award for non-residents, a separate $2,000–$11,000/year Wildcat Tuition Award for Arizona residents, and a detailed National Scholar package for National Merit Finalists. Outside scholarships displace undisbursed loans first, which makes Arizona one of the more outside-scholarship-friendly public flagships in the country.
More than one award path. Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 7 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
Arizona Tuition Award (non-resident)
$4,000–$20,000 per academic year range. Comprised of the Arizona Excellence Tuition Award and Arizona Distinction Tuition Award subtiers, which are not separately priced cell-by-cell on Arizona's published terms and conditions. · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.25+ · SAT: 1110+ · ACT: 24+
Eligibility: Non-resident, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking, first bachelor's degree. Base eligibility requires an unweighted 6th-semester core GPA of 3.25+ AND a 24+ ACT or 1110+ SAT (critical reading + math). Cannot be combined with the Wildcat Tuition Award or the National Scholars Tuition Award.
Renewal: 8 consecutive semesters (fall + spring only). Initial offers are based on self-reported grades at admission; final awards are finalized after admissions grade verification.
Other terms: The Arizona Tuition Award is published as a $4,000–$20,000/year range, not a cell-by-cell GPA × test grid. Awards are comprised of Arizona Excellence and Arizona Distinction components that are combined at award time. The November 1 Early Action deadline is the priority window for maximum consideration. 2026-27 program names are confirmed but dollar amounts are not yet published; 2025-26 figures above should be used for modeling until Arizona publishes the new cycle.
https://financialaid.arizona.edu/2025-2026-terms-and-conditions
Wildcat Tuition Award (Arizona residents)
$2,000–$11,000 per academic year range · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.25+ · SAT: 1110+ · ACT: 24+
Eligibility: Arizona resident, first-time, full-time, degree-seeking. Awards are based on the 6th-semester unweighted core GPA on a 4.0 scale. Comprised of the Wildcat Excellence and Wildcat Distinction subtiers, which are not separately priced. Cannot be combined with the non-resident Arizona Tuition Award.
Renewal: 8 consecutive semesters (fall + spring only). Renewal subject to the published terms and conditions.
Other terms: The in-state Wildcat Tuition Award is published as a $2,000–$11,000/year range. Arizona-resident National Merit Finalists receive the flat $18,000/year National Scholars Tuition Award in place of Wildcat, not in addition to it.
https://financialaid.arizona.edu/2025-2026-terms-and-conditions
National Scholars Tuition Award (National Merit Finalists)
Arizona residents: $18,000/year flat (replaces the Wildcat Tuition Award). Non-residents: Arizona Tuition Award + $3,000/year National Scholar supplement. · Published coverage or package
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: Named National Merit Finalist status AND declaration of the University of Arizona as first-choice college with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation by NMSC's deadline.
Renewal: Renewable subject to the published terms and conditions. The total includes college-sponsored, corporate-sponsored, and NMSC-sponsored NMF awards.
Other terms: Arizona's NMF package is structured differently for residents vs non-residents. Residents receive a flat $18,000/year (materially larger than the Wildcat Tuition Award base), while non-residents stack a $3,000/year supplement on top of the Arizona Tuition Award. Families who are Finalists but don't update the first-choice field at NMSC do not receive the National Scholars layer.
https://financialaid.arizona.edu/2025-2026-terms-and-conditions
