The University of Arizona (UA) has announced that it will no longer charge undergraduate students from 22 federally recognized tribes in the state tuition or fees.
The first program of its kind in Arizona, the Arizona Native Scholars Grant will be available to new and continuing full-time, in-state undergraduates pursuing degrees beginning in the fall.
“Serving Arizona’s Native American tribes and tribal students is a crucial part of the University of Arizona’s land-grant mission,” UA President Robert C. Robbins said. “I am so proud that this university has found a way to help hundreds of students more easily access and complete a college education.”
The University of Arizona joins public universities in California, Colorado, Michigan, and Oregon in announcing that they will pay tuition and fees for Native American students.
Who Can Apply
More than 400 students who attended UA in the last academic year are eligible for the program, the school explained, where tuition currently is $12,700 per semester.
Students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA — and present tribal identification in order to be considered. The federal legal status of Native American tribes enables institutions to distribute grants and scholarships to tribal members.
The objective of the program is to lower barriers to higher education for tribal students. The Postsecondary National Policy Institute estimates that about a quarter of Native students enroll in higher education, compared to 40 percent of all students.
“The University of Arizona is committed to recognizing and acknowledging the history endured by Native American communities,” dean of undergraduate admissions Kasey Urquídez said. This program is part of our continual commitment to serve our Indigenous Wildcats.”