Financial Aid

• SIRLS Financial Aid
• Graduate Assistantships
• Scholarships
• Other Sources of Financial Aid
• Reduced Cost Nonresident Distance Education
• Jobs and Scholarships Forum (you must be logged in via CAS)

Bursar's Office Current Tuition information Remember to check your registration bills and receipts. Search the Bursar's web pages for possible fee waivers. SIRLS does not collect tuition or fees nor set policy on waivers. 

SIRLS Financial Aid

• Application for Financial Aid

Priority Deadlines

Deadlines for SIRLS financial aid applications are listed below. Financial aid applications received after the priority deadline will be considered on a funds available basis. Students and applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for financial aid even if the priority deadline has passed.

ALL students must complete the online FAFSA application.

Financial aid, awarded for both academic achievement and financial need, is available from SIRLS. Interested applicants must complete the financial aid form. Both current students and new students accepted for admission are eligible for financial aid. SIRLS financial aid is awarded in the fall for the ensuing academic year. A majorty of students receive aid of some type but you must apply on time.

General Eligibility Requirements: Students receiving financial aid are required to maintain full-time enrollment status (6 credits) and maintain satisfactory progress toward their degree, defined at a minimum as a GPA of at least 3.0. Students who have not matriculated into a SIRLS degree or certificate program are not eligible for financial aid. Students receiving financial aid must possess a valid United States Social Security number.

Special Eligibility Requirements: Individual scholarships may impose additional or other eligibility criteria.

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Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistants are students employed by SIRLS to help with teaching, research and on-going projects. Both new and continuing students are eligible for assistantships. Prospective graduate assistants must meet general eligibility requirements and request consideration for an assistantship in their financial aid application. Graduate assistants receive a salary in addition to reduced registration costs, non-resident tuition waivers, discounts at the student bookstores and individual health insurance coverage. Graduate assistants pay SIRLS program fees at the in-state level, regardless of residential status. Appointments may be for the academic year or for a semester; they may be ¼ time (10 hours of work per week) or ½ time (20 hours of work per week). All graduate assistants must complete mandatory training at both the university and departmental levels before beginning employment.  Students who have active Graduate Assistantships can qualify as full-time enrollment status with 6 credits.

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Scholarships

SIRLS has a variety of scholarships available to students who matriculate in a SIRLS degree or certificate program. Scholarships are grants of money for use in paying the costs of a student's education. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need and/or academic achievement. In addition to the general requirements for financial aid (listed above) some scholarships have special requirements for eligibility, application, and maintenance. The amount of financial aid varies with the scholarship. For more information, read more here (http://sirls.arizona.edu/content/scholarships).

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Distance Non-resident Program

Note that Distance only non-residents do not pay full non-resident tuition and fees. Distance-only non-residents pay about 1.5X resident rates. This registration option is available through CE so be careful when checking costs on the Bursar's Web Pages.

Other Sources of Financial Aid

SIRLS encourages students with unmet financial need to apply for additional support from the University of Arizona Office of Student Financial Aid. OSFA offers an array of need-based funding for graduate students including scholarships, grants, waivers, loans and work study. Call 520-621-1858, email askaid@email.arizona.edu, or visit them on the web at http://financialaid.arizona.edu.

You may also visit the UA's new Scholarship Universe website for personalized scholarship search and tracking.

Additionally, the UA Office of Student Financial Aid has information about available scholarships.

Students may also wish to consult the American Library Association's page.

The Mountain Plains Library Association also offers annual loans and scholarships. Scroll down to the loans and scholarships portion of the page.

In 2007, Congress created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to encourage individuals to enter and continue to work full-time in public service jobs. Under this program, borrowers may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance due on their eligible federal student loans after they have made 120 payments on those loans under certain repayment plans while employed full time by certain public service employers.