2025 New Start Friends & Alumni Scholarship

The New Start Friends & Alumni Scholarship Fund was created with the goal of providing financial assistance for incoming University of Arizona freshmen to attend the New Start Summer Program. Each year, the fund is made available through the generous donations of friends and alumni of the program, as well as community foundation grants, to support students who are not eligible to receive financial assistance through the federal Pell grant but still have demonstrable financial need.

The number and amount of each scholarship award varies based on the amount collected each year. Recipients of this scholarship will have funds applied directly to their University Bursar’s account by the beginning of the program. This scholarship can only be applied towards New Start tuition and fees. It is not a cash award and cannot be applied towards other cost-of-living expenses. Students who are receiving a federal Pell grant for Summer 2025 are not eligible for consideration as their programs costs are covered by the Pell Promise.

ELIGIBILITY

In order to be considered, an applicant must:

1. Be accepted and enrolled in the University of Arizona’s New Start Summer Program;
2. Have a completed 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 FAFSA on file with the University of Arizona by the time of scholarship review and have been determined to be ineligible to receive a federal Pell grant at 6 units;
3. Have demonstrable financial need for which assistance is required to attend;
4. Provide a complete and accurate application. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application asks for the following:

1. Brief form with contact and student information.
2. Personal Statement, written by the applicant, addressing how attending New Start will contribute to achieving their goals at the University of Arizona (500 words or fewer).
3. Financial Statement (200 words or fewer) detailing current financial need. In particular, please make note of any recent changes or situations that make your 2024-2025 FAFSA not be reflective of your current situation.

DEADLINE

The 2025 application will open in the spring, with a deadline of May 15.

If you are a donor and are interested in contributing to the New Start Friends & Alumni Scholarship Fund, please visit the Donate page.