Scholarships

Scholarship Eligibility 

All scholarship eligibility (ACU’s institutional aid) is dependent upon completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Every year, Arizona Christian University will award scholarships to qualified students. Detailed information on scholarship aid is available on the ACU website. All scholarships are awarded on the assumption that the individual will be accepted to ACU and enroll as a full-time student at the university. 

Most scholarships are automatically renewed as long as renewal criteria are met. Scholarships are normally divided evenly between the fall and spring semesters. 

Scholarships are awarded with the understanding that a student will complete the semester for which the award is received. A student must be in good standing and meet ACU’s academic standards in order to receive a scholarship. Scholarship eligibility is reviewed annually at the end of the spring semester. Students are required to maintain their full-time status and meet the minimum cumulative GPA published for the awards they receive. Failure to meet these criteria could result in the loss of the scholarship. A student does have the ability to appeal the loss of a scholarship. Appeals should be submitted through the student’s Enrollment Management Specialist. Please see details listed under the Academic Scholarship Appeal section of ACU’s catalog.

A student’s institutional aid (e.g., merit-based scholarships, music scholarships, or athletic scholarships) may not exceed the cost of actual tuition and is not adjusted based on tuition changes. In some cases, scholarships can be prorated (see the Renewal Policy section of ACU’s catalog). 

A student’s combined total of all awards, both institutional and external (i.e., scholarships, grants, and loans) may not exceed the designated cost of attendance of his or her program. If the combined total of all financial assistance exceeds the designated cost of attendance, then the award with the highest interest rate will be reduced. If ACU does not have room and board available and/or a student successfully petitions out of ACU’s room and board, the cost of attendance is adjusted; however, the same principle applies. The combined total of all awards cannot exceed the cost of attendance set forth by Arizona Christian University.

Federal aid, state aid, and outside grants will be applied after ACU institutional scholarships. Arizona Christian University will apply funding in the following order:

• ACU Institutional Aid
• Outside scholarship(s)
• State Grant(s)
• Federal Grant(s)
• Subsidized Loan
• Unsubsidized Loan
• PLUS Loan
• Alternative Loan(s)

Additional information on current scholarships, grants, and loans may be found in the current ACU Academic catalog.

Outside or Private Scholarships

ACU accepts outside scholarships. It is incumbent on the student to research, find, and apply for scholarships from outside sources. Find out more about finding and applying for scholarships. Students should also be careful to avoid scholarship scams and should not pay a fee to search for or apply for scholarships.

Institutional Scholarships

All Arizona Christian University scholarships require students to be enrolled full-time and maintain a minimum renewable GPA. The amount and number of scholarships awarded for the institutional scholarships listed below are subject to change and are published on the ACU website at https://www.arizonachristian.edu/financial-aid/types/scholarships/.

Merit Scholarships

A description of and minimum requirements for applying for institutional scholarships can be found on the ACU website at: https://www.arizonachristian.edu/financial-aid/types/scholarships/. Student Athletes are awarded institutional scholarships through the athletic department and are therefore not eligible for additional merit scholarships.

• Academic Scholarships for First-Time Freshmen
• Academic Scholarships for Transfer Students
• Faith and Service Scholarships
• Church Matching
• Christian Schools Coalition Scholarship Program
• Homeschool Scholarship
• Performing Arts Scholarships

Student Athlete Institutional Scholarships

A student athlete’s full institutional scholarship package is determined by the athletic department. Athletic scholarships are intended to encompass all aspects of the athlete – spiritual, academic, and athletic – and they cannot be stacked with other institutional aid. The student athlete will be offered a scholarship based on an evaluation of the following:

• Achievements in the classroom
• Assessment of his/her contribution to the team
• Leadership qualities aligning with the university mission

Renewal Policy

Institutional scholarships may be renewed if the appropriate Arizona Christian University GPA is maintained while in attendance at the university and the student remains in good standing.  

• Students may only renew scholarships at the level (dollar amount) awarded upon entrance to the university. The scholarship may be removed if the appropriate GPA is not maintained. 
• A student must remain in a full-time status to maintain his or her scholarship (minimum of 12 credits per semester). If a student reduces their status to less than full time, the scholarship will be prorated based on the student enrollment status during the necessary term. Prorations will be calculated as follows: total credits enrolled/12 = percent of scholarship. ACU will round to the whole number. 
• A student will be required to complete all spiritual formation hours for each semester enrolled at Arizona Christian University (unless granted a spiritual formation waiver). Please see the Student Handbook for additional information. 
• Recipients of the President’s, Provost’s, and Dean’s Scholarships are required to live on campus for the entirety of their program at Arizona Christian University. 
• The GPA renewal requirement differs, depending on scholarship types. Students must achieve a cumulative GPA at the renewal level at the conclusion of each spring semester to automatically receive their scholarship the next school year. GPAs are not rounded up but must minimally be at the required level. For example, 2.99 is not rounded up to 3.00.  
• Scholarship renewal requirements are reviewed at the conclusion of each spring semester only after all spring grades have been posted. To ensure that all completed spring grades are taken into consideration, this process may not occur until later into the summer. If a scholarship is removed, a new financial aid award letter will be provided to the student along with a notification of his or her next steps.  

Renewal levels can be found by clicking: www.arizonachristian.edu/financialaid/types/scholarships/         

Academic Scholarship Appeal 

Every student will have the opportunity to appeal against the loss of a scholarship. 

• A student has 30 days from the date of the initial email notification that a scholarship is removed due to not meeting requirements set forth by the university.  
• Students must complete an ACU Scholarship appeal form and provide an explanation for the exception.  
• All appeals will be reviewed by the ACU Scholarship Committee. 
• The student will be notified in writing of the committee decision. 

Academic Scholarship Discretion

All scholarships awarded at ACU and their renewal requirements are at the discretion of ACU’s Vice President of Enrollment or their designee. The process outlined in this catalog may be adjusted on a case-by-case basis and considerations in various factors such as academic performance, leadership qualities, extracurricular involvement, and community engagement may be considered to waive or alter the conditions of a scholarship offer or renewal requirement. 

All Student-Athlete Institutional Scholarships awarded at ACU and their renewal requirements are at the discretion of ACU’s Athletic Director or their designee. The process outlined in this catalog may be adjusted on a case-by-case basis and considerations in various factors such as academic performance, leadership qualities, extracurricular involvement, and community engagement may be considered to waive or alter the conditions of a scholarship offer or renewal requirement.