For more information on any of the below programs, please visit the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. Both of these awards must be applied for through your financial aid office.

 

Private Postsecondary Student Financial Assistance Program (PFAP) - The State Legislature of Arizona has funded a program directed to public community college graduates who wish to attend a private postsecondary institution. The Arizona Private Postsecondary Education Student Financial Assistance Program (PFAP), administered by the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (the Commission), consists of the following elements:

Participants must be graduates of an Arizona public community college with an associate degree.
Participants must attend an Arizona private baccalaureate degree-granting institution and be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program on a full-time basis or its equivalent.
Participants must have financial need, which means the cost of attendance less expected family contribution determined from the student’s FASFA form, minus any grant or scholarship aid. (Student Awardees as of 7/1/00).
Participants must maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution for the previous award year. (Applicable only to renewal applicants).
According to Arizona statutes and program rules, participants must agree when they accept the award to pay back to the State of Arizona the full amount of the award if they DO NOT graduate with their bachelor’s degree within three (3) years of the initial receipt of the award or the participant is not in full-time attendance for more than 12 consecutive months. A promissory note must be signed and accepted by the Commission before the PFAP transaction is complete.
If a participant is not in full-time attendance for twelve (12) consecutive months, the unused portion of the total lifetime award of $3,000 will NOT be available to the participant, and shall become available to other eligible students.
Grants will be awarded on a priority of receipt basis (first come, first serve).
The total academic yearly award is $1,500 ($750 per increment/semester). The total lifetime award for each eligible participant will be $3,000.
Applications will be accepted throughout the calendar year by a private postsecondary institution to accommodate the various enrollment periods for the different private postsecondary institutions. The Commission will mail notification of awards to students with a copy to the institution.

Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) - It is a program that establishes a federal-state partnership to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to students who have demonstrated financial need. Federal funds are provided to match appropriated state funds supplied by the states on a dollar for dollar basis. Each participating institution, public, or private provides institutional matching funds which are equal to the amount of funds provided by the State for the LEAP Program.

Only public and private postsecondary institutions that are properly licensed in Arizona and accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency (which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education) are eligible.

Arizona residents who are attending a participating eligible Arizona postsecondary education institution as either a full-time or half-time undergraduate or graduate level student and who can demonstrate financial need are eligible for LEAP awards.

Students apply for LEAP awards at their institution’s financial aid office. All LEAP awards must be approved by the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education.

The maximum LEAP award is $2,500 and minimum is $100 per academic year. LEAP awards are grants and do not have to be repaid.