University in United States
Tucson, AZ, United States
University profile
The University of Arizona, founded in 1885 and based in Tucson, Arizona, is the state's land-grant university and a public research institution. It holds Carnegie Research 1 (R1) classification, membership of the Association of American Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institution status, and records more than $1 billion in annual research activity. Fall 2025 enrolment was 54,384 students, and 13,217 degrees were awarded in 2025.
The main campus is a one-square-mile area in the heart of Tucson in the Sonoran Desert, with palm-lined paths and historic red-brick buildings including Old Main; it can be covered on foot, by bike or on the free streetcar. Beyond Tucson, the university runs the College of Medicine Phoenix, Arizona Online and a Near You Network of distance locations across Arizona.
Teaching is organised in 20 colleges: Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences; Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture; Education; Eller College of Management; Engineering; Fine Arts; the Graduate College; the W.A. Franke Honors College; Humanities; Information Science; the James E. Rogers College of Law; Medicine - Phoenix; Medicine - Tucson; Nursing; the Wyant College of Optical Sciences; the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; Science; Social & Behavioral Sciences; and Veterinary Medicine. Students choose from more than 150 majors, and graduate study spans 150+ master's degrees, 100+ doctoral programmes and 60+ graduate certificates.
Notable strengths include space science, optics, astronomy, water resources and geosciences, health and medicine, and environmental research. Campus life centres on 22 residence halls in four campus districts, dozens of fraternity and sorority houses, more than 400 student clubs and organisations, over 50 fraternities and sororities, and Arizona Athletics, with the rallying cry "Bear Down". Campus Health and Counseling & Psych Services provide medical and mental-health support, and students can study abroad for credit. Incoming first-year students are expected to live on campus, with some exemptions.
International students apply through the same process as U.S. students, and international undergraduate and graduate admissions have dedicated pages, English proficiency routes and a Global Wildcat scholarship programme. Doctoral, master's and undergraduate degrees are available in person in Tucson and online through Arizona Online.
Estimated annual undergraduate tuition and fees: $13,900 for Arizona residents and $44,400 for non-residents; tuition and fees are frozen for 2027-28. International undergraduate estimate: tuition and fees $46,068, living expenses $18,250, health insurance $2,765, approximately $67,083 a year. International graduate estimate: $0 (with a full-time assistantship) to $45,860 tuition and fees, living expenses $22,150, health insurance $2,765.
Federal Title IV aid (FAFSA) is for U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens; international students do not qualify. All applicants are automatically considered for merit tuition scholarships when they apply. Global Wildcat Tuition First-Year Award: competitive tuition scholarship for international first-year students, renewable for up to eight semesters (minimum 3.00 GPA, 30 units a year). Global Wildcat Transfer Tuition Award: $2,500 - $10,000, up to four semesters, plus $2,000 for qualifying Phi Theta Kappa members. GatosMX Tuition Discount: first-year students from high schools in Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa or Sonora pay about $21,000 a year in tuition. Early Action applicants (November 1) receive priority. 82% of new international undergraduates in fall 2024 received a Global Wildcat Scholarship.
Wildcat Tuition Award (Arizona residents) and Arizona Tuition Award (non-residents) are competitive tuition scholarships for first-time, full-time first-year students; the President's Saguaro Scholars Award (about 100 Arizona students annually), Baird Award, Flinn Semi-Finalist Tuition Award, Academic Decathlon awards and Foster Care Tuition Award also exist. Transfer awards include the Transfer Tuition Scholarship, Phi Theta Kappa Tuition Award and Online Transfer Tuition Scholarship. Awards renew for up to four years (eight semesters). Admitted students can search Scholarship Universe.
Arizona Promise Grant (tuition, fees and college fee for Pell-eligible Arizona residents), Arizona Native Scholars Grant, Earn to Learn, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study and Federal Direct Loans. File the FAFSA (school code 001083); financial aid offers arrive with the admission decision.
Most funding is through department assistantships (stipend, tuition remission, health insurance) and fellowships; 33% of graduate students hold an assistantship.
Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid | International undergraduate costs and scholarships
Global Wildcat Tuition First-Year Award →
Browse the scholarships listed for University of Arizona and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for University of Arizona →Applications are made through the Common App (about one hour; the 500-word essay is strongly encouraged). Application fee: $50 for Arizona residents, $80 for non-Arizona residents; non-transferable and non-refundable. Fall 2027 entry: the application opens August 1, 2026; the Early Action deadline is November 1, 2026 (priority consideration for admission, merit aid and W.A. Franke Honors College); Early Action decisions begin January 15, 2027; applications after November 1 move to Regular Decision on a space-available basis; the enrolment fee is due May 1.
Admission requires the Arizona Board of Regents course pattern: 4 years English, 4 years mathematics (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and an advanced course), 3 years laboratory science, 2 years social sciences (including 1 year American history), 2 years of the same second language and 1 year fine arts or career and technical education, with a 3.0 unweighted GPA in the 16 core courses, at least 2.0 in each subject area and no more than two deficiencies. Applicants who fall short may still be considered through comprehensive review. SAT and ACT scores are not required for admission, merit scholarships or the Honors College; submitted scores may be used for orientation placement. GED, HiSET and other equivalency results are accepted (for example GED 2014-present: at least 170 on each section and an overall average of 680 or above).
Applicants with 12 or more transferable post-high-school credits and a high school diploma are eligible. Applicants under 22 must meet the core competency requirements and hold a minimum 2.0 cumulative college GPA; applicants 22 or older need a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. Spring 2027 entry: application opens August 1, 2026, deadline December 1, 2026. Fall 2027 entry: opens January 1, 2027, deadline June 1, 2027. Official transcripts from all previous institutions are required.
International students follow the same application as U.S. students. Documents must be in English (certified translations recommended). English proficiency is required of applicants whose primary language is not English or who attended school in a non-English-speaking country. Undergraduate minimums include: TOEFL iBT 79 (tests before January 2026) or 4 on the 1-6 scale (after January 2026); IELTS Academic 6.5; Duolingo 110; PTE Academic 60; TOEFL Essentials 8.5; iTEP Academic 3.9; Cambridge 180/C1; ACT English 21; SAT EBRW 580. Coursework routes also count: Cambridge IGCSE/O Level C in English, IB English A Higher Level 5, four years of English at an accredited American or IB high school, or three years at a school taught in English with a C. Scores must be dated within two years of application. International undergraduate deadlines: Fall 2027 application opens August 1, Early Action November 1, commitment May 1; Spring 2027 transfer: December 1 regular deadline. Proof of finances is needed for the I-20.
Applications are submitted through GradApp and reviewed by individual programmes, each of which sets its own deadlines and requirements; the Graduate College requires no entrance exam, though many programmes require the GRE. International graduate applicants need a degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree (WES or ECE evaluations accepted) and English proficiency: TOEFL iBT 79 (or 4.0 on the 1-6 scale after January 21, 2026), IELTS 7 overall with no section below 6, PTE Academic 60, CEPT 110, or TOEFL Essentials 9.5 for master's programmes only; Duolingo is not accepted at graduate level. Conditional admission is available.
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