Audio by Varun Bajaj Supervisor Melissa Guz
By Varun Bajaj
Staff

In an effort to decrease spending, the Arizona Board of Regents decided to reduce the ABOR High Honors Tuition Scholarship in Sept. 2010.  Starting in 2013, Arizona students will not be offered full tuition waivers by achieving an exceeding score on all three Arizona Instruments to Measure Standards exams.

To combat the cut, high school counselors, like Jill Ronsman of Tucson High Magnet School, have provided students with Career and College Centers to help students find financial aid and scholarship opportunities. 

“The more you look, the more you research [scholarships], the money is there. And you can probably earn more money by spending your time looking for scholarships and applying than you can working at, you know, at a fast food on the weekends,” Ronsman said.

Though she feels like a student can still find scholarships, she went on to discuss her fears with the AIMS scholarship deduction.

“I do feel that a lot of our students won’t be able to go, or at least start, at the University due to the AIMS tuition waiver,” she said.

Kasey Urquidez, University of Arizona Dean of Admissions, said that the AIMS reductions won’t affect future enrollment.

“I don’t feel like it’s going to decrease the amount of students that have the opportunity to come to school because the AIMS award isn’t there. We will continue to reach out to the students broadly and make sure they have a good understanding of what merit and need based aids are available,” she stated.

The UA spends 17 percent of tuition income on financial aid and scholarships.

“No money [of the 17 percent] is being removed and used other places or to fund other things. It’s still going to go to students,” Urquidez said.
By Varun Bajaj
Staff

Scholarship Criteria
In order to qualify for this tuition scholarship, students must have Arizona residency with lawful immigration status (as defined by the University Admission Office), AND meet the academic criteria listed below.

Part 1 (Course Competency)

Students must complete all 16 Core Competency Courses by graduation with a B* or better in each unit of credit awarded or receive an acceptable score (see Table 1) on the Advance Placement (AP) test or a 4 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) test for that subject area.

The 16 Core Competency Courses as defined by the Arizona Board of Regents Tri-University Admission requirements are: 4 units English; 4 units Math; 3 units Lab Science; 2 units Social Science; 2 units Foreign Language; and 1 unit Fine Arts.

* A “C” in a weighted course in any credit bearing unit of a core course does not convert to a “B”. The grade is as reflected on the student’s transcript.

If a student receives a “C” in a core course he/she must complete one of the following options to remain eligible:

Retake the unit of credit and receive a “B” or better

Take an additional unit of credit in that subject matter and receive a “B” or better

Receive an Acceptable Score ( ee Table 1) on the Advance Placement (AP) Test or a 4 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) test for that subject area

Part 2 (GPA/Class Rank)

Students must meet at least ONE of the following academic requirements:

Option 1 – GPA: A CORE GPA of 3.50 IN THE 16 CORE COMPETENCY COURSES on an un-weighted 4.00 scale or for those districts which use a 5.00 scale for IB/AP/Honors courses, an equivalent CORE GPA on a weighted scale that meets or exceeds the value in Table 2.

Option 2 – Class Rank: Student is in the top 5% of high school graduating class upon graduation.

AND

Part 3 (AIMS Exams)

Students must meet the following assessment options:

Option 1: EXCEED Standards on all 3 of the AIMS Exams (Reading, Writing, and Math) by the end of junior year. The AIMS Science exam does not count as one of the 3 AIMS exams, for purposes of this scholarship.

Option 2: EXCEED Standards on 2 of the AIMS HS Exams (Reading, Writing, and Math) and MEET Standards on 1 of the AIMS HS Exams by the end of their junior year. Additionally, student would need to receive a minimum score of 3 on any two Advanced Placement tests or a minimum score of 4 on any two International Baccalaureate exams. AP/IB exams may be taken during the senior year. For additional information, see FAQ #12.

For the high school graduating class of 2013 and beyond:

AND

Part 4 (SAT1/ACT)

Students must meet at least one of the following admissions test options and submit scores to the university they apply to

Option 1: At least a 28 on the ACT test

Option 2: At least a 1300 on the SAT1 test (critical reading & math, excluding essay)



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