Arizona
Income-Based Scholarship
– 2020-21 Scholarship Applications – Check back here in March 2020 for updates
– 2019-20 Scholarship Applications – Closed – Submission Deadline was 11/11/19
– Check the Status of Your 2019-20 Application
– Parent and School Handbook – Click Here
– Frequently Asked Questions – Click Here
– Link to IRS Get Transcript Website for copies of Income Tax Returns or W-2 Information
– Need help locating a school? Try out our new School Finder Map and Private School Navigator
Arizona
Disabled-Displaced Scholarship (Lexie’s Law)
– 2020-21 Scholarship Applications – Check back here in March 2020 for updates
– 2019-20 Scholarship Applications – Closed – Submission Deadline was 8/19/19
– Check the Status of Your 2019-20 Application
– Parent and School Handbook – Click Here
– Frequently Asked Questions – Click Here
– Link to IRS Get Transcript Website for copies of Income Tax Returns or W-2 Information
How Scholarships are Awarded
Step 1) Apply with us.
In order to prove their eligibility, households must complete AAA’s application and provide supporting documentation by the stated deadline. The households must meet both the state and AAA’s requirements (click here for the 2019-20 AZ income eligibility chart). Each household member is required to provide proof of income. AAA does not rely on a household’s enrollment in a state food assistance or TANF program as proof of eligibility, a process sometimes referred to as “direct certification,” since those programs audit less than 3 percent of their recipient households.
In Arizona only, AAA scholarships are awarded for a 3-year period.
Step 2) We notify you of your eligibility determination.
Processing of applications is typically completed within ten to twelve weeks once ALL required documentation has been received and the application fee has been paid. Parents can check the status of their application by clicking on the “Check the Status of your Application” link.
If there is anything that we need from you in order to make an eligibility determination, we will contact you via email. Please be sure to check your email if your status is “On-Hold”. Once applications are in the “Completed” status, a determination letter will be mailed to the address on file within four to six weeks.
Households that are determined eligible AND have received funding for the upcoming school year will receive 1) a Scholarship Award Letter and 2) a School Commitment Form (SCF) in the mail directly from AAA. Those that are determined ineligible will receive a denial letter in the mail directly from AAA.
Please DO NOT enroll your student into a private school until you have actually received an AAA Scholarship Award Letter and SCF. Funding is not guaranteed. If you enroll your student before receipt of an SCF, you will be responsible for their tuition and fees and you may not qualify for future scholarship funding.
Step 3) If eligible, you tell us that you accept the scholarship.
The use of a scholarship cannot be postponed. For a private-school scholarship, the household must first find an eligible and appropriate private school for their child(ren). It is the parent/guardian’s right and responsibility to read and understand a private school’s admission and conduct policy before requesting to enroll their child(ren) in an eligible private school. The parent/guardian should not rely solely on the fact that a school meets the scholarship eligibility requirements to determine whether the school is appropriate for their child(ren). Likewise, parents/guardians should be aware that private schools set their own admission and conduct policies and are not required to enroll a student solely on the basis of their eligibility for a scholarship.
Failure to meet the deadline stated on the SCF will result in the forfeiture of the awarded scholarship. Families should make a copy of the blank SCF before taking it to an eligible private school in case they decide to transfer to a different eligible private school later in the year. By completing the school enrollment form, both the parents and the schools agree to abide by the terms of the AAA Parent/School Handbooks.
Schools should not accept any students without an SCF unless the household: 1) is willing to self-pay their tuition and fees until they are awarded a scholarship and 2) will self-pay if they are not. If a household receives a SCF in error or their eligibility is revoked, the private school that has enrolled the student will be notified as soon as possible. By accepting the scholarship student(s) and scholarship payment(s) the private school agrees to repay any incorrectly made or overpayment of funds on behalf of the student(s), regardless of the reason. Households that document eligibility but are placed on a waitlist do not have a scholarship unless they receive a Scholarship Award Letter and SCF at a later date.
Step 4) Scholarship payments are disbursed during the year.
Four times during the school year, AAA sends the school a verification form to ascertain whether the student remains enrolled and is current on any funds personally owed to the school. If the verification report is returned to us by the deadline, AAA then disburses one-quarter of the scholarship award in the form of a check, made payable to the parent/guardian but for deposit only by the school. The parent/guardian must restrictively endorse the check over to the school before it can be deposited.
Scholarship Values
The value of the awarded scholarship is limited by the state. In an effort to ensure that the neediest families receive the most help, AAA goes one step further and awards scholarships based on the following sliding scale:
- 100% scholarship for families with incomes of 185 (new applicants) and 200 (renewing applicants) percent of the federal poverty level
- 75% scholarship for families with incomes of between 201 and 225 percent of the federal poverty level
- 50% scholarship for families with incomes of between 226 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level