Arizona’s flagship scholarships

Flinn. Dorrance. Obama Scholars. Arizona Promise. NAU STAR. Most students hear these names senior year — after the window to build the profile has closed. Check where you stand while there’s still runway.

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A few questions — answered on your device, never stored

Are you an Arizona resident (attending an AZ high school)?

What grade are you in?

First-generation? (Neither parent finished a 4-year degree)

Family income, roughly

Unweighted GPA

Top ~5% of your class?

You're on track for 1 of Arizona's flagship programs.

Where you stand

Flinn Scholarship

Probably not this one

Full ride at ASU, UA, or NAU honors (tuition, fees, room & board) plus funded study abroad — commonly valued well over $130,000. About 20 awarded a year.

Flinn’s academic floor (3.5+ unweighted GPA, top ~5% rank) is firm in practice.
If the GPA can still move, it’s worth the push — and every other program on this page has a lower bar.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Next moves

Junior year is the build year: push class rank, take the hardest schedule you can handle, and go deep (not wide) on one or two activities you lead.
Put the early-October senior-year deadline on your calendar now — it arrives faster than you think.

Verify: flinn.org

Dorrance Scholarship

Probably not this one

About $12,000 a year for four years at ASU, UA, or NAU (~$48,000), plus a summer bridge program and study-abroad support — built specifically for first-generation students.

Dorrance is specifically for first-generation students — neither parent holding a four-year degree.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Verify: dorrancescholarship.org

ASU Obama Scholars

Probably not this one

ASU’s program covering essentially the full cost of freshman year (and renewable support after) for low-income Arizona students — packaged automatically from your FAFSA.

The program targets low-income families — the income cap is strict (historically in the low-$40,000s).
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Next moves

If your family’s income recently dropped, file the FAFSA anyway and tell ASU’s aid office — special circumstances count.

Verify: asu.edu (search “Obama Scholars”)

Arizona Promise Program

Probably not this one

A state last-dollar award covering what’s left of tuition and fees at ASU, UA, or NAU after your other grants — for Pell-eligible Arizona residents.

Tied to Pell eligibility, which your income band makes unlikely.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Next moves

Run the aid estimator — Pell reaches further up the income scale than most families expect.

Verify: az grants portal / your university’s aid office

NAU STAR Scholarship

On track

Full tuition for four years at Northern Arizona University — commonly valued at $20,000–$32,000+ over four years for Arizona residents.

Arizona resident with a 3.0+ GPA — you meet the core eligibility for NAU STAR.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.
A 3.0–3.49 GPA qualifies; confirm the exact award tier on the NAU site.

Next moves

Apply to NAU by November for priority scholarship consideration.
STAR is renewable — maintain the required GPA each year to keep it.

Verify: nau.edu (search "STAR scholarship")

All Arizona state aid programs Browse hundreds more scholarships Estimate your Pell eligibility

Directional, not a determination — criteria and amounts shift year to year, and each program’s official site is the authority. The point is hearing about these with enough runway to act. Nothing you answer here is stored or sent anywhere.

Where you stand

Flinn Scholarship

Probably not this one

Full ride at ASU, UA, or NAU honors (tuition, fees, room & board) plus funded study abroad — commonly valued well over $130,000. About 20 awarded a year.

Flinn’s academic floor (3.5+ unweighted GPA, top ~5% rank) is firm in practice.
If the GPA can still move, it’s worth the push — and every other program on this page has a lower bar.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Next moves

Junior year is the build year: push class rank, take the hardest schedule you can handle, and go deep (not wide) on one or two activities you lead.
Put the early-October senior-year deadline on your calendar now — it arrives faster than you think.

Verify: flinn.org

Dorrance Scholarship

Probably not this one

About $12,000 a year for four years at ASU, UA, or NAU (~$48,000), plus a summer bridge program and study-abroad support — built specifically for first-generation students.

Dorrance is specifically for first-generation students — neither parent holding a four-year degree.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Verify: dorrancescholarship.org

ASU Obama Scholars

Probably not this one

ASU’s program covering essentially the full cost of freshman year (and renewable support after) for low-income Arizona students — packaged automatically from your FAFSA.

The program targets low-income families — the income cap is strict (historically in the low-$40,000s).
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Next moves

If your family’s income recently dropped, file the FAFSA anyway and tell ASU’s aid office — special circumstances count.

Verify: asu.edu (search “Obama Scholars”)

Arizona Promise Program

Probably not this one

A state last-dollar award covering what’s left of tuition and fees at ASU, UA, or NAU after your other grants — for Pell-eligible Arizona residents.

Tied to Pell eligibility, which your income band makes unlikely.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.

Next moves

Run the aid estimator — Pell reaches further up the income scale than most families expect.

Verify: az grants portal / your university’s aid office

NAU STAR Scholarship

On track

Full tuition for four years at Northern Arizona University — commonly valued at $20,000–$32,000+ over four years for Arizona residents.

Arizona resident with a 3.0+ GPA — you meet the core eligibility for NAU STAR.
Criteria shift year to year — confirm on the official site before planning around it.
A 3.0–3.49 GPA qualifies; confirm the exact award tier on the NAU site.

Next moves

Apply to NAU by November for priority scholarship consideration.
STAR is renewable — maintain the required GPA each year to keep it.

Verify: nau.edu (search "STAR scholarship")

Arizona’s flagship scholarships

Where you stand

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Arizona’s flagship scholarships

Where you stand