MPA & MPP Financial Aid Information

To find the tuition and fees calculation for the MPA or MPP program, input the following:

1. Select Term: Fall 2023
2. Select Campus: Main
3. Select Career: Graduate
4. Select Start Term: Fall 2022 or Later
5. Select College: SBS College: Gov't and Public Policy: Master of Public Administration OR Master of Public Policy
6. Select Residency Status: Arizona Domicile or Non-Arizona Domicile/International. 
   • For information on Residency Status, please contact the Residency Classification Office.

Please note that if you are using the UA employee Educational Assistance Program (EAP), there is an option in the calculator to indicate this. 

There are limited funding opportunities in the School of Government & Public Policy in the form of partial tuition waivers and on occasion, graduate assistant positions for MPA and MPP students. These funding opportunities are very competitive and PhD students in the department are given priority of the GA positions, therefore it is strongly recommended to also seek opportunities in other departments around campus.  If you are admitted and enrolled in a program at the University, you may also search for available job opportunities through the University of Arizona's student job/internship posting page, entitled Handshake. You may also contact departments across campus directly to inquire if they will hire students from outside of their department for graduate assistant positions. 

Additional information on graduate funding can be found at https://gradcenter.arizona.edu/funding.

Students participating in the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for tuition reduction are not eligible for department funding.

Students applying to the program should indicate their interest in receiving financial aid when applying to the program.

Incoming students interested in local government may apply for the Keane Fellowship (even years only), the Valdez Fellowship or Local Government Management Fellowship (odd years only).  Students applying to the program should indicate their interest in receiving financial aid when applying to the program.

Current students interested in local government may apply for the Tucson Fellowship (every fall). All Fellowships are designed to identify the country's most talented students aspiring to executive levels in local government. Please see the links for more information about what is required, and to view the separate application.

Additional fellowship opportunities can be found at https://sgpp.arizona.edu/mpa-mpp-fellowships.

There are many scholarships and grants available each semester to current and incoming students.  As many of these opportunities become available throughout the semester or year, students and applicants are encouraged to seek funding tips at https://grad.arizona.edu/futurestudents/funding-tips.

Domestic students are strongly encouraged to submit a FAFSA and contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to discuss federal student aid options with an expert on the subject.

Scholarship Universe is another resources and an exclusive scholarship database for University of Arizona students.  Please note that many of these scholarships are need-based, meaning that a FAFSA is required for awarding eligibility.

Additional scholarship opportunities can be found at https://sgpp.arizona.edu/mpa-mpp-scholarship-opportunities.

As previously noted, SGPP funding is limited and competitive.  Therefore, it is unfortunate that most master's students will need to finance their graduate education with external funding sources.

A list of additional external funding sources can be found on these respective pages:

• Job Opportunities
• Scholarships
• Fellowships

This fellowship is available to students who are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who wish to attend graduate school. For more information and application details, please see information on the Coverdell Fellows. 

Please keep in mind that the Coverdell Fellows Program typically comes with a 0.25 FTE graduate assistantship offer.  Most GA positions within the University of Arizona are at 0.50 FTE, therefore if you accept the 0.25 FTE GAship as a Coverdell Fellow, you may accept another GA position from another department on campus at 0.25 FTE.  Please keep this in mind when deciding on graduate funding possibilities.