Changing campuses or moving online: will your scholarship transfer?
Do not assume a scholarship follows you to another campus or an online program just because the university name stays familiar. Institutional awards can be tied to a campus, billing arrangement or enrollment format.
Before requesting the change, get a revised aid estimate for the destination. A lower tuition rate can arrive alongside the loss of an award, and some terms away may still use up eligibility.
Two policies that make campus choice a funding decision
On a smaller screen, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Example | Published boundary | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| University of Arizona, change to Arizona Online | Its policy lists institutional grants and tuition merit awards cancelled by the move, with separate conditions for possible merit reinstatement. | Do not assume a later move back restores every award or the original time limit. |
| University of Missouri system | Campuses are separate for enrollment, billing and financial aid; awards do not automatically apply across campuses. | Ask the home financial-aid office about the exact arrangement before enrolling elsewhere. |
Sources: Arizona campus-change policy and Missouri aid terms, checked October 29, 2026. These are institution-specific policies, not rules for every online degree.
Track eligibility as well as the new payment
Arizona says terms away from Main campus count against the tuition scholarship’s total eligibility. Its policy distinguishes potential merit reinstatement from institutional grants that cannot be reinstated after the initial move to Arizona Online. A change before attending even one Main-campus semester forfeits the initially offered tuition merit award without reinstatement. Ask the office to identify your awards by name and your remaining terms.
For a hypothetical student with four terms left, spending two terms elsewhere may not mean four funded terms remain on return. The relevant question is whether the eligibility clock pauses, not simply whether money was paid during the absence.
A campus change needs a new full budget
Compare tuition, fees, housing, transport and the revised aid package for the same period. If you take classes at more than one campus, ask which institution bills each course and whether any approved agreement is needed for aid. One portal or shared system branding does not mean the colleges pay one another’s bills.
Also check whether your major, course sequencing and expected graduation date change. Saving money in the next term may not save money overall if the move adds another term that existing aid will not cover. That outcome is not inevitable, but it should be tested with an actual degree plan.
Before submitting the change
Request the effective date, destination award amounts, eligibility balance and return rules in writing. Keep them with the campus-change confirmation and your scholarship renewal record. A confirmed revised package is the useful basis for the decision; an old award letter is not.