Arizona veteran education benefits
Stars rate how much each state offers veterans themselves for college, training and exam fees (family-only programs don't count): 5 = free public-college tuition for most resident veterans, no disability rating needed; 3 = partial grants or narrower eligibility; 1 = little or nothing beyond federal benefits. How we rate
Free undergraduate tuition, but only for Purple Heart recipients rated 50%+ and for survivors.
Checked Oct 7, 2026. State benefits change often. Confirm the details with the state agency before you apply.
Verify on the official page means we could not fully confirm that detail on the agency's own page.
For veterans
Tuition Waiver Scholarship – Purple Heart (A.R.S. 15-1808, Tier 1)
Verify on the official page
- What it covers
- Tuition waived for credits needed for an undergraduate degree at any Arizona public university or community college (on-campus or online). Excludes books, parking, course fees, room/board.
- Who qualifies and limits
- Former U.S. Armed Forces member who received a Purple Heart, was an AZ resident or stationed in AZ at the time of the injury, and has a VA disability rating of 50%+. Class 1-5 felony conviction disqualifies. Verified by ADVS.
Tuition Waiver Scholarship – Arizona National Guard
Verify on the official page
- What it covers
- Same undergraduate tuition waiver.
- Who qualifies and limits
- Current AZ Guard member with a Purple Heart on/after 9/11/2001, or former AZ Guard member medically discharged for injury/disability suffered on duty.
For spouses and children
Tuition Waiver Scholarship – surviving spouse/children (A.R.S. 15-1808)
Verify on the official page
- What it covers
- Undergraduate tuition waived at AZ public universities and community colleges.
- Who qualifies and limits
- Unremarried spouse or dependent child (up to age 30) of an AZ-resident or AZ-stationed service member or AZ Guard member killed in the line of duty. ABOR policy also covers children/spouses of AZ veterans/service members who suffered a post-traumatic stress injury in the line of duty and died by suicide.
If you left the service 15 to 20 years ago
No time-since-discharge limit on the Purple Heart waiver, but it requires a Purple Heart plus 50%+ rating. No broad benefit for other veterans.
Who to contact
- State veterans agency
- Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (ADVS)
- Education office
- ADVS Education / Arizona State Approving Agency
- State Approving Agency (approves schools and programs for the GI Bill)
- Arizona State Approving Agency (Arizona Department of Veterans' Services)
Sources we checked
- dvs.az.gov/services/education/tuition-waiver-and-verification-form
- azleg.gov/ars/15/01808.htm
- dvs.az.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/ADVS-Tuition-Waiver-and-Verific
- nasaa-vetseducation.com/nasaa-contacts/
Federal benefits such as the GI Bill and VR&E are separate. See the FAQ and the GI Bill programs.