The AZ Comeback Initiative reflects a statewide commitment to ensure all Arizonans have access to a postsecondary degree and a clear, supported path to completion — no matter where they start.
About
Launched by the ÌÇÐÄTV¹ÙÍø with support from Helios Education Foundation, the AZ Comeback Initiative is a coordinated effort with Arizona’s public universities — Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona — to re-engage students with some college but no degree. With nearly 770,000 Arizonans with some college, the initiative is designed to help these learners return, persist and earn a credential supporting their goals while strengthening the state’s workforce.
Learn More
Take the next step to earning your degree or credential by connecting directly with your institution:
Arizona State University
Contact: 844-691-2243
Email: re-entry@asu.edu
Northern Arizona University
Contact: JJ Boggs
Email: jj.boggs@nau.edu
University of Arizona
Contact: Marqus Dorame
Email: marqusdorame@arizona.edu
For general inquiries about the AZ Comeback Initiative, please the ÌÇÐÄTV¹ÙÍø.
Goals
Building on existing programs at each university, the AZ Comeback Initiative pilots innovative, evidence-based approaches to reduce barriers to reentry and provide tailored support. An independent evaluation, led by WestEd, will assess the impact of these pilot strategies, monitor key outcomes and offer data-driven insights to guide sustained improvements.
A central component of the AZ Comeback Initiative is the establishment of a Community of Practice that brings together campus leadership to foster cross-institutional learning, share promising practices and collaboratively address common challenges. Insights and lessons learned will be disseminated across Arizona’s higher education ecosystem through community events and the development of a comprehensive playbook aimed at scaling what works across the state.
Re-engage learners with some college but no credential and support their return to postsecondary education.
Reduce barriers to re-entry and completion through targeted, evidence-based interventions.
Pilot and evaluate scalable strategies that lead to credential completion and career advancement.
Foster cross-institutional collaboration through a Community of Practice that accelerates shared learning.
Develop a comprehensive playbook to guide long-term adoption and statewide scaling of successful practices.
Universities
Each university brings a tailored approach to the initiative — rooted in strengthening existing programs.
Arizona State University’s pilot program builds on the university’s successful Project Finish Now and Project Start Back campaigns. ASU is using workforce-aligned outreach and personalized coaching to re-engage students who were previously within two semesters of earning a degree. The program emphasizes the value of degree completion and provides targeted scholarship support for reenrolled students.
Northern Arizona University is expanding its program, which has already demonstrated success in helping returning adult learners complete their degrees. The pilot introduces a new guaranteed $500 financial incentive for a select group of students, alongside personalized coaching and academic support. This approach is designed to assess the role of upfront financial aid in improving persistence and degree completion rates.
The University of Arizona is launching its first centralized re-engagement pilot by leveraging lessons learned from its . The pilot targets former students who left in good standing and could return via Arizona Online. In addition to eliminating application fees, the university will provide individualized academic and financial support, especially for underrepresented and first-generation students.