Arkansas Scholarships

High school juniors and seniors in Arkansas understand that scholarships are essential for affording a four-year university education. But which scholarships are the best options in Central Arkansas? Here are the top five to consider.

FIVE Coming in first is the one for the scholar students. The Governor's Distinguished Scholarship awards up to $10,000 per year. "The Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship is the most academically rigorous scholarship program offered for those graduating high school seniors scoring either a minimum composite or superscore of 32 on the ACT or 1410 on the SAT and a 3.5 unweighted, cumulative grade point average". To learn more visit the ADHE website. 

FOUR Arkansas Academic Scholarship is much easier to earn, however, it only pays $1000 the first year, then $4000, $4000 and $5000 the 4th year. "Students must have an ACT composite score or superscore of at least a 19 (or an equivalent of a 19 composite on an equivalent test).  Traditional students must begin attendance in at least 12 credit hours the first Fall semester following high school graduation and at least 15 credit hours each semester thereafter to receive their funds that semester.  They must then earn at least 27 credit hours in their first academic year and at least 30 credit hours each academic year thereafter with a 2.5 cumulative GPA." 

THREE Your university scholarship is the next place to look. Each university will offer academic scholarships based on gpa. For example, UCA offers a Future Leaders scholarship for a 3.5 GPA, however it is $1000. These vary among institutions. Take a look also at ATU and U of A. 

TWO Unique to you scholarships are areas in your specialty, talent, or social connections. Examples would be sports scholarships, church associations, or the field of teaching. Arkansas has two different programs for teaching degrees financial assistance. Explore these on the ADHE site.  

ONE Last but not least is the area of greatest need. The Arkansas Workforce Challenge is funded by lottery revenue. The purpose of the scholarship is for workforce training in high-demand areas of healthcare, information technology, and industry. Visit Discover Arkansas for more information. 

This is by far not an all-inclusive list. There are numerous scholarships to seek out such as essay, community, memorial, industry, and so on. Google and find those that fit you.