Arkansas Scholarship Application Deadline Approaching

Students planning to enroll in a two, or four-year college or university this fall have until July 1 to apply for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.

This scholarship is open to traditional and non-traditional students as well, whether they are recent high school graduates, currently enrolled college students, first-time college students, or returning to college after a break. Since it began in 2009, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) has generated over $1.3 billion and has funded more than 770,000 scholarships for students at 52 public and private colleges and universities in Arkansas.

Impressively, over 92 cents of every dollar raised from lottery ticket sales are allocated to scholarships, prizes, retailer commissions, and other state expenses.

Requirements:

Eligibility for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship requires that students must have been Arkansas residents for at least 12 months before enrollment and must have scored at least a 19 on the ACT. Additionally, recipients must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 to keep their scholarship.

Scholarship award amounts for the Arkansas Academic Challenge are as follows:

Four-year college:

Year 1: $1,000
Year 2: $4,000
Year 3: $4,000
Year 4: $5,000

Two-year college:

Year 1: $1,000
Year 2: $3,000

ASL also funds several other scholarships:

Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship: Available to students pursuing certifications in high-demand fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, and information technology. The award can be up to $800 for a single program. Applications must be submitted at least 30 days before enrollment in an eligible program.
Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship: Provides financial support to eligible high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors taking college courses. The scholarship offers $125 per course for up to two concurrent credit courses per semester.
Arkansas Challenge Plus Scholarship: Provides additional funding for students with an Academic Challenge Scholarship based on financial need. Challenge Plus will start accepting applications this fall.

This, is what the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery is for, so let's get those applications done and in before it's too late.

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) administers these scholarship programs and is responsible for selecting recipients. For more information about these scholarships or to apply, contact ADHE at 501-371-2000 or visit sams.adhe.edu.