ASTATE Spirit Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Arkansas State University

Overview

The ASTATE Spirit Scholarship is administered by the ASU Financial Aid & Scholarships Office and is awarded to selected high school seniors. Awards are limited, subject to available state-supported funds, and may be adjusted by Arkansas State University as funding or applicant pools change. The scholarship applies only to coursework taken on the Arkansas State University–Jonesboro (ASUJ) campus, with some exceptions noted below. Questions about the program should be directed to the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office.

Description: A merit-based institutional scholarship offered during the student’s high school senior year for qualifying applicants who enroll at ASU-Jonesboro.

• Administered by ASU Financial Aid & Scholarships Office.
• Awarded to selected high school seniors; limited number available.
• Applies primarily to ASU–Jonesboro campus coursework.

Eligibility

Eligibility requires U.S. citizenship and high school graduation status during the senior year. Applicants must be admitted to Arkansas State University and submit an admissions application (with fee), official ACT or SAT scores, and an official six-semester high school transcript. Minimum academic criteria include an ACT composite score of 24 and a 3.250 high school GPA based on the six-semester transcript. Matriculation to ASUJ must occur in the Fall term immediately following high school graduation.

Eligibility: U.S. citizens graduating high school who meet admission and academic standards and enroll at ASU–Jonesboro in the Fall following graduation.

• U.S. citizens only; awarded during high school senior year.
• Required documents: admissions application, test scores, six-semester transcript.
• Minimums: ACT 24 and 3.250 GPA (six-semester transcript).

Award Details

The ASTATE Spirit Scholarship provides $3,000 annually, distributed across the Fall and Spring semesters. Awards pay for courses taken on the ASU–Jonesboro campus (Paragould campus classes are approved for recipients), but all online programs are ineligible for institutional scholarships. The scholarship continues for up to eight consecutive semesters or until the undergraduate degree is completed, provided the student meets renewal and enrollment requirements. Dependents of faculty and staff who receive the award will be paid 25% of the scholarship value per semester in addition to the faculty/staff discount.

Award Value: $3,000 per year, split between Fall and Spring; duration up to eight consecutive semesters or until degree completion.

• $3,000 annually, split between Fall and Spring.
• Valid for ASU–Jonesboro coursework; Paragould campus permitted.
• Not available for online programs; duration limited to eight consecutive semesters or degree completion.

Application Timeline

The application deadline is December 1 of the student’s high school senior year. Award letters are mailed the third week of December to selected recipients. Recipients must accept the scholarship by May 1 of their senior year; acceptance within 30 days is recommended, and offers not accepted by May 1 become invalid. All awards are contingent on available state-supported funds and a limited number of awards are offered.

Application Timeline: Apply by December 1; award letters mailed in mid-December; accept the award by May 1 (recommended within 30 days).

• Application deadline: December 1 of senior year.
• Award letters mailed third week of December.
• Acceptance deadline: May 1 (offer expires after this date).

Recipient Responsibilities

Recipients must enroll full time at ASU–Jonesboro, defined as 15 college-level credit hours on the ASUJ campus during each Fall and Spring semester, with enrollment locked as of the 11th class day. Concurrent enrollment at another campus or institution cannot be used to meet full-time status and will result in forfeiture of scholarship payments for those hours. Recipients must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree; any full-time enrollment at another college, university, technical college, or ASU branch during a regular semester following high school will automatically forfeit the scholarship.

Accepting and Maintaining: Accept by May 1; enroll in 15 ASUJ credit hours each Fall and Spring; notify the Scholarships Office in writing or by email if you decide to attend another institution (scholarships@astate.edu).

• Full-time ASUJ enrollment of 15 college-level credit hours required each Fall and Spring.
• Concurrent enrollment elsewhere is not permitted and forfeits the award.
• Must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree and matriculate the Fall after high school.

Renewal Policy

To renew the scholarship, students must maintain an overall 3.250 GPA and successfully complete 30 ASUJ hours each academic year (Fall and Spring combined). Accepted transfer credits are calculated into the overall GPA, and incomplete grades can jeopardize renewal. Students who receive all W’s, F’s, WN’s, I’s, and/or FN’s at the end of any Fall term will lose the scholarship for subsequent semesters. Recipients at Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior level who fail renewal criteria at the end of Spring have until the end of Summer II to achieve a 3.250 GPA and complete 30 ASUJ hours (Fall, Spring, and both Summers combined), otherwise the scholarship will be forfeited; all probation coursework must be ASUJ hours.

Scholarship Renewal: Maintain a 3.250 overall GPA and complete 30 ASUJ hours per academic year; probation rules apply with a Summer II deadline to remedy deficits.

• Maintain overall 3.250 GPA and complete 30 ASUJ hours annually.
• All accepted transfer credits count toward GPA.
• Failure conditions include receiving all W/F/I-type grades or not meeting probation requirements by Summer II.

Contact and Administrative Changes

Questions and requests for exceptions (including military exceptions) should be directed to the ASU Financial Aid & Scholarships Office at (870) 972-2310. If a recipient accepts the scholarship and later decides to attend another university, they must notify the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office in writing or by email. Arkansas State University reserves the right to modify or discontinue the scholarship program at any time based on funding and the pool of eligible applicants.

Contact: Financial Aid & Scholarships Office, (870) 972-2310; scholarships@astate.edu.

• Contact the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office for questions and exceptions.
• Notify the office in writing or by email if you decline the scholarship after acceptance.
• University may change the program based on funding and eligibility.