Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Arkansas Department of Higher Education

The Arkansas Academic Challenge Program provides scholarships to Arkansas residents pursuing higher education. Funded in large part by the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship is available to students regardless of their academic status, whether just graduating from high school, currently enrolled in college, enrolling in college for the first time, or re-enrolling after a period of time out of college.

Annual Deadline: July 1

Requirements

See below for basic eligibility information.  For more detailed information on eligibility requirements for Traditional and Non-traditional students, please see the Rules and Regulations listed at the bottom of this webpage.

Award Amount

4 Year Institutions: $1,000 freshman year | $4,000 sophomore year | $4,000 junior year | $5,000 senior year. 2 Year Institutions: $1,000 freshman year | $3,000 sophomore year

Who May Apply:

Traditional: Students applying for the upcoming expecting to attend an approved college or university in the academic year following your graduation from a public high school, a private or out-of-state high school, or homeschool 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.  Freshmen finishing their first academic year who did not apply or qualify for Academic Challenge Scholarship may be considered a Traditional student if they were enrolled as a full-time first-time freshman and completed 27 hours with a 2.5 GPA in their first academic year.   If they do not have 27 hours at the end of Spring, they can still apply as Non-Traditional. Non-Traditional Students are defined as students who are currently in college and did not receive Challenge, as well as adults who have completed some college but do not have a degree.

Non-Traditional: Students with some or no college credit can qualify.  If you have some college credit and have a cumulative college GPA of at least 2.5.  A student with no college credit can qualify as Non-Traditional if they have an ACT composite score or superscore of at least 19 (or an equivalent of a 19 composite on an equivalent test). Non-traditional students may begin attendance in less than the required amount of semester credit hours that Traditional students need and still receive a pro-rated amount of the scholarship for that semester. They must also maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 and earn the appropriate amount of hours based on if they attended full-time (15+ credit hours) or part-time (less than 15 credit hours) each semester.

Basic Eligibility Criteria (Traditional & Non-Traditional Student)

An applicant must:

• Be an Arkansas resident (at least 12 months prior to enrollment and a US citizen/lawful permanent resident)
• Be accepted for admission at an approved institution of higher education in a program of study that leads to a baccalaureate degree, associate degree, qualified certificate, or a nursing school diploma
• Not have previously earned a baccalaureate degree
• Not have previously earned a total of 120 or more semester credit hours.
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (income is not a determining factor for this scholarship) (due by August 1, 2024)
• Not owe a refund on a federal or state student financial aid grant for higher education
• Not borrowed in excess of annual federal loan limits
• Not be incarcerated at the time of application for or during the time the applicant receives the scholarship
• Have complied with the United States Selective Service System requirements for registration
• Certify to be drug-free

Additional Eligibility Criteria for Traditional Students

• Enroll in full-time status each Fall and Spring semester by the institution’s Census Date
  • Full-Time refers to 15 credit hours as defined by the law of the scholarship even though your institution may consider 12 hours full-time status for other purposes
  • First-time freshman may enroll in 12 hours for their first Fall semester but must enroll in 15 hours each semester thereafter to be considered full-time and paid the scholarship funds for each semester
  • Students must enroll in full-time status at one institution
  • Students who complete their bachelor's degree at the end of a term may be enrolled in less than 15 hours and still be awarded a prorated award amount based on their hours
• Graduate from a public school, private school, home school, or received their GED
• Has a minimum ACT composite or superscore of 19 or an equivalent score on an ACT equivalent test listed later on this webpage
  • Applicants who have a disability identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20U.S.C.§ 1400 et seq., as it existed on July 1, 2009, must also meet the ACT or ACT equivalent testing requirement
    • Typically students who don’t do well on the ACT substitute the Next-Generation Accuplacer since there is no time limit and testing accommodations can be requested
• Students who are enrolled as a full-time first-time freshman and either missed the previous deadline to apply or didn’t qualify for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship directly after finishing high school may also be considered for Traditional status if they meet the following:
  • Successfully completed at least 27 semester hours in the academic year immediately following high school graduation; and
  • Achieved a postsecondary grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale as a full-time first-time freshman.