University-Wide Scholarships for Currently Enrolled Students

The Academic Scholarship Office manages a "university-wide" scholarship competition, meaning that current UARK undergraduate and graduate students from any academic discipline are eligible to apply. Students must have completed the previous fall semester at the University of Arkansas. The scholarship competition seeks students with a high level of academic achievement coupled with leadership qualities, campus\community involvement, financial need, or who have achieved academic success despite significant adversity.

Submission Period

  • January 1, 2026 to February 15, 2026 (11:59 PM CST)

Eligibility

To be considered for the University-Wide Current Student Scholarship program, a student must:

  • be currently enrolled as a degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate student in good academic standing
  • plan to enroll as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student for the upcoming academic year
  • have completed the previous fall semester as a University of Arkansas undergraduate student
  • have submitted a complete General Application in the Academic Works system
  • complete their application within the Submission Period

Applications submitted outside the Submission Period, or partial applications, are not considered.

Selection Process

The University's Scholarship Review Committee will review all applications and consider the merit of the applicants' academic achievement, résumé, short answer about University experience, essay, and financial need. Academic achievement is first gauged by a high university GPA and then by other indicators of achievement such as undergraduate research. The academic résumé, short answer, and essay are used to put the GPA into a broader context and provide a holistic view of the applicant. A high GPA alone is not the sole determining factor in scholarship selection.

The majority of the scholarships awarded by the Academic Scholarship Office are determined from a student's academics and merits; however, there are scholarships where the awards are determined from other unique student information. Some scholarships require students to have demonstrated financial need, as determined by the FAFSA, in addition to high academics and merits. Other scholarships require students to be from a specific geographic region, have certain types of on-campus involvement, be non-traditional students, or have other unique characteristics.

Students that have been awarded from the University-Wide Current Student Scholarship Program will be notified generally no later than the end of the Spring term final exam period. Only awardees are notified by email and there will be no hard copy notifications sent. Application status may be checked via the AcademicWorks system.

Application Instructions

  1. Add scholars@uark.edu to your e-mail address book, as some e-mail servers may block this address. The AcademicWorks system sends messages from this address; please check your spam or junk folder if you are not receiving them.
  2. Prepare a short answer describing your University experience.
  3. Prepare a current academic résumé (approximately 2–3 pages). Your résumé must be formatted as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf document and should include out-of-classroom activities that demonstrate contributions to the University of Arkansas, northwest Arkansas, or your hometown communities.

    Please review the Tips for Creating a Résumé and suggested résumé format. Include high school information only if it supports a continued history of service during your college career.
  4. Compose an essay (approximately two pages; no specific style requirements). Your essay must be formatted as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf document.

    Several U.S. events over 2025 have prompted requests for civil discussion about difficult topics. Writer Dean Jackson offers this instruction: “Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.”

    Explain how you have applied these instructions and how doing so helped you better understand yourself or others. Discuss how it changed your attitude or practices. You may also describe how ignoring these instructions worsened a situation involving yourself or someone you attempted to understand.

    The Writing Studio offers free on-campus writing support to assist you in drafting your essay.
  5. Do not submit application materials directly to the Academic Scholarship Office. All materials must be submitted online unless specifically requested.
  6. All applicants must submit the completed General Application in the AcademicWorks system to be considered for the University-Wide Current Student Scholarship Program. Students are strongly encouraged to complete any recommended scholarship or program applications by the stated deadlines.
  7. Continue to the online application portal. You will sign in using your UARK ID and password. Within the AcademicWorks system, you may submit materials, save progress, check application status, and accept scholarship offers.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

Numerous opportunities exist in each College and Academic Department on campus. The Academic Scholarships Office strongly encourages you to visit the College and/or Academic Department in which your academic major is housed.

Questions?

Academic Scholarship Office
479-575-4464
scholars@uark.edu