University-Wide Scholarships for Currently Enrolled Students

The Academic Scholarship Office manages a "university-wide" scholarship competition, meaning that current UA undergraduate and graduate students from any academic discipline are eligible to apply. Students must have completed the previous fall semester at the UA. 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, 2024 to February 15, 2024 (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 will block this address. The AcademicWorks system will send emails from this email address; please check your spam\junk folder if you are not receiving them.
  2. Prepare a short answer about 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) that includes out-of-classroom activities that you have participated in during your college career, demonstrating contributions to the University of Arkansas, northwest Arkansas, or your hometown communities. The academic résumé is used to place your GPA into a broader context. Please read the Tips for Creating a Résumé for guidance on preparing your academic résumé, as well as review a suggested format. Only include relevant high school information that would support your work or continued history of service during your college career.
  4. Compose an essay (approximately two pages; there are no style requirements; your essay must be formatted as a .doc .docx or .pdf document) on the following topic: Student Success is one of the three pillars of the University of Arkansas’ strategic planning process, 150 Forward, as ONE University, under Chancellor Robinson. What are two or three major things you need to be successful while at the U of A and why?
    The Writing Studio offers free on-campus writing support that you can use to assist in drafting your essay.
  5. Please do not submit any application materials to the Academic Scholarship Office. All pieces of the scholarship application will be submitted online unless specifically requested.
  6. All applicants must submit the completed General Application in the AcademicWorks system in order to be considered for the University-Wide Current Student Scholarship Program. Students are then strongly encouraged to follow through and complete any applications for specific scholarships and\or programs that they are recommended for by the stated deadlines.
  7. Continue to the online application portal. You will be asked to sign in with your UARK ID and Password into the "AcademicWorks – University of Arkansas" system. In the "AcademicWorks – University of Arkansas" system, you will be able to submit all application materials, save and come back to your application, check the status of your application, and accept any 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