Friday, July 1 is the deadline to apply for the Arkansas Academic Scholarship for students planning to enroll in a two- or four-year college or university in the fall.
Applicants can be new high school graduates, students already enrolled in college and older, non-traditional students wanting to further their education.
Since 2010, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) has helped raise more than $1.1 billion to fund more than 675,000 scholarships for students attending 51 Arkansas college and universities – both public and private.
To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be an Arkansas resident for at least 12 months prior to enrollment and receive at least a 19 on the ACT. To maintain eligibility, students must keep a 2.5 GPA.
“The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery was started with the mission of helping Arkansas students realize their higher education goals,” said Eric Hagler, ASL executive director. “We have never deviated from that objective and are proud that more than 92 cents of every dollar raised through the sale of lottery tickets goes to scholarships, prizes, retailer commissions and other expenses.”
Scholarship award amounts are:
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.
The lottery also helps fund two other scholarships:
The Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship is available for those attending technical schools. It is for students seeking certifications in high-demand occupations, such as healthcare and information technology.
The Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Award provides financial incentives to eligible high school students who want to get an early start on college courses.