Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Requirements And How To Apply

Looking For Funding opportunities? Find Out About Arkansas Scholarship Lottery As Well As How To Apply. 

Arkansas Scholarship Lottery: Have you been looking for scholarship opportunities? Then you have come to the right platform for this information. In this article, I am going to show you everything you need to know Arkansas scholarship lottery as well as how to apply. If you are interested in this, then keep reading this article.

The Arkansas scholarship is well known to have funded a lot of college students all through the state. This means that a good mount of student do not need to stress about funding their education. This fund is available to Arkansas residents planning to attend college within the state. Let’s find out more about the Arkansas scholarship.

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Arkansas Scholarship Lottery

The Arkansas scholarship lottery is one responsible for the academic challenge scholarship. This award is divided into two which are for: the high school students and the nontraditional students. Although the eligibility requirements are different, they are both same amount for the award.

Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Requirements

For one to be able to apply for the Arkansas Scholarship lottery, here are the requirements one must meet:

1. 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)
• 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

2. 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.

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3. Additional Eligibility Criteria for Non-Traditional Students

• Enroll full-time or part-time status each Fall and Spring semester by the institution’s Census Date
  • Full-time = 15+ credit hours
  • Part-time = 6-14 credit hours
• If the applicant HAS NOT BEEN enrolled in an institution of higher education
  • Graduated 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
• If the applicant HAS BEEN enrolled in an institution of higher education
  • Has earned a postsecondary grade point average of at least 2.5 in completed courses.

4. Continuing Eligibility Criteria for Traditional Students

• Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA by the end of each Spring semester
• Complete 27 semester hours the first academic year and 30 semester hours each year thereafter
  • Students who are in their final year of the scholarship can receive a prorated amount if attending less than 15 hours
• Complete all remedial courses during the first 30 hours taken after receipt of the scholarship
• Be continuously enrolled unless student request for scholarship to be placed on hold (maximum hold of four semesters)
• Shall enroll in courses that lead toward a baccalaureate degree after:
  • Earning an associate degree; or
  • Having less than 4 semesters of funding left
• Will be renewed until recipient first:
  • Earns a baccalaureate degree
  • Receives all scheduled semester payments for the scholarship
  • Earns a total of 120 or more semester credit hours
    • If the recipient’s undergraduate degree requires more than 120 additional hours (not that the student is taking longer than 120 hours due to changing classes or programs) there may be an exception made to receive any remaining scheduled payments

5. Continuing Eligibility Criteria for Non-Traditional Students

• Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA by the end of each Spring semester
• Earns at least 15 credit hours each semester of full-time status and earns at least 6 credit hours each semester of part-time status (excluding summer terms)
• Be continuously enrolled, unless student requests for scholarship to be placed on hold (maximum hold of 4 semesters)
• Shall enroll in courses that lead toward a baccalaureate degree after:
  • Earning an associate degree; or
  • Having less than 4 semesters of funding left (having 72 or more earned hours on record)
• Will be renewed until the recipient meets one of the following situations:
  • Earns a baccalaureate degree
  • Receives all scheduled semester payments for the scholarship
  • Earns a total of 120 or more semester credit hours
    • If the recipient’s undergraduate degree requires more than 120 additional hours (not that the student is taking longer than 120 hours due to changing classes or programs) there may be an exception made to receive any remaining scheduled payments

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How To Apply For Arkansas Scholarship Lottery

If you are an Arkansas resident and you wish to apply for this scholarship, you can do so through the Arkansas department of higher education. There are several awards available which are for high school graduates, current college students, former college students and high school graduates that have never attended college.

Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Deadline

The annual deadline for the Arkansas scholarship lottery is July 1.

Who Can Apply For The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery?

1. 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.

2. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who Is Eligible For The Arkansas Lottery Scholarship?

For one to be eligible for the Arkansas lottery scholarship, one must be an Arkansas resident for at least 12 months prior to enrollment and a US citizen/ lawful permanent resident.

2. How Many Categories Is the Arkansas Lottery Scholarship?

The Arkansas lottery scholarship is divided into two categories.

3. How Many Hours Do You Need To Keep Arkansas Challenge Scholarship?

30 hours each year.

Conclusion  

This article has covered everything you need to know about the Arkansas scholarship lottery including the requirements. If you know you are eligible to take part in this, I would encourage you to do so and make sure you apply before the annual deadline. If you need more information on this topic, Please let us know in the comment section below.

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