Facilities Management Educational Scholarship

Please click here to access the online scholarship application form.

New Employee Applicants

Qualifying Criteria

To be eligible for this scholarship, the new employee applicant must meet all of the following criteria:

• The applicant must be a full-time, benefits-eligible employee of Facilities Management, Procurement Services, or Department of Public Safety.
• The applicant must have a high school diploma or GED.
• The applicant must be admitted to the university or college the student will be attending.
• The applicant’s student account balance must reflect an outstanding balance owed after all other financial aid (e.g. Pell grants, other scholarships, student loans, etc.) has been applied. If there isn’t an outstanding balance, the applicant can purchase textbooks for up to 3 credit hours per semester during the fall and spring terms with scholarship funds.
• If the applicant will be an undergraduate student taking 6 credit hours or more when submitting this application, the FAFSA must be completed and submitted to determine eligibility for federal Pell grants.
• All interested first-time applicants must provide a handwritten or typed one-page essay stating why they are a good candidate for the scholarship and what goals they have for attending college.

Hours Allowed

The scholarship will pay the applicant’s outstanding account balance for ONLY 3 credit hours during the first semester of receiving the scholarship. An applicant may enroll in more credit hours; however, the student will be responsible for paying the balance in excess of the 3 credit hours allowed unless the applicant meets the GPA requirements as defined.

The scholarship will not fund courses taken during the summer unless the applicant has demonstrable extenuating circumstances. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Employees must obtain approval from their supervisor if they are planning to enroll in classes during their normal work hours during any semester term.

GPA Requirements

First-time applicants do not have a GPA requirement unless they are seeking funding for more than 3 credit hours. To receive funding for more than 3 credit hours (but not more than 6 credit hours), first-time applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• The applicant must have taken college courses prior to applying for this scholarship.
• The applicant must have passed all prior college courses with a letter grade of D or higher.
• The applicant must have a college cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Returning Employee Applicants

Qualifying Criteria

To be eligible for this scholarship, the returning employee applicant must meet all of the following criteria:

• The applicant must be a full-time, benefits-eligible employee of Facilities Management, Procurement Services, or Department of Public Safety.
• The applicant must have maintained a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• The applicant’s student account balance must reflect an outstanding balance owed after all other financial aid (e.g. Pell grants, other scholarships, student loans, etc.) has been applied. If there isn’t an outstanding balance, the applicant can purchase textbooks for up to 6 credit hours per semester during the fall or spring terms with scholarship funds.
• If the applicant will be an undergraduate student taking 6 credit hours or more when submitting this application, the FAFSA must be completed and submitted to determine eligibility for federal Pell grants.

Hours Allowed

Returning applicants can apply for funding for up to 6 credit hours per semester during the fall and spring terms. Applicants are required to submit final grades verifying successful completion of classes at the end of each semester if they plan to re-apply for the scholarship.

The scholarship will not fund courses taken during the summer unless the applicant has demonstrable extenuating circumstances. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Employees must obtain approval from their supervisor if they are planning to enroll in classes during their normal work hours during any semester term.

New Dependent/Spouse Applicants

Qualifying Criteria

Dependents and spouses are eligible to receive a maximum of $500.00 in scholarship funds per semester to go towards their tuition and fees. Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• The applicant must be the dependent or spouse of a full-time, benefits-eligible employee from Facilities Management, Procurement Services, or Department of Public Safety.
• The applicant must be admitted to the university or college they will be attending.
• The applicant’s student account balance must reflect an outstanding balance owed after all other financial aid (e.g. Pell grants, other scholarships, student loans, etc.) has been applied to be eligible.
• If the applicant will be an undergraduate student taking 6 credit hours or more when submitting this application, the FAFSA must be completed and submitted to determine eligibility for federal Pell grants.
• Applicants must provide a handwritten or typed letter stating why they are a good candidate for this scholarship and their goals for attending college.

Hours Allowed

There is no credit hour limit on dependents or spouses because the scholarship will only pay $500 of the applicant’s outstanding account balance owed after all other financial aid (e.g. Pell grants, other scholarships, student loans, etc.) has been applied. If the applicant’s outstanding account balance is less than $500, the scholarship will only pay the balance due.

The scholarship will not fund courses taken during the summer unless the applicant has demonstrable extenuating circumstances. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

GPA Requirement

There is no GPA requirement for a first-time applicant who is the dependent or spouse of a full-time benefits eligible employee of Facilities Management, Procurement Services, or Department of Public Safety.

Returning Dependent/Spouse Applicants

Qualifying Criteria

Dependents and spouses are eligible to receive a maximum of $500.00 in scholarship funds per semester to go towards their tuition and fees. Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• The applicant must be the dependent or spouse of a full-time, benefits-eligible employee from Facilities Management, Procurement Services, or Department of Public Safety.
• The applicant must have maintained a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• The applicant’s student account balance must reflect an outstanding balance owed after all other financial aid (e.g. Pell grants, other scholarships, student loans, etc.) has been applied.
• If the applicant will be an undergraduate student taking 6 credit hours or more when submitting this application, the FAFSA must be completed and submitted to determine eligibility for federal Pell grants.

Hours Allowed

There is no credit hour limit on dependents or spouses because the scholarship will only pay $500 of the applicant’s outstanding account balance. If the applicant’s outstanding account balance is less than $500, the scholarship will only pay the balance due.

The scholarship will not fund courses taken during the summer unless the applicant has demonstrable extenuating circumstances. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Who is eligible to apply for the scholarship? Any full-time, benefits-eligible employee, the employee’s spouse, and/or the employee’s dependent(s) can apply for the scholarship.

Which departments on campus are eligible for this scholarship? Facilities Management, Procurement Services, and Department of Public Safety.

What GPA do I need to qualify? Returning applicants must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0. However, if this is your first time applying for this scholarship, there is no GPA requirement.

May I take classes during work hours? Yes, up to three hours are allowed with approval from your supervisor.

Am I allowed to attend college at any other institution? Yes, you may also take classes at any university or college within the University of Arkansas System. However, certain restrictions apply. See the “Approved College Campuses” section for more details.

Am I allowed to take a class without having a degree in mind? Yes.

Will I have to pay for school upfront and be reimbursed later? No. Tuition, fees, and book costs are paid directly to the school and bookstore each semester. However, other expenses do require later reimbursement. See the “Other Expenses Covered by the Scholarship” section for more details.

Applicants who are approved for the scholarship may attend any of the following colleges:

• UA Little Rock
• Pulaski Tech
• Any other university or college within the University of Arkansas System (Restrictions apply. See the What Does the Scholarship Cover section for details.)

Employees

Employee discounts are 90% of tuition cost for classes taken at UA Little Rock and 50% of tuition cost for classes taken at any other University of Arkansas System campus.

For employees who choose to attend UA Little Rock, this scholarship will cover the remaining 10% of tuition costs, all fees, and all required textbooks for up to 6 credit hours per semester if a balance exists after all other financial aid has been applied.

For employees who will be attending Pulaski Tech, the scholarship will cover the remaining 50% of tuition costs, all fees, and all required textbooks for up to 6 credit hours per semester if a balance exists after all other financial aid has been applied.

However, for employees who decide to attend a University of Arkansas System campus other than UA Little Rock or Pulaski Tech, the scholarship will cover a maximum of $350 in tuition costs per course for up to two courses per semester if a balance exists after all other financial aid has been applied.

The scholarship will not fund courses taken during the summer unless the applicant has demonstrable extenuating circumstances. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Spouses and Dependents

Spouses and dependents may receive a 50% tuition discount at the employee’s campus or 40% tuition discount at any other campus within the University of Arkansas system.

Spouses and dependents of a full-time, benefits-eligible employee within Facilities Management, Procurement Services, or the Department of Public Safety can receive up to $500 for tuition and fees per semester if a balance exists after all other financial aid has been applied.

The scholarship will not fund courses taken during the summer unless the applicant has demonstrable extenuating circumstances. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The scholarship is consistent with the UA Little Rock tuition discount guidelines. Any course or program within the University of Arkansas System that does not qualify for the employee or dependent/spouse tuition discount (e.g. Law Degree) will not qualify to receive full funding from this scholarship.

Employee applicants wishing to pursue a degree program not eligible for the employee discount will only receive a maximum of $350 per course in tuition costs for up to 2 courses per semester. The applicant must have an outstanding student account balance after all other financial aid has been applied (e.g. Pell grants, other scholarships, student loans, etc.). Spouses and dependents are not eligible for this as they can only receive up to $500 for tuition and fees per semester if a balance exists after all other financial aid has been applied.

If a course is dropped within the refund period, the recipient is required to return the refund to the scholarship coordinator; otherwise, the recipient will no longer be eligible for the scholarship. If the course is dropped after the 100 percent refund deadline or is failed, the recipient must submit to the scholarship coordinator a written statement regarding why the course was dropped or failed and a plan of action indicating how this issue can be avoided if the course is retaken.

Please note that if a course is dropped after the 100 percent refund deadline or is failed, the scholarship will not fund repeating that course. Also note that from fall 2017 onward, dropping a course after the 100 percent refund deadline or failing a course can only occur a total of three times for the recipient, with only one occurrence allowed in an academic year, after which the recipient is no longer eligible for the scholarship. If the recipient has demonstrable extenuating circumstances, the Employee Focus Group will reconsider this policy. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

• ACT testing fee
• CLEP testing fee
• GED testing fee
• GRE testing fee
• MAT testing fee
• Praxis testing fee
• Enrollment / Application fee
• Required course materials
• Academic regalia purchased from your institution or society

Applicants must pay fees upfront and request to be reimbursed through the Employee Focus Group. Also, applicants must be able to provide a receipt in order to be reimbursed.

Scholarships will be awarded using the following priority:

1. Facilities Management employees
2. Procurement Services and Department of Public Safety employees
3. Dependents and/or spouses of any full-time, benefits-eligible employee from Facilities Management, Procurement Services, and Department of Public Safety

Recipients who have been approved for the funding of textbooks are required to do the following (these guidelines are also included in the award letter you receive):

1. When checking out, present your scholarship award letter to the bookstore cashier. Any student attending PTC must use Textbook Brokers.
2. Present your Employee ID card to receive the employee discount wherever one is available.
3. Turn in the original receipt to the scholarship coordinator within 5 days of purchase date.

All recipients who rent textbooks using scholarship funds during any given semester must return all rented materials to the bookstore by the last day of finals. If any fees are incurred, they will be transferred to the student’s account, and the student will be responsible for payment. All other course materials purchased through the scholarship must be returned to the scholarship coordinator at the end of the same semester in order to remain eligible for the scholarship.

If you need assistance with the admission process, services are available through the UA Little Rock Trio Educational Opportunity Center.

Your first step in the financial aid process is to complete and submit your FAFSA. View financial aid deadlines here.

Be sure to explore other opportunities for funding:

• State Financial Aid – ADHE YOUniversal Application
• Institutional Aid – UA Little Rock Scholarships
• If you broaden your search, you will find several local, state, and national scholarship resources.

A complete UA Little Rock Human Resources Tuition Waiver Form or Dependent/Spouse Tuition Waiver Form is required for successful submission of your scholarship application.