For several years after earning her high school diploma, Paige Bradshaw, 26, was a teller in the banking industry, eventually working her way up to a position as a teller supervisor.

But a couple of years ago, the Little Rock native said she reached a point where she wanted to broaden her career options. She enrolled in courses at Pulaski Technical College and maintained a 4.0 grade point as she continued to work full time.

As she was set to graduate with honors, Bradshaw heard about the Shelby Breedlove Scholarship, available for transfer students coming to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from accredited community colleges throughout the state.

She applied, hoping for the best.

Last spring, Bradshaw got a letter saying she had earned enough scholarship funding to not only cover full-time tuition for two years, but to also cover some of the cost of the textbooks she would need.

“Getting that letter took a lot of weight off me,” she said. “I had prayed about it, but I knew if I couldn’t find a way to pay for it, then it wasn’t God’s will at this time.”

The Breedlove transfer student scholarship is among several sources of funding available for incoming students with the right qualifications, but the final application deadline is fast approaching and must be received by Feb. 1.

The Breedlove Scholarship is for students who have earned at least 45 hours of credit at a two-year accredited Arkansas community college with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher.

Other academic scholarships for new or incoming first-time students include Chancellor’s Academic Distinction; Provost’s Academic Excellence; Dean’s Academic Merit; UALR Academic Achievement; Freshmen Award; and Engineering and Information Technology.

Feb. 1 is also the priority or preferred deadline to apply for Donaghey Scholars, Chancellor’s Leadership Corps and East Scholars at UALR. Visit https://ualr.edu/admissions/scholarships to complete the application.

Potential students are reminded that awards are determined annually based on eligible applications and available funding.

“Sometimes I don’t think students realize the opportunities are out there if they are willing to work for it,” Bradshaw said.

“They may not realize that some scholarships can also be stacked, such as the Academic Challenge Scholarship. Alot of people say it is hard to finance a degree, but if you put yourself out there and do what is necessary, you never know how much help is available.”