New Incoming Freshmen

Institutional scholarships for incoming freshmen at UA Little Rock are divided into three categories: Academic Merit, Mentored, and Early Trojans. There are even scholarships for out-of-state entering freshmen.

Scholarship Deadlines:
Entering Freshman Students
Only 1 award from each of the 3 categories below may be combined based on eligibility.
Category 1: Academic Merit
Scholarship Annual Award ACT* GPA** Other Criteria
Chancellor’s Academic Distinction
  • $5,000 tuition & fees
  • $5,000 on-campus housing
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 30+ 3.50
  • Arkansas or contiguous state resident
Provost’s Academic Excellence
  • $4,000 tuition & fees
  • $4,000 on-campus housing
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 28+ 3.50
  • Arkansas or contiguous state resident
Deans’ Academic Merit
  • $4,000 tuition & fees
  • $2,000 on-campus housing
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 26+ 3.25
  • Arkansas or contiguous state resident
UA Little Rock Academic Achievement
  • $3,000 tuition & fees
  • $1,000 on-campus housing
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 24+ 3.00
  • Arkansas or contiguous state resident
Freshman Award
  • $2,000 per year
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 20+ 3.00
  • Arkansas or contiguous state resident
Category 2: Mentored & Honors Programs
Scholarship Annual Award ACT* GPA** Other Criteria
Donaghey Scholars Program
  • Full tuition & fees
  • $6,000 – $10,000 yearly stipend
  • Study abroad funding,
  • Laptop
  • Housing subsidy
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 30 Median 3.90 Median
  • This is a highly selective honors program enrolling 25 new scholars each year
  • Open to all majors
  • The median ACT score is 30 and the median GPA is 3.90. However, these scores should not determine whether or not a student applies.
  • Essay(s) and recommendation letters also required
  • Not stackable with other institutional scholarships
Engineering & Information Technology (EIT) Academic Scholarship
  • $6,000 per year
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 28-36 3.50
  • Competitively awarded based on academics, leadership, and STEM-based activities
  • All tiers must major in an undergraduate EIT program
  • All tiers must live on campus first 2 years
  • $4,000 per year
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 24-27 3.25
  • $3,000 per year
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 24-27 3.00
  • Amount Varies
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 19+ 2.50
Chancellor’s Leadership Corps (CLC) Scholarship Program
  • $2,000 tuition & fees
  • $2,000 on-campus housing
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 19+ 3.00
  • Highly competitive based on academics, leadership, activities, and community involvement
EAST Scholars
  • $3,000 tuition & fees
  • $1,000 on-campus housing
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 19+ 3.00
  • One year high school EAST participation
  • Arkansas resident
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in STEM
  • $1,800 tuition & fees
  • Up to 8 semesters awarded
 19+ 3.00
  • African-American, Hispanic American, Native American, Alaskan Native, or Native Pacific Islander
  • Major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
  • Essay required
Category 3: Early Trojans
Scholarship Annual Award GPA** Other Criteria
Trojan Pathway
  • $3,000 per year
  • Up to 2 semesters awarded
 2.75
  • Incoming freshmen who have signed the Trojan Pathways contract at their partner high school by December 1st
Concurrent Student
  • $2,000 per year
  • Up to 2 semesters awarded
 2.75
  • Incoming freshmen who have successfully completed at least one UA Little Rock concurrent course while in high school

*ACT: Minimum composite ACT score or equivalent SAT score.
**GPA: Minimum grade point average.


Additional Awards & Criteria

Scholarship Requirements Award Amount

UA Little Rock Grants
Awarded to students with exceptional financial need as funds are available.
  • 2020-2021 FAFSA must be completed by April 1
  • Trojan SMART application must be submitted by April 1
 Award amounts vary

THEA Scholarship
Awarded by the Thea Foundation to students that complete the THEA Program.
  • A letter must be submitted by THEA verifying completion of the THEA program
  • Trojan SMART application must be submitted by April 1
 $3,500

P.A.R.K. Scholarship
Awarded to students that complete the P.A.R.K. Program.
  • A letter must be submitted by P.A.R.K. verifying completion of the program
  • Trojan SMART application must be submitted by April 1
 $4,000


Out-of-state Entering Freshman Students
Add to any eligible award:
Scholarship Annual Award Other Criteria
Contiguous State Waiver
  • Waives the out-of-state portion of tuition
  • Must meet requirements for unconditional admission
  • Must be degree-seeking
  • Must reside in contiguous state (OK, MO, TN, MS, LA, TX).
New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award
(For students not receiving a contiguous state waiver)

Freshman applicants:

  • Pays 90% of the difference between resident and nonresident tuition
  • Minimum 22 cumulative ACT score or equivalent SAT score
  • Minimum 3.00 cumulative high school GPA

Transfer applicants:

  • Pays 80-90% of the difference between resident and nonresident tuition
  • Minimum 3.30 cumulative transfer GPA for 90% award
  • Minimum 3.00 cumulative transfer GPA for 80% award
  • If fewer than 24 credit hours transferred, must also meet ACT/SAT and high school GPA requirements
Privately-funded Scholarships
Over $2 million in scholarships funded through the generosity of private donors.
  • $1,000 – $5,000 per year
  • Criteria varies with each scholarship
  • Must submit FAFSA by April 1 to be considered

Important Notes:

  • UA Little Rock Scholarships may only be awarded to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
  • We cannot guarantee an award to each applicant due to the competitive nature of scholarships.
  • You may receive multiple award offers for Academic Merit, Mentored Programs, and Early Trojan scholarships, but only one from each category may be stacked based on eligibility.
  • Academic Merit, Mentored Program, and Early Trojan scholarships are available to pay direct expenses (tuition, fees, room, and board) that are charged to a student’s UA Little Rock student account after all waivers or discounts are applied.