New Incoming Freshmen

Application Process

1

Apply for admission
If you are just starting at UA Little Rock, make sure you have completed the online admissions application.

2

Have a current FAFSA application on file
You must have your 2019-2020 FAFSA completed before the scholarship opportunity deadline to be considered. The FAFSA for the 2019-2020 academic year becomes available October 1st.

3

Access your Trojan SMART scholarship application
Trojan SMART opens on October 1st, and by filling out the online scholarship application and submitting required documents, you apply for a variety of UA Little Rock scholarships in one spot.

Here at UA Little Rock, our awards are more than just money; they are pathways to your future. Some UA Little Rock scholarships for incoming freshmen pursuing their first bachelor’s degree are merit-based (ACT or SAT scores and cumulative high school GPA), but we have others that also take your leadership skills, community service, and extracurricular activities into account. Once we begin reviewing Trojan SMART applications, we consider each of these aspects to match you with the awards for which you are most qualified.

We are excited to have the opportunity to help fund your UA Little Rock education, so you have any questions about the awards listed below, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.


Academic Scholarships & Criteria

Scholarship Description Amount
Chancellor’s Academic Distinction

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • 30+ ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.5 high school GPA
 $5,000 tuition/fees and $5,000 on-campus housing
Provost’s Academic Excellence

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • 28 – 29 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.5 high school GPA
 $4,000 tuition/fees and $4,000 on-campus housing
Deans’ Academic Merit

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • 26 – 27 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.25 high school GPA
 $4,000 tuition/fees and $2,000 on-campus housing
UA Little Rock Academic Achievement

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • 24 – 25 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.0 high school GPA
 $3,000 tuition/fees and $1,000 on-campus housing
Freshman Award

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • 22-23 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.0 high school GPA
 $2,000 tuition/fees

Out-of-State Academic Scholarships & Criteria

Scholarship Description Amount
Tier One

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • 28+ ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.5 high school GPA
 $3,000 tuition/fees
Tier Two

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • 22 – 27 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.0 high school GPA
 $2,000 tuition/fees

Early Trojan Scholarships & Criteria

Scholarship Description Amount
Concurrent Student

Final Deadline: 3/1
  • Must have successfully completed at least one UA Little Rock concurrent course while in high school
  • Must meet unconditional admission requirements
 $2,000 per academic year
Trojan Pathway

Final Deadline: 3/1
  • Sign the Trojan Pathways contract at your partner high school by November 1st
  • Meet unconditional admissions requirements
 $2,000 per academic year

Mentored Scholarship Programs & Criteria

Scholarship Description Amount
Chancellor’s Leadership Corps Scholarship

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
ualr.edu/clc
  • Minimum ACT score of 19 or SAT equivalent
  • Minimum high school GPA of 3.0
  • Two letters of recommendation
 $1,500 tuition/fees and $1,500 on-campus housing
EAST Scholars

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
  • at least one year of high school EAST participation
  • Minimum ACT score of 19 or SAT equivalent
  • Minimum high school GPA of 3.0
  • Submit a 250 word (minimum) letter of intent. Preferred information to include: How will this program benefit your career or life after college? What are some strengths you have that would benefit this program? Why do you want to be an EAST scholar?
  • Submit two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from your EAST Facilitator
 $3,000 per academic year
Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) Academic Scholarship

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
ualr.edu/eit

 Students must be majoring in an undergraduate EIT program, and freshmen students must live on-campus. Award amounts are based on academic performance levels (listed below).
EIT Level 1
  • 19 – 21 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 2.5 high school GPA
 award amounts vary
EIT Level 2
  • 22 – 23 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.0 high school GPA
 $1,000
EIT Level 3
  • 24 – 27 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • inimum 3.0 high school GPA
 $2,000
EIT Level 4
  • 28 – 36 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.5 high school GPA
 $4,000
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in STEM

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
ualr.edu/lsamp
*Pending continuation of grant funding.
  • Minimum 19 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.0 high school GPA
  • must be African-American, Hispanic American, Native American, Alaskan Native, or Native Pacific Islander ethnicity
  • Majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
  • Submit two letters of recommendation.
 $1,800 plus $1,200 for the summer institute

Honors Program

Scholarship Description Amount
Donaghey Scholars

Deadlines:
Priority: 12/1
Final: 3/1
ualr.edu/donagheyscholars
*Cannot be stacked with any other UA Little Rock freshmen award

 This is a highly selective honors program enrolling 25 new scholars each year. Open to all students and majors.

  • Minimum 26 ACT or equivalent SAT
  • Minimum 3.25 high school GPA
  • Essay prompt 1: Compose a tweet (140 characters or fewer) that tells us who you are. Now, dissect it in 800 to 1,000 words.
    Why did you choose those words? Make sure that you clearly include your tweet at the beginning of your essay.
  • Essay prompt 2: Choose a contentious issue about which you feel passionate and defend your position in 800 to 1,000 words. Be
    sure to acknowledge the opposing side and support your argument with citations and a bibliography.
 Award amounts vary but may include tuition/fees, housing, study abroad funding, and a laptop

Additional Awards & Criteria

Scholarship Description Amount
Privately-funded Scholarships

Final deadline: 3/1
Private Scholarships
Alumni Scholarships

 Awarded to students that meet donor’s criteria.

  • 2019-2020 FAFSA must be completed by March 1
  • Trojan SMART application must be submitted by March 1
 award amounts vary
UA Little Rock Grants

Final Deadline: 3/1

 Awarded to students with exceptional financial need as funds are available.

  • 2019-2020 FAFSA must be completed by March 1
  • Trojan SMART application must be submitted by March 1
 award amounts vary
Contiguous State Waiver Awarded at time of admission.

  • Meet requirements for unconditional admission
  • be degree seeking
  • Reside in a contiguous state (OK, MO, TN, MS, LA, or TX)
 Waives out-of-state portion of tuition
New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award

Final Deadline: 3/1

 Awarded to students not receiving a Contiguous State Waiver.

  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative high school GPA

    • 24 ACT or equivalent SAT

Pays up to 90% of the difference between resident and nonresident tuition


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 Scholarships, Early Trojan Scholarships, and Mentored Programs, but only two may be stacked. You will need to choose one award offered to you from two of the three categories for a total of two institutional awards.
  • Students who are required to take remedial classes may not be eligible for some awards.
  • Academic Scholarships, Early Trojan Scholarships, and Mentored Program 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.
  • See Trojan SMART and the Trojan SMART instructions for applying for details on our scholarship application and process. A condensed view of our scholarships can be found here.