Arkansas college grants and scholarships center on the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, run by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE). It is a lottery-funded award for Arkansas residents that pays more each year you stay in college, and since 2024-25 students with lower Student Aid Index (SAI) scores can receive extra “Challenge PLUS” money on top. You apply through ADHE’s online system, SAMS, and you must also file the FAFSA. The annual deadline is July 1.
Who qualifies for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship
ADHE’s scholarship page lists these requirements (ADHE, Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship):
- Be an Arkansas resident for at least 12 months before enrolling, and a US citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- Be accepted at an approved institution.
- Complete the FAFSA.
- Traditional students (recent high school graduates): a high school GPA of 3.00 or higher with a standardized test score on record, or, below 3.00, an ACT of 19 or higher.
- Non-traditional students with no college credit: a 3.00 high school GPA or a composite or superscore of at least 19; with college credit, a college GPA of at least 2.5.
Income does not affect basic eligibility. The scholarship itself is merit-based; only the PLUS add-on looks at your SAI.
Academic Challenge award amounts
ADHE’s traditional recipient information sheet lists these amounts, with the PLUS add-on in effect “starting with the 2024-2025 academic year and after” (ADHE, Traditional Recipient Info Sheet):
| Year | Four-year institution | Two-year institution |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $2,000 ($1,000 per semester) | $2,000 ($1,000 per semester) |
| Year 2 | $4,000 ($2,000 per semester) | $3,000 ($1,500 per semester) |
| Year 3 | $4,000 ($2,000 per semester) | 5th semester: $1,500 |
| Year 4 | $5,000 ($2,500 per semester) | Not applicable |
ADHE says that starting with 2025-26, traditional students in their fourth year receive the full $2,500 per semester even if enrolled in fewer than 15 hours, though at least 6 credit hours are still required that semester.
Challenge PLUS by Student Aid Index
Students with an SAI of 7,999 or below can receive extra money. ADHE says students with “an 8,000 SAI or higher are not eligible for the additional funding” and that Academic Challenge is capped at $2,500 per semester. At a four-year institution in the first year:
| SAI on your FAFSA | PLUS amount | Total Academic Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| 5,750 to 7,999 | $500 per semester | $1,500 per semester |
| 3,200 to 5,749 | $1,000 per semester | $2,000 per semester |
| -1,500 to 3,199 | $1,500 per semester | $2,500 per semester |
In the second and third years at a four-year school, any SAI from -1,500 to 7,999 adds $500 per semester, for $2,500 per semester total. Fourth-year students already receive the $2,500 maximum, so no PLUS applies. Two-year schools use the same first-year table; in the second year and fifth semester, SAI 5,750 to 7,999 adds $500 (total $2,000 per semester) and SAI -1,500 to 5,749 adds $1,000 (total $2,500 per semester).
This is the main reason an Arkansas student who expects to qualify on merit should still file the FAFSA early and accurately: the SAI on it can raise a first-year award from $1,000 to $2,500 per semester.
Keeping the scholarship: credit hours matter
ADHE says the award is paid after it verifies you are enrolled in at least 12 semester hours the first fall after high school graduation, and 15 semester hours each semester after that, as of the 11th day of classes. Continuing students must keep a 2.5 cumulative GPA. Later-starting classes count only if you are registered by the census date.
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Fifteen hours is more than many students take by default. Build your schedule around it from the second semester on, because falling to 14 hours can mean no payment for that term.
Summer is optional
You can opt in to receive the scholarship during summer through your SAMS account. ADHE says the opt-in deadline is June 1 each year, and summer requires at least 15 hours across all summer terms, with exceptions for restricted programs and fourth-year recipients.
How to apply
- Create an account in ADHE’s Scholarship Application Management System (SAMS) and apply for the Academic Challenge Scholarship.
- File the FAFSA for the year you will attend. The 2027-28 FAFSA is open; see our guide on how to fill out the FAFSA.
- Meet the July 1 deadline ADHE lists for the application.
- Keep your SAMS account updated. ADHE says it is your responsibility to update e-mail, name, residence and institution, and it sends status changes by e-mail.
Your college may have earlier FAFSA dates for its own aid. Our FAFSA deadlines guide explains how to line them up.
A change on the way
ADHE’s materials refer to updates under the Arkansas ACCESS Act and include an “ACCESS Act Updates” section. If you are a high school student reading this a year or more before college, check ADHE’s page again before you apply, since award rules can change by statute.
How it fits with federal aid
The Academic Challenge stacks with the Federal Pell Grant. ADHE also points students to the state stacking law: if your total scholarships exceed your college’s cost of attendance, your awards may be reduced. A federal rule works in a similar direction. For award years beginning on or after July 1, 2026, a student whose non-federal aid equals or exceeds the cost of attendance is not eligible for Pell, according to a June 4, 2026 Federal Student Aid electronic announcement. For most students this changes nothing, because cost of attendance includes housing and food.
Questions Arkansas families ask
Is the Academic Challenge need-based?
No. ADHE says income does not affect eligibility. Only the PLUS add-on uses the SAI, so a family with a high income can still receive the base award.
What if I’m a senior at my college but only in year two of the scholarship?
ADHE offers a Forfeit to Senior Award Amount form: if you have earned at least 87 credit hours, you can move to the fourth-year amount.
What happens at a two-year college after 72 hours?
ADHE says students at a two-year institution are no longer eligible there at 72 or more credit hours with three or fewer semesters of eligibility left. You would request a transfer, or a hold until you transfer, to a four-year school to use the remaining semesters.
Where to go next
Compare Arkansas with other states in our guide to state grants for college, and search for awards that stack on top with our free scholarship finder. Log in to SAMS to check your status; the July 1 application deadline applies every year.