New Scholarship Program Offered to UA System Community College Grads

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Chancellor Joe Steinmetz speaking at UA Rich Mountain commencement

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas has a new scholarship program that reduces tuition rates for students who graduate with associate’s degrees from any of the two-year colleges in the University of Arkansas System and then transfer to the Fayetteville campus.

U of A Chancellor Joe Steinmetz announced the Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship during his commencement address at the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain in Mena on May 9.

“For many students, particularly ones starting out at two-year institutions, financial need is one of the bigger obstacles to attaining a bachelor’s degree,” Steinmetz said. “It is our responsibility as the state’s flagship and land-grant university to reduce obstacles Arkansans face to earning a degree and improving the pathways to get there.”

The scholarship will enable any student who earns an associate’s degree at a UA System community college to transfer to the University of Arkansas to work toward a bachelor’s degree, while continuing to pay the same basic credit hour tuition they paid at their two-year institution.

“We are excited about this new scholarship and the opportunities it will provide Arkansas students,” said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment services and dean of admissions. “This generous award will build on the partnerships we have with the community colleges in the system to open doors to an affordable education for more and more students across the state.”

There are seven two-year colleges in the UA System whose students would be eligible to benefit from the Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship:

•  University of Arkansas Phillips Community College
• University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana
• University of Arkansas Community College Batesville
• University of Arkansas Cossatot
• University of Arkansas Community College Morrilton
• University of Arkansas Rich Mountain
• University of Arkansas Pulaski Tech

“This scholarship demonstrates the University of Arkansas’ commitment to providing additional opportunity for our graduates at Rich Mountain and all of the UA System’s two-year colleges,” said U of A Rich Mountain Chancellor Phillip Wilson. “It’s an opportunity that has the potential to transform the lives of countless families in our state.”

To be eligible to receive an Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship, a graduate of one of these schools must:

• Be an Arkansas resident
• Earn an associate’s degree in December 2018 or after
• Have a cumulative 2.0 grade point average
• Meet all other U of A admission criteria and program requirements
• Enroll in an on-campus undergraduate degree program, full or part-time

The Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship applies to base tuition at the U of A, and recipients will still be required to pay all applicable fees as well as any dfferential tuition above the base rate charged by programs.

Students remain eligible to renew an Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship until earning a bachelor’s degree or completing 10 regular semesters, whichever comes first.

To renew an Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship a student must remain in good academic standing and stay enrolled at the U of A.

This scholarship is the latest in several initiatives at the U of A to improve access and build affordable pathways for transfer students. In fall 2018, the U of A and NorthWest Arkansas Community College signed an agreement that allows students to attend both institutions simultaneously. And new agreements with NorthArk Community College in Harrison and the Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock align curriculum at the two schools with the U of A’s Sam M. Walton College of Business to smooth the transition between schools. The Advance Arkansas Scholarship is also focused on transfer students, as well as those from underrepresented areas in the state.