The College of Education and Health Professions invites all graduate and undergraduate students to apply for scholarships now through the Feb. 15 deadline.

Current scholarship recipients must also complete a new application this cycle to be considered for renewal.

"Scholarships have a ripple effect. They not only change our students' lives, but they change the lives of every person that student will teach, heal, coach, train and inspire throughout their career in the caring professions," said Dean Kate Mamiseishvili. "We're grateful for the generous donors who understand how important it is to invest in students training to become future educators and healthcare professionals."

To apply, students must complete the U of A's general scholarship application and the College of Education and Health Professions' application through the AcademicWorks system. Details and important dates are available on the college's scholarships page.

Once students have submitted completed applications, AcademicWorks will automatically match them to scholarship opportunities they may be eligible to receive. 

Each scholarship in the college has specific criteria based on the donor's wishes.

Ashanti Salazar, a first-generation student in the college who plans to teach high school English after graduation, received three scholarships this year.

"I don't even know how to begin to express just how significant scholarships have been in allowing me to pursue my aspirations for higher education," she said. "Scholarships have made it possible for me to go to college."

Salazar said her mother values education and always encouraged her to earn a college degree but, as a single parent, could not help her financially.

"Without the financial support I received, there would have been a financial strain on not only myself but my mom and younger sister," Salazar said, noting that the scholarship funding significantly reduced the number of hours she needed to work. She used the extra time to study. "This has been critical as it has helped me keep up my academic performance as well as pursue opportunities such as study abroad and research, which I would have never thought was possible for someone like me. Scholarships have not only made college more affordable but a reality instead of a dream."

After the scholarship application period ends, complete applications are reviewed by the College of Education and Health Professions Scholarship Review and Selection committees. In most cases, committee recommendations are provided to the college's scholarship office before the end of the spring semester. Once the final selections have been made, recipients should receive an offer via email.

The scholarship application period is Jan. 1 to Feb. 15 each year.

For more information, contact Gina Hardin in the college's scholarship office at ghardin@uark.edu.