Last revised: 07/2024
This policy applies to the UCA Commitment program and defines eligibility, renewal, and other details associated with the program.
Eligibility:
- To be eligible for UCA Commitment consideration, students must:
- Submit all required admission documentation to the Office of Admissions & Enrollment Services and submit a completed FAFSA to UCA (school code 001092) and documentation of a completed Arkansas Academic Challenge application;
- Be a UCA first-time entering undergraduate;
- Be an Arkansas resident as defined by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (section 5.10) and a graduate from an Arkansas public school, private school, homeschool, or GED recipient;
- Be Pell-eligible or have an annual household income of $100,000 or less as documented by a submitted Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Students offered to participate in the UCA Commitment must officially opt-in to the program.
Deadlines:
- Deadline to apply for UCA Admission and AR Challenge
- May 10, 2024
- Deadline to Opt-In to Program
- July 29, 2024
- Deadline to Opt-In to Fall Work Component – Only required for eligible students
- July 29, 2024
- Deadline to submit a completed FAFSA
- August 28, 2024
- Deadline to Opt-In to Spring Work Component – Only required for eligible students
- December 15, 2024
Scholarship Award Requirements:
- Students must enroll in a minimum of 15 credit hours as of 4:30 pm on the 8th class day each fall and spring semester for the UCA Commitment scholarship to disburse.
- Students not enrolled in the minimum 15 credit hours will forfeit their UCA Commitment eligibility for the current and future semesters.
- Students must maintain good academic standing as defined by the current UCA Undergraduate Bulletin during the term of their scholarship.
Renewal Requirements:
- To renew/continue eligibility for the UCA Commitment, students must:
- Be in good standing with the UCA Office of Student Accounts
- Successfully complete all required service hours assigned for the semester by 11:59 pm on the date final grade reports are due (please reference the Academic Calendar)
- Failure to complete all assigned service hours for the semester by 11:59 pm the date on which final grade reports are due may result in forfeiture of future participation in the UCA Commitment program.
- Submit a FAFSA by April 1 annually
- Officially opt-in to the UCA Commitment annually by June 15
- Maintain a minimum 2.5 UCA undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) by the end of each fall and spring term
- Earn the minimum number of UCA credit hours per term, including:
- Years one and after (Fall to Spring): Earn a minimum of 11 total UCA credit hours
- Year one (Spring to Fall): Earn a minimum of 27 total UCA credit hours
- Years two and after (Spring to Fall): Earn a minimum of 30 total UCA credit hours
- The renewal hour criterion is based on UCA undergraduate and transition credit hours only.
- Students must successfully complete all remediation requirements before program participation will be renewed to Year Two.
- If all requirements are completed at the end of the Spring term, then program participation will be renewed at that time.
- If GPA or credit hour requirements have not been completed at the end of the Spring semester, then UCA summer term credit hours and GPA will be considered in the renewal process.
- Students who do not meet renewal requirements at the end of the spring semester must have attempted hours in one of the following terms: May Intersession, 13-week Summer Session, 10-week Summer Session, 8-week Summer Session, Summer I, or Summer II prior to submitting an exception request. Please refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin for more information on what counts as attempted hours.
- Any student who earns an incomplete (I) grade(s) must have the grade(s) resolved according to the Incomplete Grade Policy and meet renewal requirements to be considered for continued eligibility in the UCA Commitment. Otherwise, an exception request must be submitted in accordance with the Exception Policy.
- To renew/continue eligibility for the work component of the UCA Commitment, students must be in good standing with their assigned employer as demonstrated by having fewer than five (5) active Accountability Points.
- Points will accrue and expire on a fall and spring semester basis
- Work standing will be evaluated for work study renewal eligibility on the date final grade reports are due (please refer to the Academic Calendar)
Disclosures:
- Eligibility for the UCA Commitment only applies to summer or fall-entry first-time freshmen; spring-entry first-time freshmen are not eligible for the program at this time.
- Students who are eligible for the UCA Commitment may receive funds for the duration of eight (8) consecutive fall and spring semesters or through the completion of a bachelor’s degree, whichever occurs first.
- Tuition and fee costs associated with Summer Courses are not covered by the UCA Commitment; however, UCA credit hours earned during summer terms can be used in terms of renewal consideration.
- UCA Commitment funds will only apply to charges for in-state tuition and fees directly assessed by the University except for approved programs through the Office of Study Abroad as of the 8th day of classes each fall and spring semester.
- Room and board (i.e., housing and food) charges are not covered by the program.
- UCA Commitment tuition and fee funding will not exceed 18 credit hours in a fall or spring term.
- Students enrolled in UCA Online programs (i.e, fully online programs), that receive flat rate tuition, are not eligible for the UCA Commitment program.
- Students who elect to opt-out of the UCA Commitment program upon initial eligibility notification are not eligible to participate in the program in future semesters or academic years.
- Failure to respond to the initial opt-in deadline will result in forfeiture of eligibility consideration/participation in the UCA Commitment program.
- Failure to respond to specified opt-in deadlines will result in forfeiture of work funds and/or participation in the UCA Commitment program.
- Students may opt-in to the UCA Commitment program and the work-study placement (if eligible) separately. Students are not required to participate in the work placement to participate in the UCA Commitment program, but they must complete the required service hours to maintain eligibility
- Students may not elect to only participate in the work-study placement.
- Eligible students who elect not to opt in to a work-study placement will forfeit those funds for the term for which they did not opt in; however, they may be eligible for future work-study placement(s), as long as all other renewal and eligibility criteria are met.
- Students who elect to withdraw from the UCA Commitment must do so in writing.
- Students eligible for a UCA Entering Freshman Academic Scholarship are not permitted to decline the scholarship funds if participating in the UCA Commitment.
- Students who fail to meet renewal requirements for a UCA Entering Freshman Academic Scholarship or a Boys/Girls State Scholarship will not receive additional UCA Commitment funds to replace lost scholarship dollars.
- Service hours completed after the end of a semester may count toward future term assignments
- Hours completed after the completion of the spring semester but before the beginning of the fall semester will count toward the fall hour assignment.
- Hours completed after the completion of the fall semester but before the beginning of the spring semester will count toward the spring hour assignment.
- Work study participants who fail to be in good standing with their assigned employer as demonstrated by having five (5) or more active Accountability Points will result in forfeiture of work study placement eligibility in future semesters through the UCA Commitment program.
- Accrual of accountability points may have repercussions for employment and UCA Commitment work study eligibility independently. Students who accrue five (5) or more accountability points in the fall or spring term will not be eligible to receive a future UCA Commitment work study assignment. However, students may be able to continue in an institutional or federal work study role.
- Students must maintain compliance with other applicable university policies to participate in the UCA Commitment program.
- Exceptions to this policy and information about placing UCA Commitment participation on hold may be found at uca.edu/scholarships/policies/.