Scholarship FAQ

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Honors College Stipends

Incoming Schedler Honors College freshmen will be awarded the Schedler Honors College (SHC) or Schedler Honors Program (SHP) Stipend upon admission to the program.* For students entering in Fall 2025, the stipend is valued at up to $8,000 ($1,000/semester) for SHC students and $4,000 ($500/semester) for SHP students. It is renewable for a total of eight semesters. This stipend will be awarded in addition to any academic scholarship awarded by UCA, the Arkansas Lottery Scholarship for in-state students, and any other student aid. Any scholarships that the student earns may stack to the amount specified by state law. Honors College Scholarship recipients may also apply for UCA’s Distinguished Scholarship.

Private Room Upgrade Scholarship

Incoming students admitted to both the Schedler Honors College and Schedler Honors Program will live together in Farris Honors Hall, featuring private rooms arranged in suites. For as long as the student remains in Honors housing, the student will receive a single room upgrade scholarship that covers the difference in cost between the private room in Honors housing and a standard Tier I double-room rate (valued at approximately $1,100/semester).

Scholarships: Frequently Asked Questions


Each academic year, you must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.250 or better to have your scholarship renewed for the following year. In order to have your scholarship continued from the first fall semester to the following spring semester, you must earn 11 credit hours or above with a 2.50 cumulative GPA. For any following semester, you must earn a 3.25 cumulative GPA and be in good academic standing.

If requirements are not completed at the end of the Spring semester then UCA summer term hours and GPA will be considered in the renewal process. Academic performance will be evaluated at the end of the Summer I and Summer II terms for students who do not meet requirements after the Spring semester. If requirements have been completed at the end of either term, the scholarship will renew at that time. Scholarship renewal criterion is based on UCA credit hours only.

Additionally, in order to matriculate into the Honors Interdisciplinary Studies minor and therefore maintain the Honors scholarship Schedler Honors College Students, you must achieve a cumulative residential UCA GPA of 3.250 and a 3.50 in your Honors courses at the conclusion of your fourth semester of full-time undergraduate study (for most students, the end of the spring semester of their sophomore year). As with your annual GPA, May Intersession and Summer I classes can be used to meet this standard.

Please note: These criteria apply to the Honors College Scholarships only. Other parts of your total scholarship package, such as the Arkansas Challenge and Governor’s Distinguished Scholarships, have different criteria for renewal, and may be retained or lost without reference to your Honors standing and/or UCA scholarship awards.

You will be required to enroll in 15 hours each semester, and must be in 15 hours as of 4:30 pm on the 8th day each fall and spring (if not in 15 hours on the 8th day at 4:30, then you will forfeit your scholarship and it will not be reinstated). The 15-hour rule does include the fall and spring of your freshman year, but your scholarship will be renewed if you complete at least 27 credit hours in the freshman year and 30 credit hours each subsequent academic year (Fall semester through Summer II). If requirements are not completed at the end of the Spring semester then UCA summer term hours and GPA will be considered in the renewal process. Academic performance will be evaluated at the end of the Summer I and Summer II terms for students who do not meet requirements after the Spring semester. If requirements have been completed at the end of either term, the scholarship will renew at that time. Scholarship renewal criterion is based on UCA credit hours only.

In order to have your scholarship continued from the first fall semester to the following spring semester, you must earn 11 credit hours or more with a 2.50 cumulative GPA. To renew from any other fall semester to spring semester, you must earn at least 11 credit hours and a 3.250 cumulative GPA.

Recipients will lose the Schedler Honors College or Schedler Honors Program scholarship upon leaving the Honors College. If you were offered and accepted an academic scholarship upon admission to the University and have maintained eligibility for the scholarship as defined by the Division of Finance and Administration, you may receive the academic scholarship should you leave the Honors College. If your Honors College Scholarship has been withdrawn because of failure to meet minimum eligibility requirements, you may no longer be eligible for your academic scholarship either since the eligibility requirements are so closely related.
No. The stipend and private room upgrade will pay out during the fall and spring semesters only.
Your Honors College standing is your eligibility to enroll in Honors College classes. While it is usually lost in tandem with the Honors College Scholarship, it may be regained without achieving scholarship reinstatement, and it may be maintained by students who have been accepted into the minor even though the criteria for scholarship renewal are not met.

Students lose their Honors standing if their end-of-first-year combined GPA is below 3.250. Second-year students must earn an end-of-second-year cumulative GPA of 3.25 with a 3.50 in their Honors courses, but must additionally attain a second-year 3.25 combined GPA for that academic year to maintain their scholarship. They may regain Honors standing if they achieve that minimum GPA at the end of the following regular semester (fall). In the case that a student loses his or her scholarship, but decides to appeal for a medical reason or some other purpose, then the decision regarding eligibility to continue in Honors classes is decided separately from the reinstatement of the scholarship.

Students who have been accepted into the Schedler Honors College minor or have begun their Schedler Honors Program Capstone cannot lose their Honors standing due to academic performance, although they may forfeit Honors standing voluntarily or on account of academic misconduct.

Yes. State law prohibits the stacking of scholarships once the total aid awarded to a student exceeds the Cost of Attendance (COA) calculated by the school. The office of financial aid is required to reduce your financial assistance in order to comply with state stacking regulations. You can view the Arkansas legislative information regarding this policy here.
Yes. The Honors College will work with you to place your scholarship on hold for a semester or even a year for study abroad and internship opportunities as well as other obligations recognized by UCA’s scholarship compliance office. Students who have an academic scholarship placed on hold for the fall semester and receive the scholarship in the spring semester only must complete a minimum of 15 UCA undergraduate credit hours and earn the minimum GPA specified for their scholarship to renew to the following fall semester. Students who do not meet renewal requirements at the end of the spring semester may use May Intersession, 8- week Summer Session, and Summer I hours and GPA to meet renewal requirements.
Track II students will receive the Private Room Upgrade Scholarship if they choose to live in Honors housing. Track II students are also awarded $1,000/semester Schedler Honors College stipend. The stipend can be renewed for six semesters, and the Private Room Upgrade will follow you as long as you remain in Honors housing.

*In order to receive the Schedler Honors College Stipend, Schedler Honors Program Stipend or Private Room Upgrade, a student must be a permanent U.S. resident due to policies governing academic scholarships. Please note that all scholarship offers are contingent upon the review of the scholarship compliance office. University scholarship policies are available here.