Governor's Distinguished Scholarship
ListedScholarship
- Award
- Up to $10,000 annually for four years/eight semester payments toward institution-billed tuition, mandatory fees, room and board. Combined Governor's Distinguished plus Academic Challenge funding cannot exceed $10,000 annually; it is not $10,000 plus the Challenge award. Institution receives nonrefundable funding; uncovered cost and cost-of-attendance/load limits can reduce it.
- Timeline
- Mar 1Annual application
- Jun 1Qualifying scores through national February ACT testing deadline. Current guidance does not provide an explicit 2027 dated schedule/time zone. Summer opt-in recurring
- Oct 1Transfers/holds recurring fall or February 1 spring.
- How to apply
- Apply in SAMS and normally complete FAFSA, monitor official academic/test matching and accept award. If a qualifying February test score arrives after an earlier SAMS application, submit updated scholarship application before deadline to notify ADHE. Students or parents with EAD should contact ADHE about alternate eligibility and FAFSA exemption. No yearly scholarship reapplication for renewal; summer/hold/graduate-use forms separate.
- What you'll need
- A separate scholarship application
- Required financial-aid forms (check the program's rules)
- Who can apply
- Arkansas resident for 12 months; graduating senior with 3.50 cumulative GPA AND official ACT composite/superscore 32 or SAT 1410 on single administration. U.S. citizen/permanent resident OR student/parent holding Employment Authorization Document; EAD route exempt from FAFSA. First fall normally 12 credits, then 15 each semester, at one approved institution or approved consortium. ADHE cannot manually add/remove ACT science. Non-distinguished Governor's Scholars has separate Diploma of Distinction/associate routes and is not automatically this $10,000 award.
- Good to know
- Renewal normally 3.25 cumulative GPA, 27 first-year then 30 annual credits, institutional satisfactory progress and drug-free certification. Fourth-year load can be prorated at six-to-eight (50%) or nine-to-14 (75%) credits. Combined funding allocation tables disagree on first-year split while agreeing total cap; confirm institution breakdown. Approved holds up to four semesters. Early bachelor graduates may use at most remaining senior-year payments for approved graduate/professional programme, with enrolment/document requirements and limited eligible out-of-state professional agreements.
- Details
- Score minimumPermanent residents eligible