University of Arkansas: merit scholarships by GPA
University of Arkansas awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 3.2 GPA. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, a hundredth of a GPA point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and what the next band needs.
Read this first
Only the non-resident tuition award is modelled, because Arkansas's in-state scholarships are holistic with no published thresholds. The award is a percentage of the out-of-state tuition difference, not a dollar amount, and Arkansas has not yet published a 2027-28 grid.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
New Arkansan NRTA
80% of the out-of-state tuition difference
Arkansas awards this on GPA alone, so an ACT score does not change it. A higher score can still matter for admission, for honours programmes, and at other schools on the list — but not for this award.
The ACT doesn't move the money here — but it still decides admission, honours eligibility, and what they is worth at the other schools on the list, where most awards are score-keyed.
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Is Arkansas test-optional?
For admission, largely yes. Test-optional for admission for students with a 3.2 GPA or higher. Every admitted student must still provide a score afterwards for placement purposes.
For money, no. Arkansas states a score is required for most scholarships. Whether that includes the NRTA specifically is genuinely ambiguous — the NRTA page lists GPA-only criteria and says no application is needed, while the non-resident scholarship page says scores must be submitted by February 1. Treat as unresolved. A family that reads “test-optional” and skips the ACT can be admitted and still walk away from every dollar on the grid below.
“The University of Arkansas offers a test-optional application for admission for students with a 3.2 GPA or higher.”
The published Arkansas merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Arkansas’s own pages for 2026-27 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
New Arkansan NRTA — GA, IL, KS, LA, MS, MO, OK, TN, TX
Automatically granted on admission to eligible non-residents from these nine states. No separate scholarship application.
90% of the out-of-state tuition difference
New Arkansan NRTA
No score needed
80% of the out-of-state tuition difference
New Arkansan NRTA
No score needed
70% of the out-of-state tuition difference
New Arkansan NRTA
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| New Arkansan NRTA | — | 90% of the out-of-state tuition difference |
| New Arkansan NRTA | — | 80% of the out-of-state tuition difference |
| New Arkansan NRTA | — | 70% of the out-of-state tuition difference |
Source: New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award · verified 2026-10-21
Extended States NRTA — all other states
The same award at a lower rate for non-residents outside the nine neighbouring states.
80% of the out-of-state tuition difference
Extended States New Arkansan NRTA
No score needed
50% of the out-of-state tuition difference
Extended States New Arkansan NRTA
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Extended States New Arkansan NRTA | — | 80% of the out-of-state tuition difference |
| Extended States New Arkansan NRTA | — | 50% of the out-of-state tuition difference |
Source: New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award · verified 2026-10-21
Does Arkansas superscore for scholarships?
Yes. Arkansas superscores for admission and scholarships, but explicitly not for fellowships or Honors College admission. It is the only school in this dataset to publish an operational rule for the Enhanced ACT.
“The University of Arkansas does not require the science reasoning section of the ACT for scholarship, placement, or enrollment purposes.”
So the number that matters here is your superscore, not your best single test. Work out your superscore and look that score up in the grid above — it may sit a band higher than the one you have been planning around.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Arkansas scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Apply for admission, transcripts and scores submitted | November 1 |
| Priority scholarship application | November 15 |
| Final scholarship deadline, including NRTA scores | February 1 |
Scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive, and official reports sent to schools can take longer, so the last useful test date is several weeks before the printed deadline. Check which test dates still make it.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from University of Arkansas’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Arkansas residents are NOT eligible for the NRTA — the in-state and out-of-state structures are different products, not two columns of one grid.
- In-state scholarships are awarded holistically with no published score or GPA thresholds, so they are not modelled here.
- The percentage applies to the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition and assumes 30 enrolled hours; fewer hours means less money.
- Arkansas separately publishes dollar ranges of $15,600–$20,000 (New Arkansan) and $11,100–$17,800 (Extended States) on a different page, which has not been updated as recently as the NRTA page.
- GPA is recalculated to a 4.0 scale with one extra grade point for AP, IB and dual-enrolment courses. Honors and pre-AP courses get no extra weight.
- The qualifying GPA can still be improved after admission, up to the first day of classes.
Check before you rely on it. Grids change by entry year and schools update them without notice. This page is a reproduction with a date on it, not a guarantee, and it is not financial aid advice. ClutchACT is not affiliated with University of Arkansas.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Arkansas?
University of Arkansas publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Arkansas test-optional?
Test-optional for admission for students with a 3.2 GPA or higher. Every admitted student must still provide a score afterwards for placement purposes. For merit aid the answer is different: arkansas states a score is required for most scholarships. Whether that includes the NRTA specifically is genuinely ambiguous — the NRTA page lists GPA-only criteria and says no application is needed, while the non-resident scholarship page says scores must be submitted by February 1. Treat as unresolved. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does Arkansas superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. Arkansas superscores for admission and scholarships, but explicitly not for fellowships or Honors College admission. It is the only school in this dataset to publish an operational rule for the Enhanced ACT. The University of Arkansas does not require the science reasoning section of the ACT for scholarship, placement, or enrollment purposes.
When are Arkansas scholarship deadlines?
Apply for admission, transcripts and scores submitted: November 1. Priority scholarship application: November 15. Final scholarship deadline, including NRTA scores: February 1. The application and the official score report are both due by that date, and ACT scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive — so the last useful test date is several weeks earlier than the deadline suggests.
Is this Arkansas scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Arkansas's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-21. The sources are linked at the bottom of the page with that date. Grids change by entry year, so check the source before relying on a figure for a decision.
Other schools to check
What to do next
Arkansas awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Arkansas is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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