Arkansas· Renewal Rules

Keeping Arkansas’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year — minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified May 20265 days ago· PT

At a glance

Renewable tiers
10 of 10
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
10
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

Arkansas's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

  • New Arkansan NRTA — 90% Tier (9 eligible states): See notes
  • New Arkansan NRTA — 80% Tier (9 eligible states): See notes
  • New Arkansan NRTA — 70% Tier (9 eligible states): See notes
  • Extended States NRTA — 80% Tier: See notes
  • Extended States NRTA — 50% Tier: See notes
  • Bodenhamer Fellowship: 3.00 GPA
  • Sturgis Fellowship: 3.00 GPA
  • Chancellor's Merit Scholarship (National Merit Finalists): 2.75 GPA
  • Chancellor's Scholarship: 2.75 GPA
  • Honors College Fellowship: 3.00 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

  • New Arkansan NRTA — 90% Tier (9 eligible states)

    Pays 90% of the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition (~$18,948/year, $75,792 over four years at the 2025-26 rates)

    Entry requirements: 3.80+ cumulative high school GPA on a 4.0 scale GPA

    To keep it: Complete 24 or more credit hours per academic year and maintain a 2.75+ cumulative GPA. The NRTA Renewal page details specific term-by-term hour requirements. Renewable for 4 years (5 years for Architecture students).

    Source: https://scholarships.uark.edu/nrta/index.php

  • New Arkansan NRTA — 80% Tier (9 eligible states)

    Pays 80% of the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition (~$16,843/year, $67,372 over four years)

    Entry requirements: 3.60-3.79 cumulative high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: 24+ credit hours/year and 2.75+ cumulative GPA at U of A.

    Source: https://scholarships.uark.edu/nrta/index.php

  • New Arkansan NRTA — 70% Tier (9 eligible states)

    Pays 70% of the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition (~$14,738/year, $58,952 over four years)

    Entry requirements: 3.20-3.59 cumulative high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: 24+ credit hours/year and 2.75+ cumulative GPA at U of A.

    Source: https://scholarships.uark.edu/nrta/index.php

  • Extended States NRTA — 80% Tier

    Pays 80% of the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition (~$16,843/year)

    Entry requirements: 3.60+ cumulative high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: Same renewal terms as the main NRTA: 24+ hours/year, 2.75+ GPA.

    Source: https://scholarships.uark.edu/nrta/index.php

  • Extended States NRTA — 50% Tier

    Pays 50% of the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition (~$10,527/year)

    Entry requirements: 3.20-3.59 cumulative high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: 24+ hours/year, 2.75+ GPA.

    Source: https://scholarships.uark.edu/nrta/index.php

  • Bodenhamer Fellowship

    $20,000/year ($80,000 over four years)

    Entry requirements: 3.90+ high school GPA GPA · 1430+ SAT · 32+ ACT

    To keep it: Cumulative 3.00 GPA and 27 hours earned by the end of the second semester of each academic year, and 30 hours earned in each subsequent academic year. Renewable for 4 years or 8 semesters total. For programs with degree plans longer than 4 years, extra semester(s) of funding may be available.

    Source: https://catalog.uark.edu/undergraduatecatalog/financialaidandscholarships/scholarshipsfornewstudents/

  • Sturgis Fellowship

    $20,000/year ($80,000 over four years)

    Entry requirements: 3.90+ high school GPA GPA · 1430+ SAT · 32+ ACT

    To keep it: Cumulative 3.00 GPA and 27 hours earned by the end of the second semester of each academic year, and 30 hours earned in each subsequent academic year. Renewable for 4 years or 8 semesters total.

    Source: https://catalog.uark.edu/undergraduatecatalog/financialaidandscholarships/scholarshipsfornewstudents/

  • Chancellor's Merit Scholarship (National Merit Finalists)

    $12,000/year ($48,000 over four years)

    To keep it: Cumulative 2.75 GPA and 30 hours earned by the end of the second semester of each award year. 4 years or 8 semesters total (5 years for Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture).

    Source: https://catalog.uark.edu/undergraduatecatalog/financialaidandscholarships/scholarshipsfornewstudents/

  • Chancellor's Scholarship

    Up to $10,000/year (toward direct cost of education including tuition, fees, and double-occupancy room and board in UA residence hall or Greek housing)

    To keep it: Same renewal as Chancellor's Merit: 2.75 GPA + 30 hours/year. Renewable 4 years (5 years for Architecture).

    Source: https://scholarships.uark.edu/guide-to-academic-freshman-scholarships/nonresident-freshman-scholarships.php

  • Honors College Fellowship

    $20,000/year (parallels Bodenhamer/Sturgis funding)

    Entry requirements: 3.90+ high school GPA GPA · 1430+ SAT · 32+ ACT

    To keep it: Cumulative 3.00 GPA, 27 hours by end of Year 1, 30 hours/year subsequently. Renewable 4 years (5 for Architecture).

    Source: https://catalog.uark.edu/undergraduatecatalog/financialaidandscholarships/scholarshipsfornewstudents/

How families lose this aid

  • Assuming the NRTA is available to all OOS students at the same rate

    The NRTA has TWO distinct geographic tiers. Residents of the nine 'New Arkansan' states (GA, IL, KS, LA, MS, MO, OK, TN, TX) qualify for the main NRTA — 70-90% of the tuition gap. Residents of the other 41 states get the 'Extended States' NRTA — 50-80% of the gap, with the bigger drop at the lower GPA tier. Always confirm your state of residence is on the main NRTA list before assuming the 90% rate.

  • Falling below the 24-credit-hour NRTA renewal threshold

    The NRTA renewal requires 24+ credit hours per academic year and a 2.75+ cumulative GPA. A student who drops below 12 hours in any semester (even briefly) or who fails to complete 24 hours within the academic year loses the NRTA and cannot regain it for that aid year. The non-resident tuition reverts to the full $971.53/credit-hour rate immediately. Plan course load carefully.

Renewal questions families ask

Is the New Arkansan NRTA truly automatic on stats?
Yes. Apply for admission and qualify based on cumulative high school GPA. Recipients are notified on their admission profile residency statement. No separate scholarship application is required. Test scores affect Chancellor's and Bodenhamer eligibility but not the base NRTA — the NRTA is purely GPA-based.
What's the bar for Bodenhamer or Sturgis Fellowship?
32+ ACT or 1430+ SAT, plus 3.90+ high school GPA. Both require the Honors College Fellowship application AND the U of A admission application by the November 15 priority deadline (final deadline February 1). Sturgis is restricted to Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences students; Bodenhamer is open to all majors. Both pay $20,000/year for four years.

How Arkansas compares across our verified dataset

  • 70 of 78 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Arkansas is one of them. The cohort minority (8 schools) only awards one-year scholarships — meaning the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

  • 38 of 78 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Arkansas is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder — confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against Arkansas’s own published materials.

More on Arkansas merit aid

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