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Henderson State award rules

Will the scholarship last four years at Henderson State?

We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

5 of 5 published awards are listed as renewable.

The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.

What to do

Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.

See every award rule, common mistake, and source

At a glance

Renewable tiers
5 of 5
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
5
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

Henderson State'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.

  • Distinguished Freshman Scholarship: 2.0 GPA
  • Academic Scholarship grid — Living on Campus (freshman): 2.0 GPA
  • Academic Scholarship grid — Commuters (freshman): 2.0 GPA
  • Academic Scholarship grid — Transfers: 2.0 GPA
  • Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship (state): See notes

Renewal terms by tier

  • Distinguished Freshman Scholarship

    Full tuition

    Entry requirements: 4.0 weighted or unweighted GPA · SAT equivalent of ACT 26 SAT · 26+ (or SAT equivalent) ACT

    To keep it: Renewable academic scholarship (scholarship-specific renewal GPA not published on these pages; federal SAP requires a 2.0 cumulative GPA). Recipients also receive automatic admission to the Honors College.

    Source: https://www.hsu.edu/future-students/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Academic Scholarship grid — Living on Campus (freshman)

    $1,000-$6,000 per year

    Entry requirements: Chancellor 4.0 = $6,000; Centurium 3.5-3.99 = $4,500; Red & Gray 3.1-3.49 = $2,500; Reddie Spirit 2.0-3.09 = $1,000 GPA · No test score required SAT · No test score required ACT

    To keep it: Renewable academic scholarships; scholarship-specific renewal GPA not published (federal SAP minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, 66.67% completion).

    Source: https://www.hsu.edu/future-students/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Academic Scholarship grid — Commuters (freshman)

    $750-$3,000 per year

    Entry requirements: Chancellor 4.0 = $3,000; Centurium 3.5-3.99 = $2,500; Red & Gray 3.1-3.49 = $1,250; Reddie Spirit 2.0-3.09 = $750 GPA · No test score required SAT · No test score required ACT

    To keep it: Renewable academic scholarships; scholarship-specific renewal GPA not published (federal SAP minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA).

    Source: https://www.hsu.edu/future-students/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Academic Scholarship grid — Transfers

    $2,000-$4,500 per year

    Entry requirements: Excellence 3.5-4.0 = $4,500; Success 3.0-3.49 = $4,000; Merit 2.0-2.99 = $2,000 (all require 12+ earned hours) GPA · No test score required SAT · No test score required ACT

    To keep it: Renewable academic scholarships; scholarship-specific renewal GPA not published (federal SAP minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA).

    Source: https://www.hsu.edu/future-students/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship (state)

    $1,000-$2,500 per semester (escalates by class level)

    To keep it: Continues by class level: Freshman $1,000/semester, Sophomore $2,000/semester, Junior $2,000/semester, Senior $2,500/semester (traditional). Non-traditional amounts step by earned hours.

    Source: https://www.hsu.edu/future-students/financial-aid/scholarships/

How families lose this aid

  • Assuming your scholarship is the same whether you live on campus or commute

    Commuter amounts are about half the residential amounts at every GPA band (e.g., a 4.0 Chancellor is $6,000 on campus but $3,000 as a commuter), and the full-tuition Distinguished award is not available to commuters.

  • Thinking a 4.0 GPA alone earns full tuition

    Full tuition (Distinguished) requires a 4.0 GPA AND a 26+ ACT/SAT equivalent and a February 1 deadline; a 4.0 without the test score maps to the Chancellor award ($6,000 on campus).

  • Counting on the full Arkansas Academic Challenge amount as a freshman

    The Academic Challenge award is only $1,000/semester in the freshman year and steps up to $2,000 and then $2,500/semester in later years.

  • Expecting a test score to help

    Except for the Distinguished award, the academic scholarships are determined by GPA only (weighted or unweighted) with no test score required.

Renewal questions families ask

What is the scholarship deadline?
The Distinguished Freshman Scholarship has a February 1 deadline; other academic scholarships are evaluated automatically from your admission GPA.
Do I need an ACT or SAT score?
No, except for the Distinguished Freshman Scholarship (which requires a 26+ ACT or SAT equivalent). All other academic scholarships are based on weighted or unweighted cumulative high school GPA with no test score required.
Are the scholarship amounts different for commuters?
Yes. On-campus residents receive higher amounts than commuters at each GPA band, and only on-campus students are eligible for the full-tuition Distinguished award.

How Henderson State compares across our verified dataset

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Henderson State is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

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

More on Henderson State merit aid