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UAFS scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$28,395per year · 2025-2026 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

UAFS is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 3 published awards, and one is based on those numbers.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
3 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Freshman Merit Scholarships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Lion Pride)$1,000-$6,000AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Freshman Merit Scholarships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Lion Pride)

    $1,000-$6,000

    Published rangeAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.0 (Lion Pride) up to 4.0 (Platinum)
    ACT
    19 (Lion Pride) up to 30 (Platinum)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Freshman Merit Scholarships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Lion Pride)

    Who qualifies

    Admission application also serves as the merit scholarship application; submit application, transcript, and test scores by May 1, 2026 (Fall 2026)

    How to keep it

    Four years or degree completion; enroll in 12 credit hours/semester and earn 24 hours/academic year; 3.0 GPA for Platinum/Gold/Silver and 2.5 GPA for Bronze/Lion Pride; summer may be used to meet renewal. Housing stipend valid for Lion's Den housing up to four years.

    Worth knowing

    Each tier qualifies on ACT OR GPA (Platinum requires 30 ACT AND 4.0 GPA, OR Valedictorian). All amounts are 'up to' per year, PLUS up to a $1,500 housing stipend. Platinum up to $6,000; Gold up to $4,000; Silver up to $3,000; Bronze up to $2,000; Lion Pride up to $1,000.

  2. First Bank Corp. Business Scholarship (Prestigious)Full tuition and feesNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    First Bank Corp. Business Scholarship (Prestigious)

    Full tuition and fees

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.5 high school GPA
    ACT
    27
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for First Bank Corp. Business Scholarship (Prestigious)

    Who qualifies

    Seeking a business degree in the College of Business and Industry; separate Prestigious Scholarship application required

    How to keep it

    Maintain a 3.0 cumulative UAFS GPA; enroll in 15 credit hours each semester and earn 30 credit hours per year; four years or degree completion.

    Worth knowing

    Full tuition and fees over four years, plus optional $2,500 housing for two years. Highly competitive. Housing portion forfeited entirely if not used in year one; changing majors could result in loss of award.

  3. Myles Friedman Honors Program Scholarship (Prestigious)Full in-state tuition and mandatory feesNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Myles Friedman Honors Program Scholarship (Prestigious)

    Full in-state tuition and mandatory fees

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.5 high school GPA (OR)
    ACT
    27 (OR)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Myles Friedman Honors Program Scholarship (Prestigious)

    Who qualifies

    Seeking a bachelor's degree; separate application plus competitive interview

    How to keep it

    Maintain a 3.2 cumulative UAFS GPA; enroll in 15 credit hours each semester and earn 30/year (27 hours allowed in first year with 12 in first semester).

    Worth knowing

    Up to $34,000 over four years — full in-state tuition and mandatory fees (approximately $7,338.50/year per the page), plus optional $2,500 housing for two years. Preferred application deadline Nov. 15, 2025.

Lights up against UAFS's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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The fine print

Aid capHard $28,395 cost-of-attendance ceiling

Institutional aid at UAFS cannot push the package past $28,395. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What makes UAFS different

UAFS layers an automatic ACT-or-GPA merit grid (up to $6,000 + a $1,500 housing stipend) under competitive Prestigious awards that can reach full in-state tuition and fees — but every amount is 'up to' and the housing stipend is forfeited if unused in year one.

Merit tiers31 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take UAFS's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. Every freshman merit amount is listed as 'up to' (e.g., Platinum up to $6,000), so the actual award can be less than the headline figure.

  2. For both the merit housing stipend and the Prestigious housing portion, students who do not use the housing portion in the first year forfeit the entire housing portion, and it must be used consecutively.

  3. The page warns that changing majors could result in a loss of awards — relevant for major-tied Prestigious awards (e.g., First Bank Corp. Business, STEM).

  4. Merit scholarships are due May 1, 2026, but the Prestigious Scholarship deadline for Fall 2026 is January 12, 2026 (Myles Friedman preferred deadline November 15, 2025) — much earlier.

  5. Prestigious awards require 15 credit hours/semester and 30 hours/year (vs 12/24 for merit), plus a 3.0 (First Bank) or 3.2 (Myles Friedman) UAFS GPA.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Arkansas and border-state freshmen who hit an ACT or GPA threshold get automatic merit; top students (27+ ACT) should chase the competitive Prestigious awards (First Bank Corp. Business, Myles Friedman Honors) for full in-state tuition and fees.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $28,395 for 2025-2026. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at UAFS, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at UAFS, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$8,890
$30,001–$48,000$9,391
$48,001–$75,000$11,392
$75,001–$110,000$13,804
$110,001+$14,297
All income levels (average)$10,574

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$7,334
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$12,182
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$10,574

That works out to roughly a 44% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $19,048 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

UAFS is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
38%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
70%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$18,250 (~$193/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$41,102
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
57%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
29%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

UAFS applies aid in a set order: non-institutional funds, including outside designated scholarships, are applied before institutional 'University Aid' merit scholarships, which are applied last. A student's final university scholarship disbursement may be reduced so that university aid never pays more than the total owed to the university, which can reduce the refund a student receives after charges are paid; the published policy does not state whether outside scholarships or loans specifically remain refundable.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): "Under the new order of aid structure, university funds will be applied after most federal, state, and certain outside aid sources." ... Order of aid list: "2. Non-institutional Restricted Funds ... Outside designated scholarships" and "4. Non-institutional Unrestricted Funds ... Non-Restricted Outside Designated Scholarships" both apply before "7. Institutional E&G Scholarships 'University Aid' ... Merit Scholarships." ... "Will this change reduce my overall financial aid package? Maybe. Because aid will be applied to student accounts in a different order, your final university scholarship disbursement may be reduced to ensure university aid does not pay more than the total owed to the university. This may affect the amount of refunds some students receive after university charges are paid." ... "What happens if my tuition and fees are fully covered by state and federal aid sources? If your federal and state aid fully covers your tuition and fees, the university aid you may have otherwise received will not be applied to your account or refunded. Other aid sources including private scholarships and grants, as well as student loans, will still be refundable."

Source

Other UAFS scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountAmount not published (truncated on page)EligibilityCompetitive; students pursuing biology, biology with teacher licensure, chemistry, computer science, geoscience, mathematics, mathematics with teacher licensure, or engineering

Requires separate Prestigious Scholarship application

Source

UAFS merit aid FAQ

  • What is the merit scholarship deadline?

    For Fall 2026, submit your admissions application, official high school transcript, and official test scores by May 1, 2026. The merit award uses your admission application as the scholarship application.

  • What is the Prestigious Scholarship deadline?

    January 12, 2026 for Fall 2026 (the 2026-27 application opened October 1, 2025). Myles Friedman Honors candidates have a preferred deadline of November 15, 2025.

  • How much are the automatic merit awards?

    Up to $6,000 (Platinum), $4,000 (Gold), $3,000 (Silver), $2,000 (Bronze), or $1,000 (Lion Pride) per year, each with up to a $1,500 housing stipend, based on ACT or GPA.

  • Can a Prestigious award cover full tuition?

    Yes — the First Bank Corp. Business Scholarship covers full tuition and fees, and the Myles Friedman Honors Scholarship covers full in-state tuition and mandatory fees (up to $34,000 over four years), each with an optional $2,500 housing portion for two years.

  • How do I keep my scholarship?

    Merit awards require 12 credits/semester, 24 hours/year, and a 3.0 (Platinum/Gold/Silver) or 2.5 (Bronze/Lion Pride) GPA. Prestigious awards require 15 credits/semester, 30 hours/year, and a 3.0–3.2 UAFS GPA.

See sources and other schools

How UAFS compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    UAFS is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

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

    UAFS 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 claim is checked against UAFS’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring UAFS merit aid

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