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University of Central Arkansas · Arkansas

Central Arkansas Merit Aid

UCA's freshman academic scholarships are automatic on a single high-school GPA cutoff (no test score required), running from $2,000/year at a 3.50 GPA up to $10,500/year for Schedler Honors College admits.

Verified Jun 20268 days ago· CC
Merit tiers53 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC

Rules that bite at Central Arkansas

The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Central Arkansas's own published policy, not generic advice.

  • capHard $31,237 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Central Arkansas cannot push the package past $31,237. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Common merit-aid mistakes at Central Arkansas

  1. Eligibility is based on the cumulative GPA from the 6th or 7th semester high school transcript (4th/5th semester for early graduates). Spring-senior grades do not move you up a tier.

  2. Each award splits into a Tuition & Fee Award and a Housing Award; students must live in University housing to receive the housing portion and therefore the full annual total. Future Leaders is half housing, so off-campus students lose $1,000 of the $2,000.

  3. Schedler Honors College/Program require a separate online application (2 references, 2 essays) by January 26, 2026, and only 80 (+40) students are selected. The 3.75 GPA is a floor, not a guarantee.

  4. Arkansas Code 6-80-105 caps total scholarships at your cost of attendance. If you exceed it, the Arkansas Challenge is cut first, then UCA academic aid — so a private award can effectively reduce your state/UCA aid rather than increasing your total.

  5. The 2026-27 on-campus undergraduate cost of attendance is $31,237 (tuition/fees $11,384 + housing/meals $11,988 + books/transport/personal); even the $10,500 Schedler award covers only part of that, and out-of-state students add $9,010.

Who this school is for

Arkansas (and out-of-state) students with a strong unweighted-style cumulative HS GPA who want a predictable, test-optional automatic award; top students with a 3.75+ GPA who will compete for the Schedler Honors College/Program by the January 26 deadline get the largest packages.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $31,237 for 2026-2027. Source

Institutional merit aid tiers

Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.

$10,500 per year…$10,500 per year (Tuition & Fee $5,000 + Housing $1,500 + Private Room Upgrade ~$2,000 + $2,000 stipend)

Schedler Honors College Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Minimum 3.75 Cumulative High School GPA (6th/7th semester transcript)
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Admitted to UCA; apply to the Schedler Honors College online beginning September 1 with 2 references and 2 essays; 80 students selected. No test score required.

Renewal terms

Year 1: 11 UCA hours/semester (27 annually) with min 2.50 per-semester / 3.25 annual UCA cumulative GPA. Year 2+: min 3.25 per-semester and 3.25 annual UCA cumulative GPA. Must enroll in 15 UCA credit hours and live in University housing to receive the full award.

Notes

Competitive Honors selection (not automatic): 80 students are chosen for the College. The Private Room Upgrade dollar figure is an estimate set by the Tier 1 vs Tier 3 housing difference each year; the page lists ~$2,000 but states the full upgrade cost is covered. Deadline January 26, 2026.

Source

$9,500 per year…$9,500 per year (Tuition & Fee $5,000 + Housing $1,500 + Private Room Upgrade ~$2,000 + $1,000 stipend)

Schedler Honors Program Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Minimum 3.75 Cumulative High School GPA (6th/7th semester transcript)
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Admitted to UCA; apply to the Schedler Honors Program online from September 1 with 2 references and 2 essays; an additional 40 students selected. No test score required.

Renewal terms

Year 1: 11 UCA hours/semester (27 annually) with min 2.50 per-semester / 3.25 annual UCA cumulative GPA. Year 2+: min 3.25 per-semester and 3.25 annual UCA cumulative GPA. Must enroll in 15 UCA credit hours and live in University housing for the full award.

Notes

Competitive Honors selection (not automatic): 40 students are chosen for the Program (after the 80 College selections). Same private-room-upgrade estimate caveat as the College tier. Deadline January 26, 2026.

Source

$6,500 per year…$6,500 per year (Tuition & Fee $5,000 + Housing $1,500)

Achievement Scholarship

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Minimum 4.00 Cumulative High School GPA (6th/7th semester transcript)
Requirements & details
Eligibility

UCA first-time entering undergraduate; submit admission documentation by deadline; U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. No test score required.

Renewal terms

Year 1 (Fall to Spring): 11 UCA hours, min 2.75 UCA cumulative GPA. Year 1 (Spring to Fall): 27 combined hours, min 3.25 cumulative GPA. Year 2+: 11 hours/semester (30 annually) with min 3.25 per-semester and 3.25 annual UCA cumulative GPA. 15 UCA credit hours required; must live in University housing for the housing award.

Notes

GPA-only award (no test score). Policy states institutional scholarships are 'highly competitive and awarded based on academic performance and available funds,' so meeting the 4.00 GPA does not strictly guarantee the award even though there is no competitive application. Deadline January 26, 2026.

Source

$4,500 per year…$4,500 per year (Tuition & Fee $3,500 + Housing $1,000)

University Scholarship

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Minimum 3.75 Cumulative High School GPA (6th/7th semester transcript)
Requirements & details
Eligibility

UCA first-time entering undergraduate; submit admission documentation by deadline; U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. No test score required.

Renewal terms

Year 1 (Fall to Spring): 11 UCA hours, min 2.50 UCA cumulative GPA. Year 1 (Spring to Fall): 27 combined hours, min 3.00 cumulative GPA. Year 2+: 11 hours/semester (30 annually) with min 3.00 per-semester and 3.00 annual UCA cumulative GPA. 15 UCA credit hours required; must live in University housing for the housing award.

Notes

GPA-only award (no test score). Same 'highly competitive / based on available funds' caveat as Achievement. Deadline May 4, 2026.

Source

$2,000 per year…$2,000 per year (Tuition & Fee $1,000 + Housing $1,000)

Future Leaders Scholarship

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Minimum 3.50 Cumulative High School GPA (6th/7th semester transcript)
Requirements & details
Eligibility

UCA first-time entering undergraduate; submit admission documentation by deadline; U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. No test score required.

Renewal terms

Year 1 (Fall to Spring): 11 UCA hours, min 2.50 UCA cumulative GPA. Year 1 (Spring to Fall): 27 combined hours, min 2.75 cumulative GPA. Year 2+: 11 hours/semester (30 annually) with min 2.75 per-semester and 2.75 annual UCA cumulative GPA. 15 UCA credit hours required; must live in University housing for the housing award.

Notes

Entry-level GPA-only award (no test score). Half of the $2,000 is a housing award that only applies if the student lives in University housing. Deadline May 4, 2026.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

UCA caps total scholarships at the student's cost of attendance per Arkansas Code 6-80-105. If awards exceed COA, the Arkansas Academic Challenge is reduced first, then (in order) UCA academic, departmental/performance, other ADHE scholarships/grants, and other public funds. Private/outside scholarships are counted in the package but are NOT reduced by the University.

Reduction order is fixed: Arkansas Challenge first, then UCA academic, then departmental/performance, then other ADHE scholarships/grants, then other public funds. Because private scholarships are protected from reduction, winning an outside award is most likely to displace state/UCA aid rather than the private award itself when a student is near the COA ceiling. Last revised 01/2024; UCA defers to the Arkansas Division of Higher Education stacking policy.

Source

Lesser-known scholarships at Central Arkansas

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

AmountFull out-of-state tuition (covers the ~$9,010 nonresident tuition differential)EligibilityAll international students who are fully admitted and choose to live in University housing are automatically offered it; UCA alumni (and certain dependents) may pay in-state tuition via the UCA Alumni Association.

Status/housing-based, not a GPA merit award. Page does not list a dollar figure; the ~$9,010 nonresident add-on is from the 2026-27 COA. Verify domestic out-of-state eligibility with the aid office.

Source

AmountVaries (amounts not published)EligibilityCurrent and admitted students for the next academic year, including freshmen; FAFSA required for U.S. citizens/permanent residents. Individual donor-set criteria (GPA, major, residency).

Single online application opens October 1 at uca.academicworks.com; deadline January 26, 2026 (extended to February 4, 2026). Specific named awards and dollar amounts are not published on the public listing.

Source

Central Arkansas merit aid FAQ

  • Do UCA freshman scholarships require an ACT or SAT score?

    No. The 2026-27 freshman academic scholarships (Future Leaders, University, Achievement, and the Schedler Honors awards) are based on cumulative high school GPA only; no ACT or SAT score is listed as a requirement.

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    Achievement and both Schedler Honors awards are due January 26, 2026 (the Schedler Honors application requires 2 references and 2 essays). University and Future Leaders are due May 4, 2026. The UCA Foundation application is due January 26, 2026 (extended to February 4, 2026).

  • What GPA must I keep to renew my scholarship?

    It depends on the award. By Year 2+, the required UCA cumulative GPA is 2.75 (Future Leaders), 3.00 (University), and 3.25 (Achievement and both Schedler awards), with at least 11 UCA credit hours each semester (and 15 enrolled). Year-1 thresholds are lower (as low as 2.50).

  • Can I stack a private/outside scholarship on top?

    Up to your cost of attendance. Per Arkansas Code 6-80-105 UCA caps total scholarships at COA; if you exceed it, the Arkansas Academic Challenge is reduced first, then UCA academic aid. UCA does not reduce private scholarships themselves.

How Central Arkansas compares across our verified dataset

  • 160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Central Arkansas is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Central Arkansas is one of them. The cohort minority (82 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 Central Arkansas’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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