Arkansas Promise Plus

• Student must be a resident of the state of Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board Policy, Section 5.10

• Must be a 2026 Arkansas High School Graduate

• Must have at least a 19 ACT or 990 SAT superscore and

• Must have at least a 3.00 high school GPA

• Family income is less than $70,000 (based on the Adjusted Gross Income or AGI from federal income tax form)

• Must be accepted for admission at Arkansas State University

• Must be a recipient of the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship

• Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• Must meet Federal Title IV eligibility criteria

Important:

The Arkansas Promise Plus Scholarship is only available to traditional, on-campus students. A-State Online students are not eligible for this program.

STEP ONE: Apply to A-State

Apply for admission to Arkansas State University. You can apply immediately here.

STEP TWO: Complete the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship Application

Apply online at sams.adhe.edu.

STEP THREE: Submit the FAFSA

The new, simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens October 1, 2025.
Complete it at studentaid.gov.

STEP FOUR: monitor your email

For Arkansas Academic Challenge, ADHE will notify you via email about the status of your application. The scholarship must be accepted through the sams.adhe.edu website. Please be sure that Arkansas State University is listed on your profile as your school of attendance, to prevent processing delays.

For FAFSA information, monitor your A-State student email account for notifications from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships if additional information is required.

 

• Students must enroll in at least 15 hours each semester.

• A-State will apply the Pell Grant, Arkansas Challenge, and Arkansas Challenge Plus (if eligible) to the tuition and fees.

• The remaining balance for 15 hours of tuition and mandatory fees will be paid by the Arkansas Promise Plus Program. For a list of eligible fees, please refer to the chart below.

• Students will be repsonsible for any additional fees not listed on this chart or any hours above the 15-hour requirement. For a list of additional fees, please visit here.

• Students living on campus will have their housing paid for the first year only.

  • Students living on campus will be responsible for paying the meal plan charges.

  • Students living on campus will be responsible for books and other expenses charged.

• Students that prefer to not live on campus will receive $1500 per semester towards meals and other expenses ($1000 voluntary meal plan, $500 in Promise Plus Perks) for the first year only.

• The Arkansas Promise Plus may be stacked with A-State Academic Scholarships. (See A-State Stacking Policy).

• Voluntary Meal Plan can be used at the campus cafeteria and on-campus food vendors

• Promise Plus Perks can be used at Textbook Brokers as well as the Team Stores located in Centennial Bank Stadium, First National Bank Arena, and Tomlinson Stadium

To stay eligible each year, students must:

• Must enroll in at least 15 hours per semester and complete at least 30 credit hours at Arkansas State University 

• Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA

• Submit the FAFSA annually at studentaid.gov and meet the income requirements. If the student’s income exceeds $70,000, they are no longer eligible to receive the Arkansas Promise Plus.

• Meet all requirements for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) allows A-State to determine your eligibility for need-based aid, and is required by the federal government for all federal financial aid that includes grants (like the Pell Grant), scholarships and loans. Along with missing out on Arkansas Promise Plus, students and their families are likely not maximizing the financial aid they could qualify for.

A-State’s role is to support each individual with the scholarship necessary to cover up to 15 hours of tuition and mandatory fees (refer to chart below). Arkansas Promise Plus awards will vary depending upon the amount of federal grants and state scholarships that the student receives.

• Colleges have a limit on how much financial aid a student can receive. This limit is called the Cost of Attendance (COA) — it includes things like tuition, housing, meals, books, personal expenses and transportation.

• In Arkansas, when a student receives scholarships, grants, loans, work-study, or tuition assistance, all that money cannot exceed their cost of attendance.

• If your total aid is higher than the cost of attendance, A-State will lower certain scholarships or other aid, so your financial aid package total fits within this amount.

 

The mandatory fees that are eligible to be covered by the Arkansas Promise Plus Program (up to 15 hours) are listed in the chart below:

MANDATORY FEES
Type of Fee	Rate per Credit Hour	Flat Rate
Athletic Fee	$23.00
Student Activity Fee		$25.00
Undergrad Support Assessment Fee (College of Agriculture)	$27.00
Undergrad Support Assessment Fee (College of Business)	$55.00
Undergrad Support Assessment Fee (College of Engineering & Computer Science)	$50.00
Undergrad Support Assessment Fee (College of Nursing & Health Professions - Other Dept. Courses)	$27.00
Undergrad Support Assessment Fee (College of Nursing & Health Professions - Nursing Only)	$46.00
Undergrad Support Assessment Fee (College of Science & Mathematics)	$35.00
Distance Ed Technology Fee (A-State Online & Web-Online Courses Only)	$10.00
Identity Compliance Fee (Online Courses - Not A-State online. Calculated Into Fee Already)	$10.00
Honors Program Fee (For Honors Students Only)	$75.00
Equine Health Management Fee		$50.00
ISBA Fee (Business)		$45.00
SHEF&P Certificate Access Fee		$49.00
Internship Fee (COUN 6203 Only)	$82.00
Internship Fee	$14.00
HOWL Program Fee		$5,000.00
ATLAS Program Fee		$2,500.00
Childhood Services Plan A		Varies
Childhood Services Plan B		$325.00
OST Credential Plan A		$125.00
MUS Fee (Music)		$30.00
MUSP (Music Performance)		$75.00
Recital Fee		Varies
Theatre Fee		$125.00
EMS/P Fee		$115.00
DLS Fee		$50.00
Nursing Clinical Fee (NRSP Only Excluding A-State Online)	$86.00
Remedial - SM (Science/Math)		$10.00
BIO/L (Biology)		$25.00
CHEM Fee (Chemistry)		$50.00
PHYS Fee (Physics)		$8.00
Remedial Fee (Other Departments)		$10.00
FYE/Making Connections Fee	$10.00
First Year Studies Fee (Fall Only & F% Sections)		$250.00
CPA Review Course Fee (Grad)		Varies