By: Fletcher Cowden
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- There’s plenty of reasons why incoming freshmen would choose to attend the University of Arkansas, but for out of state students a scholarship makes it even more tempting.
The University’s New Arkansan Tuition Scholarship lends a financial helping hand for students coming in from other states.
Enrollment and admissions at the University of Arkansas give students from surrounding states the opportunity to attend college at a discounted price. Students from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and even Georgia and Illinois all have the opportunity for a majority of the difference of out-of-state and in-state tuition to be covered.
A little under half of the newly enrolled freshmen are from out of state.
“We want to bring people to the state,” says Dean of Admissions Suzanne McCray, “The out of state students bring a different perspective, they bring the connections they have, and later for Arkansas students, they will be great resources.”
Out of the states listed above students must have at least a high school grade point average of 3.6 in order to receive 90% in-state tuition. Transferring college students need a 3.2 GPA in order to receive the 90%.
All other states are also eligible for the NRTS scholarship covering up to 80% in-state tuition with a 3.6 GPA out of high school and 3.5 GPA. For college transfer from the surrounding states, students with the requirement of a 3.2 cumulative GPA for 90% and 3.0 for 80%Sophomore Ethan Munk, from Chicago Illinois toured multiple colleges and came down between the University of Arkansas and the University of Tennessee. He chose Arkansas for the fact that the NRTS would give him more money than his other options.
“When applying to schools you have to take into account the cost,” Munk says, “The scholarship definitely sealed the deal for me.”
The University of Arkansas’s admissions office’s goal is to keep at least half of the incoming freshman class from the state of Arkansas.
“It is always our goal to recruit more Arkansans,” McCray says, “ It’s our number one mission.”
Despite COVID-19 enrollment for the incoming freshman class at the University of Arkansas have not been affected.
Fall semester of 2020 the University had a total of 27,562 students enrolled. Out of the number in the freshman class was composed of a total of 4,842 students compared to the 4,714 Freshman in the Fall of 2019.
This coming Fall 2021 semester admissions expecting even more freshman to be enrolled“We’re really pleased. Enrollment looks great we are ahead of last year,” McCray says, “Last year was affected a little bit by Covid but we had growth and even more growth this year.”