Arkansas Heroes Scholarship

Eligibility

• Be a US citizen or permanent resident and legal Arkansas resident for at least one year before applying.
• Be an eligible spouse, biological child, stepchild or legally adopted dependent child of a qualifying Arkansas Hero. Dependent children must be under 26 throughout funding; adoption must precede the qualifying death/disability.
• The Hero must meet a qualifying military status or recognized line-of-duty death/permanent disability in an eligible public-service occupation. Military routes include qualifying death, missing-in-action/prisoner-of-war status, Medal of Honor, Purple Heart or 100% total and permanent service-connected disability.
• Eligible public-service routes include qualifying law enforcement, firefighting, specified forestry/corrections/transportation/park/community-punishment duties, EMTs and teachers; ADHE must verify occupation and event.
• Be admitted/enrolled in an approved Arkansas public or private institution for undergraduate study. Spousal eligibility ends upon remarriage.

Requirements

• Submit the SAMS application by the annual July 1 deadline; next deadline is July 1, 2027. UAMS describes a November 1 opening, but confirm the current cycle directly with ADHE.
• Provide route-specific Hero status and relationship evidence. Military applicants may need casualty/DD214 or VA disability records, Chapter 35 application/decision/benefit amounts and relationship records; line-of-duty applicants may need State Claims Commission findings.
• Where required for the military route, submit the VA/Chapter 35 application by June 15 and provide its acceptance/denial and benefit documentation.
• Maintain full-time enrollment, 2.0 college GPA and at least 24 earned semester hours annually. Confirm covered credit-hour limits with ADHE; current page says up to 15 hours while older indexed text says 12 or more.
• Support ends after eight semesters or degree completion, whichever comes first. Military-route assistance covers only a positive remaining balance after the specified three months of Chapter 35 benefits are deducted.

How to Apply

1. 1Ask ADHE to confirm the Hero status, dependent/spouse relationship, residency and current application cycle.
2. 2Collect route-specific relationship and military/Claims Commission documentation; obtain VA benefit records where applicable.
3. 3Apply through SAMS by July 1 and submit all requested supporting records.
4. 4Coordinate covered charges and benefits with your college; maintain renewal, age and marital-status eligibility.