SREB Doctoral Scholars Program — Arkansas

Eligibility

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident pursuing a Ph.D.; professional doctorates such as Ed.D., D.B.A., M.D. and D.N.P. are not eligible.
• Apply to a participating institution and confirm the graduate dean’s current participation and available Arkansas award.
• SREB currently lists Arkansas State, UCA, UA Fayetteville, UA Little Rock, UAPB and UAMS. Listing does not establish eligibility for every degree at each campus.
• Arkansas out-of-state applicants may be considered after in-state applicants; residency is a priority rather than a universal exclusion.
• Doctoral applicants must not have begun their second doctoral year; pending admission applicants must provide admission proof before an award.
• Dissertation applicants must complete coursework and comprehensive exams and successfully defend the prospectus before the funded academic year.

Requirements

• The 2027 SREB application opens in early January and closes March 31 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern; the exact opening date has not been announced.
• Current SREB materials still list Arkansas participation, but Arkansas’s legacy 6 CAR397 rule was repealed January 16, 2026. Confirm state funding and applicable terms before relying on an award.
• Submit the online eligibility quiz, application, teaching-goals personal statement, three recommendations, transcripts and admission/citizenship documentation.
• Dissertation applicants also need departmental verification of exams and prospectus defense.
• Maintain full-time enrollment and satisfactory progress and meet program professional-development obligations; obtain approval for additional work or support.
• The doctoral route’s fourth and fifth years are institutional support, not a promised $20,000 stipend each year. The $34,000 total-income ceiling in program guidance is not an award amount.

How to Apply

1. 1Confirm current Arkansas funding and campus participation with SREB and the graduate dean.
2. 2Choose the doctoral or dissertation route based on your progress.
3. 3Take the eligibility quiz when the 2027 online application opens.
4. 4Submit all materials by March 31 and complete admission or dissertation verification.
5. 5Review the award agreement, institutional support and renewal conditions.