Frequently Asked Questions

It is up to you to request that your transcript be sent into the Arkansas Division of Higher Education. Most (but not all) institutions have an online transcript request form on their website or through your student portal at your institution. You can also reach out to your institution’s Registrar/Records department for assistance. Be sure to mark the Arkansas Division of Higher Education and/or finaid@adhe.edu as the transcript recipient on your request form.

Alternatively, if you would like to confirm we receive it and track when we process your transcript, you can upload it to us directly by having the official transcript sent to yourself. Once sent to yourself, you can upload the transcript in your SAMS account by clicking on “Details” for the scholarship in your account where an “Upload” button should appear in the application.

If your institution does not have an electronic transcript delivery option, your official transcript may be mailed to us at:

Arkansas Division of Higher Education
ATTN: Financial Aid Department
101 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 300
Little Rock, AR 72201

SAMS stands for Scholarship Application Management System. This is the account you created when you first completed the ADHE search and application process. Access it by going to https://sams.adhe.edu/ and logging in under "Returning User."

Financial Aid Home

Students may log into their ADHE SAMS financial aid account around the clock to update their information.

If you remember your email address and password that you used to create your account, you can go to the ADHE financial aid homepage and  log in under returning user, using the email and password with which your account was created. If you do not remember your username or password, click on “Forgot email or password?” below. If you forgot which email address you used, you will be asked some questions to verify your identity, and your email address will be confirmed. If you forgot your password, the system will send you an email with a link to a site where you can create a new one.

Forgot Email or Password

Students may fill out a Consent Release Form to release their information to other parties. The form is accessible on their SAMS account through the My Profile page, near the bottom of the page. 

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, for such federal financial aid programs, such as the Pell Grant and student loans. ADHE’s Scholarship Application Management System (SAMS) is the application for State of Arkansas financial aid programs, such as the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.

Completion of the FAFSA is NOT an application for any of the ADHE programs, nor is completion of the SAMS application the same as the FAFSA.

ADHE receives FAFSA information for all applicants who list an Arkansas college on their FAFSA. It generally takes about a week from the time you complete the FAFSA until it is received at ADHE.

All files are reviewed and updated as documents are received. Due to heavy volume of documents received, this process may take a significant amount of time. Applicants can always check their status by logging onto their ADHE SAMS financial aid account and looking on the program-specific page.

All applicants are encouraged to check the status of their ADHE accounts online through the Scholarship Application Management System (SAMS). When an applicant’s account is updated, the change is reflected on the program-specific page of that account. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required documentation is submitted to ADHE by the appropriate deadlines.

When you log into your SAMS account, you will notice that your scholarship applications have a current status listed. You can see the meaning of each status at the link below:

Understanding Your Status

Double-check your ADHE SAMS account to be sure the college you will be attending is the one listed on the account. If your college choice has changed, you can request Transfers directly through the My Profile page. To start this process, the Applicant will select Request Transfer.

Funds are sent to the college you put on your account. ADHE does not know which college you are attending unless you tell us.

You can take summer classes at your own expense to make up deficiencies in grades and/or hours from the prior school year. When the classes are complete, have your college provide ADHE with your official transcript by October 1. You do not have to take the same classes you took during the regular school year, and you do not have to attend the same college to make up your hours. The hours, however, must be accepted by the college at which you are seeking your degree.

Please note that these requests are processed manually after receiving the applicable documentation. Requests to be taken off probation status may take slightly longer than your initial application.

You do not have to reapply for the Academic Challenge Scholarship, the Governor's Scholarships, the Law Enforcement Officers program, the Military Dependents Scholarship, or the Arkansas Health Education Grants. Those scholarships are renewed automatically, provided you meet the continuing eligibility requirements by the end of spring semester. The colleges let us know who has met those requirements. To see your continuing eligibility requirements, log into your ADHE SAMS financial aid account, go to the program-specific page in your account, and click on “Information Sheet.”

The Higher Education Opportunities Grant (the GO! Grant) is also renewed automatically, but you must complete a new FAFSA each year to show continued need.

Teachers must submit a new application for TOP and STEP each year.

If you are transferring schools, it is very important that you let us know. In order to request a transfer in your SAMS account, you can log in at https://sams.adhe.edu/, go to the My Profile page and select “Request Transfer.” The deadlines to request a transfer are October 1 for the fall semester and February 1 for the spring semester. Please note that you may only transfer your scholarship to an approved Arkansas institution of higher education. For a list of eligible colleges, click the button below.

Approved Arkansas Colleges

You can request a hold through the My Scholarships page of your SAMS account (sams.adhe.edu). Click the "Request Hold" button toward the bottom of the page to access the request form.

The deadlines for hold requests are October 1 for fall holds, and February 1 for spring holds. You can hold your scholarship for up to four semesters for certain reasons.

For Non-Traditional Students:

Students must be enrolled in at least fifteen (15) semester hours to receive the above amounts.  The award amount will be one-half the above amount for students enrolled in six (6) to eight (8) hours.  The award amount will be three-quarters of the above amount for students enrolled in nine (9) to fourteen (14) hours. All hours must be taken at one institution.

For Traditional Students:

Students must enroll in at least twelve (12) semester hours the first fall semester immediately following high school graduation, and fifteen (15) semester hours each semester thereafter, as of close of business on the 11th day of classes in a program of study leading to a bachelors or associates degree, or a qualified certificate. You must be enrolled in the appropriate number of credit hours at one institution each semester. This scholarship will not be split among multiple colleges in a semester.

If you are an Arkansas high school senior who has/will earn 27 college credit hours or more prior to beginning college in the Fall (after your senior year), you may be eligible to request an increase in Arkansas Academic Challenge funding from the freshmen level to the sophomore level. By receiving the higher level, you agree to forfeit the first semesters of eligible funding of Arkansas Academic Challenge. Requests to forfeit the freshman award amount are due by July 1. 

Request to Forfeit Freshman Award Amount Form

If you have completed 87+ college credit hours prior to beginning college in the upcoming Fall or Spring semester, you may be eligible to request an increase in Arkansas Academic Challenge (Lottery) funding to the 4th year level of funding at $2,500 per semester for 2 semesters. Deadline: August 1st for Fall / January 1st for Spring

Request to Forfeit to Senior Award Amount Form

If you are eligible, yes, there is sufficient funding at this time for all graduating high school seniors. There is currently no funding cap for traditional students.

For the non-traditional Academic Challenge Scholarship, available funding goes first to returning students. If there are funds remaining, students will be prioritized by proximity to graduation, grade point average, and course of study.

For the GO! Grant, available funding goes first to returning students. If there are funds remaining, students will be prioritized by level of need, with those showing the greatest need having highest priority.

For other programs, please check the program’s Rules and Regulations.

For an A-Z list of all of the scholarship programs offered by the State of Arkansas, just click the button below.

Scholarships and Programs

When a student receives a student aid package that includes state aid and the student aid package exceeds the cost of attendance, the postsecondary institution shall repay state aid in the amount exceeding total cost of attendance, starting with state aid received under the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship under §6-85-201 et seq.

Arkansas Scholarship Stacking Law

Explore Arkansas Careers can help! Visit Career to find training for your dream job!

The "How to Pay for College: A Guide for Arkansas Student" booklet is published yearly by the Arkansas Student Loan Authority and details the financial aid process and available programs to help your student find aid.

2023-2024 Booklet

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