Fellowship Application Checklist

  1. Add honors@uark.edu and scholars@uark.edu to your email address book.

    Our primary form of communication throughout the application process will be via email to your personal email account. Adding these addresses to your email address book will ensure that our messages reach you.

  2. Apply for admission to the University of Arkansas by November 1.

    In order to apply for academic scholarships and fellowships at the University of Arkansas, you must first apply to the University of Arkansas through the UA online application or the Common App. You should submit your admissions application, test scores and transcripts to the Office of Admissions by November 1 to be considered for the November 15 priority scholarship deadline and by January 15 for the February 1 final scholarship deadline.

    In order to be considered for fellowships, all application materials, including the letters of recommendation, must be submitted by the February 1 final scholarship deadline.

  3. Submit your high school transcript to the Office of Admissions.

    All transcripts should be mailed to the Office of Admissions at 232 Silas Hunt Hall, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701. Please note that extra weight is given for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment courses in calculating GPA, provided these courses are clearly indicated as such on the official high school transcript.

  4. Submit all ACT and/or SAT test scores to the Office of Admissions.

    Please note that in order to be considered for a fellowship, a student must have at least a 32 ACT composite score on one exam (1430 SAT). Superscores are not considered as part of the fellowship application review process.

  5. Check your New Student Center.

    Approximately 48 hours after you submit your application for admission, you will be able to access your personalized scholarship/fellowship application by logging into your New Student Center. You will copy and paste, or upload, your required supplemental materials into the application (list of accomplishments and honors, list of three works, and essay). See below for more details.

  6. Prepare supplemental fellowship application materials in your word processing software. For advice on how to make your application stand out in a competitive pool, we encourage you to read our associate dean of enrollment's "Scholarship Tips" blog post. We also have a YouTube playlist that breaks down each section of the application.

    Below you will find information for students applying to the University of Arkansas for Fall 2025 admission.

    Include three works (fiction, poetry, drama, history, science, engineering or other non-fiction) that you have read during the past year that you have most enjoyed. For each work, write a paragraph (150 words maximum for each work) to describe what you found about the work to be significant. At least one of the three selections should be a work that was not required for you to read for school. We also suggest that you try to use different styles of literary works, such as the ones listed above in parentheses.

    The essay prompts below are designed to help you explore what these values mean to you. And remember, the application essay is an opportunity for you to move beyond test scores and GPAs and tell us about you. Avoid platitudes and checklists of accomplishments and activities. The more specific you can be to your personal experience, the better!

    Write a well-developed essay (600 words maximum) on ONE of the following prompts:

    1. Identify an invention or idea that was developed more than 100 years ago that still has a major effect on the way we live today. How has this technology or idea affected your life?
    2. Identify an artist or innovator in the world today who inspires you. Tell us why.
    3. What does community service mean to you? How do you envision yourself engaging in service on campus? 

     

    You must cite sources if you use published or web-based information in your response.

    In order of significance, please describe up to eight activities. You may include academic, athletic or talent competitions, school and community leadership roles, research or creative endeavors, summer academic camps, music or theater involvement, and service projects or work-related endeavors. Please indicate your role and amount of time associated with each activity. You can use up to 100 words to describe each activity you list.
    In order of significance, please describe up to five academic awards or honors. Be sure to indicate when you earned them. You can use up to 100 words to describe each award you list.

    Please provide names, email addresses and phone numbers of two individuals who will write letters of recommendation. We recommend teachers, but counselors and other school officials often write strong letters as well. Check out Asking for a Recommendation Letter. Once you have submitted your fellowship application, an email will be sent to each individual requesting that they write a letter on your behalf. 

    Please note: Even if you are submitting your application by the priority scholarship deadline, letters of recommendation are not due until the final deadline of February 1.

    Also, if your recommender is looking for tips on how to write an effective letter on your behalf, be sure to share our blog post on the subject.

  7. Once you have prepared all of your materials, submit your fellowship application.

  8. Monitor your email account for important updates from the Honors College.

  9. Check the Academic Scholarship Office website for additional funding opportunities. Please note: Your fellowship application will also put you into contention for new freshman academic scholarships from the university.

  10. Questions? Check out our Fellowship FAQs below. If you can't find the answer you need, please contact us at honors@uark.edu or 479-575-7678.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, your fellowship application will also put you into consideration for new freshman academic scholarships at the University of Arkansas.

Yes, fellowship applicants will also need to complete an Honors College application if they wish to join honors — visit Apply for more information. Please note that if you are offered a fellowship, you are required to join the Honors College.

Please also note that fellows are expected to live in Hotz Honors Hall during their first year at the university. Students who are offered a fellowship can request a waiver from the Dean of the Honors College if they wish to live in another residence hall.

The latest test date we will consider is the December test date of your senior year. Please be sure to send your official score report from that test to the University of Arkansas. If you do become fellowship-eligible,  we will send an email with instructions on how to have your letters of recommendation submitted by the final deadline of February 1. 

No. The Honors College will consider the transcripts and test scores that you submitted to the undergraduate admissions office when you originally applied to the University of Arkansas. You therefore do not need to submit additional transcripts or test scores to the Honors College in order to be considered for prestigious fellowships.

All letters of recommendation for fellowship applicants are due by February 1, even if you submit your application by the priority deadline.

The Honors College will let you know whether or not you're invited to interview as a fellowship finalist no later than February 15.

Fellowship interviews are scheduled during March of a student's senior year.

Unfortunately, no, you will not be able to combine an academic scholarship offer from the Academic Scholarship Office (e.g. Chancellor's Scholarship, Chancellor's Merit Scholarship, Silas Hunt Scholarship, Chancellor's Community, etc.) with a fellowship. The fellowship will cancel out the original academic scholarship offer from the university. With that said, in-state students can combine a fellowship with a scholarship from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, such as the Challenge Scholarship or the Governor's Distinguished Scholarship. Out-of-state students can combine a fellowship with the New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award. All fellowship recipients can also use external scholarships to help fund their education at the University of Arkansas.

Fellows are expected to live in Hotz Honors Hall and engage with the honors community during their first year at the university. We reserve two floors in Hotz, one floor for male fellows and another for female fellows.

Students who are offered a fellowship can request a waiver from the Dean of the Honors College if they wish to live in another residence hall.  Please note that as part of the waiver request process, students will be required to agree to certain stipulations. 

 

 

 

"Take the essay seriously. Your GPA and test scores matter, but the essay is very important, too. Stellar grades look great on an application and can testify to your impeccable study habits, but grades say relatively little about your personality. The essay is designed to showcase your singular perspective on the world, so share it."

--Hannah Breshears, architectural studies and history

For more essay tips read Hannah's blog post An Essay on the Essay