Arkansas
Arkansas scholarship applicants to receive conditional approval amid delayed FAFSA rollout – Arkansas Advocate
Arkansas education officials will grant conditional approval of state scholarship applications as the federal government addresses issues associated with the updated FAFSA form.
The release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form was delayed until Dec. 31 because it was being redesigned. The delayed release prevented students from knowing if they qualified for scholarships as well as new free tuition programs at Arkansas universities.
FAFSA redesign delays Arkansas universities’ free tuition program rollout
The Arkansas Department of Education Division of Higher Education will conditionally approve state scholarships to ensure students “do not experience a notification delay regarding much-needed scholarships,” according to a Monday press release.
“There is no question that higher education serves an important role in success beyond high school, and for many students, furthering their education is not possible without state and federal financial assistance,” ADHE Commissioner Ken Warden said. “Arkansas students, however, should not be penalized or face needless worry regarding funding because of improper planning by the federal government. We are pleased to provide reassurance to these students, who can feel confident in their state applications.”
In the week since the FAFSA form’s release, students have had issues with limited windows of time available to access their application and technical issues while completing the form, according to a press release.
Each year 18,000 to 25,000 Arkanans apply for state scholarships that require a completed FAFSA form, like the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship and the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship, according to ADE.
The Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship application deadline remains Mar. 1. The deadline for other state scholarships is July 1.
Students conditionally approved have until Aug. 1 to complete the FAFSA form and finalize their award.
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Rex Nelson
Rex Nelson has been senior editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 2017, and he has a biweekly podcast called “Southern Fried.”
After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 1981, he was a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat for a year before becoming editor of Arkadelphia’s Daily Siftings Herald. He was the youngest editor of a daily in Arkansas at age 23. Rex was then news and sports director at KVRC-KDEL from 1983-1985.
He returned to the Democrat as assistant sports editor in 1985. From 1986-1989, he was its Washington correspondent. He left to be Jackson T. Stephens’ consultant.
Rex became the Democrat-Gazette’s first political editor in 1992, but left in 1996 to join then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office. He also served from 2005-09 in the administration of President George W. Bush.
From 2009-2018, he worked stints at the Communications Group, Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, and Simmons First National Corp.
Dylan Sherman
Dylan Sherman is a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He is based in Northwest Arkansas and focuses on Tyson Foods Inc. and the transportation industry. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he has been with the newspaper since 2023.
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