Beyond Boundaries Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Arkansas State University

Summary
The Beyond Boundaries Scholarship is an institutional award administered by the A-State Financial Aid & Scholarships Office. It is intended for U.S. high school seniors (see eligibility below) and is awarded only during the student’s senior year of high school. If you have questions at any time, contact the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office at (870) 972-2310 or scholarships@astate.edu.

What the scholarship provides
- $2,500 per year, divided between the Fall and Spring terms.
- Pays for on-campus courses at Arkansas State University–Jonesboro only (correspondence courses are excluded).
- Awarded for up to eight consecutive semesters or until the undergraduate degree is completed, whichever comes first—provided you meet and maintain the scholarship requirements.

Who is eligible
- U.S. citizens who are graduating high school seniors.
- This award is specifically for students who are not eligible for scholarships that require both Arkansas residency and graduation from an Arkansas high school.
- Minimum academic criteria:
- ACT composite of 24 or higher, or New SAT total of 1180 or higher.
- High school GPA of at least 3.250 on a six- or seven-semester transcript.
- Students must be admitted to A-State (application with fee, official ACT/SAT scores, and official six- or seven-semester transcript required).
- Limited number of awards; all offers depend on available funding.

Important dates and application notes
- Scholarship application deadline: June 1 of your high school senior year.
- Award letters begin mailing the third week of December.
- Award offers must be accepted by July 1 of your senior year (recommended to accept within 30 days). The offer expires after July 1.
- Matriculation to A-State must occur in the Fall semester immediately following high school graduation.

How to accept & what you must do to keep the scholarship
- Accept your award in writing or via the process described in your award letter. If you accept and later choose a different university, notify the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office in writing or by email at scholarships@astate.edu.
- Enroll full time on the A-State Jonesboro campus every Fall and Spring semester: 15 college-level credit hours (correspondence excluded). Enrollment is locked as of the 11th class day.
- Concurrent enrollment at another campus cannot be used to meet the 15-hour requirement or be paid for by the scholarship.
- You must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Online degree programs are not eligible for Institutional Scholarships.
- If you enroll full-time at another institution (college, university, technical college, or A-State branch) during any Fall or Spring after high school graduation, you automatically forfeit the scholarship.
- If you enroll in a developmental course as part of your 15 A-State hours and plan to test out of it, contact the Scholarships Office before testing to discuss how that may affect your award.
- All college coursework is included in the overall GPA calculation for scholarship renewal.
- If your grades change after transcripts are submitted, you are responsible for notifying the Scholarships Office so your scholarship status can be reviewed.
- Dependent children of A-State faculty/staff who receive the award will be paid 25% of the scholarship value per semester for A-State credit hours, in addition to the faculty/staff discount.
- For military-related exceptions, contact the Scholarships Office at (870) 972-2310.

Renewal requirements (keeping the scholarship after your first year)
- Maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.250.
- Successfully complete 30 A-State credit hours each academic year (Fall and Spring combined).
- Accepted transfer credits will be calculated into your overall GPA.
- Incomplete grades may cause you to forfeit the scholarship if you don’t otherwise meet the criteria.
- Any student who finishes a Fall term with only W’s, F’s, WN’s, I’s and/or FN’s will lose the scholarship for all subsequent semesters.
- Freshman probation: If you do not meet the 3.250 GPA and 30-hour requirement after your freshman Fall and Spring, you have until the end of Summer II (Fall, Spring, Summer I and Summer II combined) to reach those benchmarks. All hours taken to remove the deficit during probation must be A-State hours. If you fail to meet the requirements by the end of Summer II, the scholarship is forfeited for subsequent semesters. Probation is only available after the freshman year (not later).

Final tips from a teacher
- Treat the July 1 acceptance deadline and the June 1 application deadline as non-negotiable.
- Plan your Fall and Spring schedules early to ensure 15 A-State hours on campus (watch the 11th-class-day lock).
- Keep copies of transcripts and grade reports and notify Scholarships if anything changes.
- If anything about your plans is uncertain (military service, testing out of developmental classes, enrolling elsewhere), contact the Scholarships Office BEFORE you act.

Contact
A-State Financial Aid & Scholarships Office
Phone: (870) 972-2310
Email: scholarships@astate.edu

If you’d like, I can turn this into a one-page checklist you can print and bring to your counselor.