Demand for scholarships outstrips funds; all offers will be honored

Jan. 7, 2009 -- The demand for scholarships to attend Arkansas State University next fall has already surpassed the funds available, according to ASU officials. Dr. Rick Stripling, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said, “Students who applied by the Dec. 1, 2008 priority deadline and who have met the scholarship qualifications have been awarded scholarships, and those will be honored.” Stripling  cited an increase in the number of applications and the large number of qualified applicants for institutional scholarships in this fall 2009 recruitment cycle.

Due to ASU-Jonesboro’s increased publication of scholarship information, the efforts of the Admissions recruitment staff, and an increased public awareness of ASU and its institutional scholarships, the demand for scholarships has exceeded the budget for such scholarships.

Terry Finney, ASU’s director of Financial Aid and Scholarships said, “Those individuals who have received scholarship offers and currently enrolled scholarship students will not be affected. This only affects the fall 09 recruitment class. Officials have been processing scholarship applications for the fall semester for months. Demand finally outstripped the available dollars.”

The only scholarships affected are those granted on the basis of ACT score or a combination of class rank and grade point. “This is strictly a budget issue,” added Dr. Rick Stripling, vice chancellor for Student Affairs.  “We have committed all funding designated for these scholarships. This is a time of economic uncertainty, and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education has presented proposals to reduce the cap for scholarship spending from 30% to 15% of the unrestricted Educational and General tuition and fee income. Therefore, we are limiting offers for fall 09 at this time.”

Neither transfer students nor recipients of privately funded scholarships are affected, according to ASU officials.

For more information, contact ASU-Jonesboro’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at (870) 972-2310, or visit Financial Aid and Scholarships on the Web at http://finaid.astate.edu/.

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