A Simpler Path to Financial Aid

This week, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education unveiled the Universal Scholarship Application. This simple, Web-based resource provides current and aspiring college students with a single application that will help them calculate how much State assistance they may qualify for in financial aid. Rather than having to sift through the 21 scholarship, grant, and loan programs the State offers, students submit their biographical information once. Then, the program determines the assistance they're eligible for, as well as estimates the amount of financial aid they may receive each school year. The entire process usually takes less than ten minutes.

The system went online a week ago, and already, thousands of students have completed aid applications. While students are encouraged to utilize the online format at home, school, the public library, or through a workforce center, the Department of Higher Education also is developing a paper application to ensure that this new tool is accessible to all Arkansans who want to pursue higher education.

In 2007, we established the Arkansas Task Force on Higher Education Remediation, Retention, and Graduation Rates. This group worked more than a year to find ways to increase college-graduation rates in Arkansas. They found that while our students consistently enroll in higher education, they often can't afford to stay in college and graduate. This has contributed to Arkansas's low ranking in the percentage of adults attaining a bachelor's degree, a statistic that we are going to change.

One of the recommendations the task force made was to improve and simplify access to financial aid. We heard this concern from across the State, we listened to our people, and we've taken steps to change the system. We have broken down a cumbersome, antiquated process to make it less intimidating and more user-friendly. No longer will students be deterred by a myriad of aid applications, and no longer will money be left on the table that can help our students. The Department of Higher Education, the Department of Education, and the members of the General Assembly worked together to make this transformative idea a reality.

As we address the costs of higher education through financial aid, we are simultaneously working to improve our students' academic preparedness by reducing the need for remediation and improving the level of college success.

Applying for state scholarships is now easier than ever before, and the entire system is designed to match individuals with the aid opportunities that will suit them best. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education has made its Free Application for Federal Student Aid (the FAFSA) more user-friendly and easier to understand. In other words, both state and federal financial aid are now more accessible to Arkansans.

Students can access the Web application by logging onto www.adhe.edu and clicking on the YOUniversal Arkansas Financial Aid System link. Thanks to this new system, more students will go to college - and more students will graduate from college. The future of our State will truly be changed for the better.