Academic Scholarships

First Time Freshman Scholarship Guide

Applying for a Scholarship and Scholarship Deadlines

The application for admission serves as the application for academic scholarships. The priority deadline for applying for freshman academic scholarships is on or before March 1. All supporting documentation must be received and processed by the Office of Enrollment Services and Admissions by April 30 (completed application, all transcripts, official test scores).

Scholarship Eligibility

Students who submit an application prior to the deadline are not guaranteed a scholarship. Scholarship eligibility is determined by specific criteria. Academic scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis as long as institutional scholarship funds are available. Students cannot be awarded more than one academic scholarship.

  • Students must be admitted to the university and have a minimum ACT composite score of 20 to be considered for scholarships. ACT scores cannot be more than 5 years old. Henderson State superscores or recalculates the ACT to determine scholarship eligibility.
  • For National ACT Test dates, go to www.act.org. The Henderson State University ACT Code is 0126. For SAT Test dates, go to www.collegeboard.com. The Henderson State SAT Code is 6272.
  • Residual ACT scores are acceptable for determining eligibility.
  • Students previously enrolled in college full-time are not eligible to apply for first-time freshmen scholarships.
  • International students are not eligible to apply for academic scholarships.
  • Students that accept their academic scholarship award are required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Henderson State. Millions of dollars in federal financial aid are awarded to Henderson students each year, and there is no fee to apply. When submitting a FAFSA form, students who wish to apply to Henderson State must enter code: 001098. The FAFSA application is available on Oct. 1 annually. Eligibility for federal financial aid is determined by family income as reported to the IRS two years prior to the student’s college entry term.
  • Scholarship award letters are sent out to all qualifying applicants. Students have 10 business days to accept/decline the scholarship amount noted in the award letter and return to the Office of Enrollment Services and Admissions.

Scholarship Renewal

  • Freshman academic scholarships are awarded for eight consecutive semesters or until the completion of an undergraduate degree, whichever comes first, provided the student maintains all scholarship requirements.
  • Scholarships are awarded for consecutive fall and spring terms only and do not cover summer terms.
  • Academic scholarship recipients must enroll in 15 hours each fall and spring term. At the end of each spring term, recipients must have completed a minimum of 30 hours and meet the scholarship’s cumulative grade point average requirement. Concurrent enrollment on another campus cannot be used to meet this requirement and will not be covered by the scholarship. Incompletes (I) posted on transcripts are not considered as completed hours.
  • Only coursework completed at Henderson State is used to calculate the cumulative GPA for scholarship renewal for freshman scholarships; transfer hours are not included. Scholarship recipients who attend summer terms should be aware those grades may affect scholarship status when cumulative GPA is reviewed.
  • Scholarship eligibility is reviewed immediately after grades are posted in May. Scholarships are canceled for subsequent terms if retention criteria are not fully met. Cancellation notices are sent to the student’s Henderson email account. For extenuating circumstances only, contact the financial aid office to appeal.

Declining a Scholarship

  • Scholarship recipients who accept a scholarship but later decide that they do not intend to attend Henderson State are asked to notify the Office of Enrollment Services and Admissions by phone or email so that their admission and award may be cancelled.

Other Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions of all academic scholarships and each subsequent renewal are subject to change and will be governed by university scholarship policies. To remain in compliance with Act 323 of 2009, the University reserves the right to cancel or modify any scholarship funded by the institution at any time.

  • Scholarship awards can only be applied to tuition and fees assessed to all general students, room or board, and textbooks. Scholarship funds not needed for tuition, fees, room or board, or textbooks cannot be applied to any other cost. Scholarship awards have no cash value and cannot be refunded.
  • *Fees do not include: Application to Graduate School Fee, Course Change Fee, Graduation Application Late Fee, Graduation Fee, Late Registration Fee, Traffic fines, Late Payment Fee, Library fines, Housing Deposits, Housing Damage Fee, Duplicate ID Fee, and any other fee that is not considered to be assessed to all general students.