Rules Governing the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program, 6 CAR pt. 391

The Department of Education, Division of Higher Education, seeks to amend its Rules Governing the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program. Act 413 and Act 539 of 2023 amended the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program, Arkansas Code § 6-85-201 et seq. Act 413 creates an additional provision of the rule to allow scholarship recipient students to utilize scholarship funds for enrolling and attending courses offered during a summer term at the postsecondary institution in which the student is enrolled. Act 539 of 2023 requires an additional amendment to this rule in which, effective January 1, 2025, institutions of higher education will now include public or private vocational-technical institutes and public or private technical institutes, for which the department believes that rulemaking is required. Act 341 of 2025, Secs. 80 – 83 updates the eligibility requirements for receiving this scholarship to require traditional students achieving a 9 minimum of a 3.0 GPA in high school, completion of at least one college readiness assessment, and achievement of the diploma of merit. The amendment provides an increase from one to two thousand dollars in the first year for a recipient that has earned less than twenty-seven semester credit hours.

A public hearing was held on March 20, 2026. The public comment period expired on March 30, 2026. The agency indicated that it did not receive any public comments. Jason Kearney, an attorney with the Bureau of Legislative Research, asked the following questions and was provided with the following agency responses: 1) 6 CAR § 391-102(9)(A)(v) – Under the definition for “Diploma with Merit”, what does the acronym “ASVAB” mean? RESPONSE: ASVAB is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test that you take before entering the military. 2) 6 CAR § 391-102(9)(A)(viii) and (ix) – Under the definition for “Diploma with Merit”, what does the term “IB” mean? RESPONSE: IB is the International Baccalaureate program. 3) 6 CAR § 391-202(3) – Do the additional eligibility requirements listed under subdivision (3) only apply to students who have a disability under subdivision (2)? Or do they also apply to students who graduate from an Arkansas public high school under subdivision (1)? RESPONSE: Everything under (3) applies to all students. Additionally, students under (2) must meet all requirements under (1). They do not have any additional requirements or less requirements than students und

• Rule packet: B.3.a. DOE DHE Rules Governing the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program and Various Acts
• ALC summary agenda Jun 15, 2026
• ALC agenda Jun 15, 2026
• ALC meeting video Jun 15, 2026