The U of A Honors College has selected 100 exceptional high school students, including 91 from Arkansas, to receive Honors College Fellowships.
The fellowships, which award up to $80,000, largely cover tuition, fees, books, room and board, and other academic expenses over four years, providing these students the freedom to pursue original research, study abroad, service learning and other academic interests.
The fellowship funds can also be combined with other scholarships and grants, such as the more than $1 million in study abroad and research grants that the Honors College awards to students each year.
“The Honors College continues to have an incredibly competitive pool for our fellowship program each year,” said Noah Pittman, associate dean of enrollment for the Honors College. “This year alone, we reviewed almost 900 applications for endowed fellowships. Our 100 new Honors College fellows are stunningly bright and accomplished, and we look forward to helping each of them achieve their goals at the University of Arkansas and beyond.”
The new fellows boast an average grade point average of 4.28 and an average composite ACT score of 34. Also, 15% of the students are the first in their families to attend college.
The members of this distinguished class plan to study a diverse range of subjects, from studio art and history to civil engineering, environmental science and architecture.
Many have achieved notable recognition. Within this group of new fellows, 27 were named National Merit Finalists. Overall, each of these new fellows has an impressive record full of accomplishments.
The fellowship application process is rigorous. Students must score at least 32 on the ACT and achieve a minimum 3.9 grade point average to apply. Each student’s application is then reviewed by Honors College administrators and faculty for evidence of intellectual curiosity, leadership potential and community involvement. The selection process also involves a timed writing test and a campus interview for finalists.
Including the 2025 recipients, a total of 1,876 students have benefited from the Honors College Fellowship program. Recent fellows include Truman, Goldwater and Udall Scholars, Fulbright award winners and an Olympic pole vaulter.
Fellowship alumni are launching startups, taking leadership roles at international corporations and nonprofit organizations and pursuing higher degrees at schools such as the California Institute of Technology, Cambridge University, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Georgetown Law School, Harvard Law School and Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Tufts University School of Medicine, the University of Chicago Medical School and the University of Virginia.
The Honors College Fellowships were made possible by a portion of the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation’s $300 million gift to the university in 2002.
You can find the full list here.
