Merit Scholarships: Become a Donaghey Scholar

The Donaghey Scholarship Program is a merit scholarship at UA Little Rock. Funded by the George W. Donaghey Foundation since 1987, it rewards academic achievement and curiosity with a full ride, small honors seminars, and guaranteed study abroad.

Admitted scholars have a median 3.9 GPA and 30 ACT, which is well above the minimums. If you meet the minimums, apply anyway. The committee also weighs leadership, essays, and recommendations.

What the Donaghey merit scholarship includes

Benefit	Details
Tuition and fees	Paid in full for up to 18 hours a semester, for 8 semesters
Annual stipend	$8,000 to $10,000 a year, depending on qualifications
Housing subsidy	$700 a semester while living on campus
Study abroad	$8,500 toward the required experience
Laptop	One new laptop

It stacks with most Arkansas state scholarships, private scholarships, and Pell Grants, but not with other UA Little Rock institutional scholarships, such as the Chancellor's Academic Distinction, Provost's Academic Excellence, and Deans' Academic Merit awards. For the full breakdown, see the Donaghey full ride scholarship.

Merit scholarship requirements

Measure	Minimum to apply	Admitted median
High school GPA	3.5	3.9
ACT	24	30
SAT	1180	Not published
Scholars selected each year	About 25 new scholars

Incoming freshmen, transfer students, current UA Little Rock students, and international students can apply once they're admitted to UA Little Rock. Transfer and current students must have completed fewer than 36 hours of college credit, not counting AP or concurrent credit from high school. Every major is welcome.

Test scores alone should not stop a student from applying.

What the Donaghey committee weighs

Your academic record (coursework, GPA, and test scores) carries the most weight. After that, the committee considers:

• Leadership and community involvement, where sustained commitment counts more than a long list
• Desire to study abroad, since it's a program requirement
• Three essays that show how you think and argue
• Teacher recommendations
• An interview for the most competitive applicants

The essays and interview

Essay prompt	Length	What it shows
A question you wish the committee would ask you, and your answer	About 350 words	Self-awareness and what you care about
How you'd spend a summer, cost no object, learning about something unrelated to your career goals	About 350 words	Curiosity beyond your major
A defended position on a contested issue, with sources and the other side acknowledged	Up to 800 words	Argument, research, and fairness

Top applicants are invited to a 45-minute interview with three members of the admissions committee: the program's director or associate director, a faculty or alumni member of the Policy Council, and a current scholar from the Student Committee. Interviews start in late January and are usually held on campus, with a virtual option if travel is a problem.

1. Reread your essays, because the panel asks follow-up questions about them.
2. Be specific about why you want Donaghey, such as the seminars or study abroad.
3. Bring your own questions. You could ask the current scholar on the panel what surprised them.

How to apply to be a Donaghey Scholar

1. Apply for admission to UA Little Rock.
2. Send official ACT or SAT scores and high school transcripts, plus college transcripts if you've taken college courses.
3. Complete the Donaghey General Data sheet.
4. Complete the aid application in ScholarshipUniverse.
5. If invited, submit three essays and teacher recommendations.

For fall 2027 entry, January 15, 2027 is the priority date and February 15, 2027 is the final deadline. Decisions go out in March, and orientation is in July.

What you'll study as a Donaghey Scholar

Donaghey Scholars replace the general education core with small, discussion-based honors seminars built on primary texts, writing, and collaborative projects.

Honors core	What it covers
History of Ideas	Early Western, later Western, and non-Western thought
Science and Society	Two semesters
Rhetoric and Communication	Two semesters
The Individual and Society	Two semesters
The Creative Arts	Includes concerts, plays, and exhibitions
Scholars Colloquium	Freshman fall, plus research methods in junior year

Every scholar also writes a senior thesis or project, usually rooted in their major and guided by a faculty committee they choose. The proposal is due in the spring of junior year, and the oral presentation is in May of senior year.

To keep the scholarship, scholars maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA, take two honors core courses a semester, live on campus in year one, study abroad, and complete the thesis. There are no required service hours.

How merit scholarships work

A merit scholarship is awarded for achievement, such as grades, test scores, leadership, or talent, rather than for financial need. A full academic scholarship is a merit award that covers full tuition and usually fees. When it also covers living costs, as Donaghey's does, it's a full ride.

Type of merit aid	How you get it	Typical value
Donaghey Scholars	Competitive application for new UA Little Rock students, including transfer and international students	$92,000 to $100,000 over four years
Competitive full academic scholarships	Separate application with essays and interviews	Full tuition, sometimes more
Automatic institutional awards	Granted on admission based on GPA and test scores	Partial tuition
State merit scholarships	Meet state criteria, such as Arkansas's Academic Challenge Scholarship	A set amount per year
Private and community awards	Apply to foundations, employers, or local groups	Usually one-time