Office of Nationally Competitive Awards
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards provides fellowship and grant information and support to University of Arkansas students and recent graduates, helping them build the strongest application possible with the intent of accomplishing goals including securing graduate funding, studying abroad, and gaining professional experience.
Featured Programs
We assist students with a number of awards, including the Goldwater, Marshall, Truman, Gates Cambridge, Udall, NSF, and Rhodes Scholarships.
Our students received over $3 million in nationally competitive awards last year.
We seek to inform students as early as their freshman and sophomore years about specific opportunities. We also collaborate with campus faculty and staff to identify potential student scholars, and provide information and recognition to students through workshops and events.
Upcoming Deadlines & Important Dates
Awards News
Two U of A Students Named Truman Finalists.
Junior honors students Jessica Doss and Muskan Taori were recently recognized as finalists for the Truman Scholarship, which provides up to $30,000 for graduate study, leadership training and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government. For the 2026 competition, the foundation received 781 applications from 305 institutions.
Ten U of A Students Named Fulbright Semi-Finalists.
Ten University of Arkansas students and recent graduates have been selected as semi-finalists for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program, one of the nation’s most competitive and highly regarded international academic exchange programs. Each year, Fulbright awards grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistantships in countries around the world.
U of A Celebrates First Churchill Scholar and Marshall Finalist
Senior honors student John Samuel Sooter has been named the university’s first-ever Churchill Scholar, and honors alumna Anna Mathis was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. Together, the awards highlight U of A students’ growing national and international impact in science, public service and leadership.
U of A Student Earns German Fellowship to Research Sustainable Agriculture.
Junior honors student Nicole McKeller has been selected for a research internship in science and engineering through the German Academic Exchange Service, known as DAAD RISE. The program places undergraduate students from North America and Great Britain in research positions at top German universities.
Chancellor Robinson, Provost Chaubey, & Admissions Team Visit River Valley Schools
The U of A team also made a special stop at Dover Elementary School to deliver 7,000 books and read with students as part of Arkansas Reads, a university initiative that strengthens elementary school library collections and helps foster a love of reading among young Arkansans.