LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is offering scholarships for any student interested in a conservation career. Applications will be accepted until June 15 for the fall 2022 semester.
Scholarships are available for any Arkansas resident paying in-state tuition with a declared major related to conservation or agriculture. A complete list of approved majors is available at www.agfc.com/en/education/classroom/conservation-scholarship.
Leah Moseley, Scholarship Program coordinator for the AGFC, said scholarships are available for all levels of college students.
“We distribute 25 scholarships to each class from freshman to graduate student,” Moseley said. “So each semester, we’re awarding up to 125 scholarships.”
Moseley said all 25 freshman-level scholarships are available for the fall semester, but the number of scholarships available for new applicants varies for the spring semester and for classes beyond the freshman class.
“Each semester we will have scholarships open up because someone did not send in their renewal application, or no longer qualifies for the scholarship because they did not maintain the scholarship’s minimum requirements,” Moseley said. “We may have a dozen scholarships in a particular class open up, or only three, it depends on the students who have their scholarship maintaining their status.”
Each scholarship grants $1,000 per semester for freshmen and sophomores, $1,500 per semester for juniors and seniors and $2,000 for graduate students, based on continued eligibility. Each awardee is eligible for up to eight semesters of funding. Applicants must submit a renewal application each semester. Scholarship funds are paid directly to the college or university.
Students must have a 2.5 grade point average or better on a 4.0 scale to qualify for the scholarship and must maintain that standard to retain it.
“It’s a competitive selection process with a limited number of scholarships available,” Moseley said. “The minimum qualifications may be lower than some scholarships, but academic performance still matters a lot.”
The Conservation Scholarship Program uses funds from the sale of conservation license plates to let students reach their potential and create tomorrow’s conservation professionals. The program, now in its 22nd year, has awarded more than $8 million to Arkansas students.
Applications must be completed online by 11:59 p.m. June 15. Successful applicants will be notified by July 15.