D3 Financial Aid for Every U.S. State
A five-part series for all 34 U.S. States (Plus D.C.) with an NCAA D3 school
Most families assume the price on a college website is what they’ll pay - but it’s usually not.
In this 5-part series, we’re highlighting financial aid resources in each U.S. State (and D.C.) that can help NCAA D3 recruits and their families reduce the cost of college.
Today, we’re sharing options to help make college tuition affordable in 7 of the 34 states that have D3 schools - starting with Arkansas and ending with Illinois.
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Now, let’s get into it!
A map of all 426 D3 schools (NCAA)
Our Goal: Help you find ways to save money so you do not have to pay full tuition to attend a D3 college or university. Here’s what to expect
Each state’s best resource for finding Federal/State aid
A deep dive on one D3 school’s financial aid offerings per state
We’ll do the remaining states over the next few weeks!
Here are some helpful college scholarship and financial aid definitions
D3 Financial Aid Options by State
Alabama
Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE)
The ACHE provides information on state-funded grants, scholarship programs, and college planning resources. Start here if you’re an Alabama family trying to understand state-based aid options. Twitter (X): ACHE_EDU
ALABAMA SCHOLARSHIPS
The CollegeCounts Scholarship can provide up to $4,000 to Alabama high school students who demonstrate a financial need and are planning to attend an Alabama college. Minimum GPA is 2.75 and must be from AL.
HUNTINGDON COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID
Huntingdon clearly lays out requirements for their merit and honors scholarships on their financial aid website. They even have a $12.5k grant called the “River Region Award” for students that live within 45 minutes of campus.
See below for a preview of what it takes to get one of their four academic scholarships - three are “full-ride” scholarships!
Huntingdon College has numerous partial merit aid awards.
Need Help with Your Recruiting Process?
Check out D3 Mentor Match, where you can connect and learn from current NCAA D3 athletes at schools on your target list.
Or work directly with one of D3Direct’s expert coaches. Complete the intake form to see if we can give you an assist with college sports recruiting.
The D3 Recruiting Playbook: All of the tools and information in one place so you can proactively lead your own college search process.
Arkansas
Arkansas Division of Higher Education
The Arkansas Division of Higher Education administers state-funded scholarship and grant programs, including the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.
If you’re an Arkansas family, this should be one of your first stops when researching ways to lower college costs.
Twitter (X): ArkHigherEd
ARKANSAS SCHOLARSHIPS
Arkansas’ state website has a ton of free resources for students, including a “How to Pay for College” guide and a scholarship search tool.
The state of Arkansas has six scholarships open to HS Seniors including the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship (32 ACT or 1410 SAT & a 3.50 GPA) which pays tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board up to $10,000 per year. Note: Students must complete FAFSA in order to be eligible.
Arkansas Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship is for AR residents and is determined each February for new students enrolling during the following fall.
Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship can provide up to $1,000 freshman year $4,000 sophomore year $4,000 junior year $5,000 senior year for Arkansas residents.
Two college scholarships from the state of Arkansas.
HENDRIX COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID
Hendrix College is one of three D3 schools in Arkansas.
Hendrix is one of many good liberal arts colleges in the South and has a number of options to lower college tuition. It all starts with the Hendrix Achievement based scholarship, which is worth $15k and up. Their website says, “all accepted students receive an award based on a holistic review of their application materials.”
They also have a handful of “competitive scholarships” that are only open to students who apply for admission by November 15th. Students competitive for these awards will be invited to complete next steps in January. These awards include the Hays Memorial Scholarship, the Provost’s Scholarship, and the Dean’s Scholarship. More info can be found on the Hendrix financial aid site.
Financial Aid Tip: When comparing aid packages, focus on grants and scholarships first. Loans may lower your first-year bill, but they don’t reduce the total cost of your degree.