Pillar I – Student Success

The University of Arkansas will offer unparalleled access to a holistic education that is designed to help our students grow, contribute, and thrive throughout their lives and in their communities from matriculation to graduation. To achieve this, the University will focus on these four goals:

Academic success & intellectual engagement  
Career readiness 
Affordability 
Wellness & belonging

Strategic Plan Homepage

Academic Success & Intellectual Engagement:

Ensure students are aware of practices that lead to academic success, understand the opportunity to experience the full array of intellectual engagement afforded through a college education. Students will know where to find resources to help them design a personal plan for success that marries personal, professional and intellectual goals.

Nationally Competitive Awards

Truman Scholars – Top 10 Public Institutions
Goldwater Scholars – Top 25 Public Institutions (4^th in the SEC)
Rhodes Scholars – Top 100 Public Institutions
163 National Science Foundation – NSF Graduate Research Fellows

Career Readiness:

Create opportunities for every student to define and attain their individual career or post-graduate pathway.

93% of recent graduates reported they are either working, in military service, volunteering or continuing their education. Nearly 75% of the class of 2023 completed the career placement survey.

Affordability:

Make education more affordable, particularly for Arkansans with financial need, thereby demonstrating that the University adds value to the entire state by offering an accessible education that yields a significant, lifelong and generational return on investment.

Land of Opportunity Scholarship

In FY25, the university announced plans for a $200 million scholarship campaign to be awarded support to students with a high level of financial need from all 75 counties in Arkansas. As of early 2025, the fundraising effort had already raised more than $127 million.

Nearly $106 Million in Scholarship Awards

In FY23, nearly $106 million in need-based and other support was awarded to undergraduate students.

Scholarship Funding for Arkansas Students has grown by $7 MILLION since 2019

98% of Freshmen Students from Arkansas who applied for scholarships last year received an award

Arkansas Transfer Achievement Scholarship saves $4.3 Million

UA System 2-year college grads transfer, pay same tuition rate at U of A.

Wellbeing & Belonging:

Ensure students feel a sense of belonging in the campus community and form lasting ties with the University. Ensure students have access to, are aware of, and utilize university programs that promote their mental, physical and financial wellness as well as their civic engagement.

89% of undergraduates who completed the 2024 Student Engagement Survey reported that the U of A community helps provide a sense of belonging.