Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF)

The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) is a scholarship program for low-income single parents who are pursuing an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a professional license or certificate. ASPSF awards between $400 and $1,600 each semester, based on the number of credit hours taken. Recipients also receive mentoring, tutoring, and career and financial planning support.¹

Who is eligible for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship?

An applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

Live in Arkansas or in Bowie County, Texas, in a county that ASPSF serves.
Be a United States citizen, a legal resident, or a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Hold a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) credential, and not hold a bachelor’s degree.
Be pursuing an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a professional license or certificate at a university, community college, or trade or vocational school.
Take at least 3 credit hours, on campus or online.
Have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher.
Have a household income of no more than 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Meet the ASPSF definition of a single parent.

What is the income limit for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship?

ASPSF sets the household income limit at 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Based on the 2026 guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the limit equals the following annual amounts:¹

Annual income limits as a percentage of the federal poverty level, by household size
Household Size	Income Limit
1	$39,900
2	$54,100
3	$68,300
4	$82,500
5	$96,700
6	$110,900
7	$125,100
8	$139,300

The annual income limits are presented as dollar amounts derived from a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for each household size in 2026.

ASPSF does not publish these dollar amounts. They are calculated from the HHS guidelines and may differ from the figures ASPSF applies to an application.

How does ASPSF define a single parent?

An applicant must meet all three parts of the ASPSF definition of a single parent:¹

Marital status: The applicant is single (never married, divorced, widowed, or legally separated), or is married but living apart with a divorce that will be final by the time scholarships are awarded.
Parenting status: The applicant has physical custody of at least one dependent child for 50% or more of the time. A dependent child is a child age 18 or younger, a child older than 18 who is still in high school, or a severely disabled adult who lives with and depends on the applicant.
Living arrangement: The applicant is the only adult in the home with the child or children, or lives with a parent, relative, or roommate who is not the applicant’s partner, co-parent, or significant other.

How much is the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship?

The scholarship amount depends on the number of credit hours taken in the semester. Recipients choose how to use the funds to remove barriers to education.¹

Credit hours	Award per semester
12 or more	$1,600
9 to 11	$1,200
6 to 8	$800
3 to 5	$400

What are the application deadlines for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship?

ASPSF accepts applications for each semester during a fixed window. ASPSF does not accept late applications.¹

Semester	Application window	Who may apply
Spring	January 1 to February 1	New and continuing applicants
Summer	May 1 to June 1	Current recipients only
Fall	August 1 to September 1	New and continuing applicants

The Fall 2026 application closed on September 1, 2026. The next application window opens on January 1, 2027.¹

How to apply for the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship?

An applicant completes the application online on the ASPSF scholarships page during an open window. The steps are as follows:¹

Review the eligibility requirements.
Gather the required documents.
Complete the online application during the open dates.
Upload all required documents.
Submit the application before the deadline.

An applicant must upload five documents with each application:¹

Proof of marital status.
Proof of income, either the most recent federal tax return (Form 1040) or a tax return transcript.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submission summary.
A transcript. A new student must provide an official transcript from all schools attended. A continuing student may upload an unofficial transcript.
The class schedule for the semester for which the applicant applies.

Which counties does the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship serve?

ASPSF serves single parents in most Arkansas counties and in Bowie County, Texas. ASPSF does not accept applications from single parents who live in Benton, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Sevier, Washington, or White County. A single parent in one of those counties applies through the local program for that county, which is linked from the ASPSF scholarships page.¹

Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund
1920 N. Main St., Suite 101
North Little Rock, AR 72114
(501) 858-2010

Sources & notes

Data and figures on this page come from the sources and notes below:

Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Scholarships . ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹