Local higher education institutions report varying scholarship amounts

TEXARKANA, Texas — Local universities and colleges are seeing varying amounts of awarded scholarships for the recent semesters.

Texarkana College awarded 289 scholarships in Fall 2023, which totalled $216,842 and awarded 193 scholarships for the current Spring semester, totalling $148,167.

Suzy Irwin, TC’S executive director of institutional advancement, said the college’s scholarship funds are available through its foundation.

“Financial constraints continue to be the biggest barrier for our students, but we are so blessed to have a generous community who recognizes this need and steps up to help our students,” said Katie Andrus, Executive Director of TC Foundation.

Andrus said students’ financial need will continue to escalate in the future with rising costs of living.

Texas A&M University-texarkana awarded $500,000 in scholarships to 252 students in Fall 2023 and so far for Fall 2024, the university has offered over $2.6 million in scholarships to 1,218 students. The university didn’t send data for the current Spring semester.

TAMU-T President Dr. Ross Alexander said the university currently has 50 percent more applicants for the Fall 2024 Semester than there were at this time last Spring and that the university also has admitted 35 percent more students than they had at this point last year.

“Of those Fall applications to date, there is an increase of 24 percent in the number of applicants from our local area,” Alexander said.

The president said the university celebrated record enrollment for the current Spring Semester, which was attributed to a five percent enrollment increase.

“This increase was largely attributed to several recent corporate and community partnerships forged between TAMUT and local large employers, where TAMUT serves as an educational solutions provider to the existing workforces of these partner firms,” Alexander said.

University of Arkansas Hope-texarkana’s Foundation recently announced that it would be awarding several scholarships this year.

“Thanks to healthy endowments and generous donors, 123 $1,000 scholarships and 43 $500 scholarships will be awarded this spring,” said Foundation Board Chairman Dennis Ramsey. “Attending UAHT has never been more affordable.”