Students Eligible for Scholarships at College Fair

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Graduate NWA, a partnership of six colleges and universities and the Northwest Arkansas Council, will hold its third annual Come Back to College Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in a push to help adults complete their education.

The University of Arkansas is one of Graduate NWA’s partner institutions.

The fair, scheduled for 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the Jones Center, 922 E. Emma Avenue in Springdale, brings together representatives of Northwest Arkansas colleges and universities, scholarship providers and academic advisers. The focus is on assisting adults interested in completing a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree or technical certificate.

“We’ve decided to provide 10 students with up to $1,000 apiece to help them return to school,” said Stacey Sturner, the Graduate NWA program manager for the Northwest Arkansas Council. “We’ve provided funding to support 30 students in their return to college over the past two years, but it’s just as important that we’ve assisted many other students by connecting them with people at colleges, universities and organizations who can answer questions about returning to school.”

A drawing will be held to help determine the winners of the 10 tuition reimbursement scholarships.

The fair is a one-stop shop for adults who are looking to restart their education or for adults who want to attend college for the first time. Not only can attendees visit with the six partner schools, they can speak with financial aid counselors and scholarship providers.

Established in 2012, Graduate NWA targets Northwest Arkansas adults who’ve completed some college and encourages them to restart their education.

Graduate NWA’s partner schools are the U of A, the University of Arkansas for Medical Science-Northwest in Fayetteville, John Brown University in Siloam Springs, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville and Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale.

In addition to the Graduate NWA partner schools, counselors will be on hand to answer questions about financial aid and to evaluate college transcripts. Others helping with the fair include the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas, the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County, Veterans Upward Bound, Credit Counseling of Arkansas and adult education organizations from throughout the region.