Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Raises $111.3M for Scholarships in Fiscal Year 2025
Reaches Third-Highest Contribution Since 2009 Little Rock, Ark.
This month, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) announced that it raised $111,327,075 for in-state scholarships in fiscal year 2025, based on unaudited results. This marks the lottery’s third-highest amount raised for scholarships, following $129,404,053 for fiscal year 2024 and $113,091,392 for fiscal year 2023.
The $111.3 million figure also brings ASL across the threshold for more than $1.5 billion raised in scholarship proceeds since its founding in 2009.
“We’re proud to complete another successful year of raising funds for student scholarships,” said ASL Executive Director Sharon Strong. “Through the hard work of our lottery team and the support of our players, we’ve been able to contribute to the higher education goals of hundreds of thousands of Arkansans since 2009.”
“As we look toward the next fiscal year, ASL is committed to making a positive impact on the state and its citizens,” she added.
ASL ticket sales raise funds for several state scholarships that are later awarded by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). These include the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship, and the ACCESS to Acceleration program.
- The Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship is available to Arkansas residents attending either two-year or four-year in-state colleges and universities.
- The Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship is designated for students seeking training and certification in high-demand fields like construction, healthcare, heating, informational technology and industrial maintenance.
- The ACCESS to Acceleration Program will support high school students enrolled in college courses. It replaces the Concurrent Challenge Scholarship, which was previously funded by ASL.
To learn more about these scholarships, visit ADHE’s website at sams.adhe.edu.
Of course, in addition to scholarship recipients, some of the biggest winners were Arkansas lottery players and retailers. In fiscal year 2025, the ASL paid out a total of $400,275,074 in prizes for instant tickets and draw-based games, and eight winners claimed prizes of $1 million and above. The lottery also generated $578,036,546 in total sales, which returned $32,730,529 to Arkansas’ local communities through retailer commissions.
Executive Director Strong reaffirms the lottery’s commitment to its mission for the new fiscal year.
“ASL remains dedicated to offering high-quality entertainment to our players and maximizing our net proceeds responsibly,” she said.
For more information about the lottery, visit MyArkansasLottery.com.
About the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery
The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) creates winning people, winning futures, and winning moments. Since 2009, the ASL has sold over $8 billion and returned more than $1.5 billion for scholarships to benefit Arkansas students. More than 822,000 college scholarships distributed by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education have been awarded to Arkansans. The lottery has awarded more than $5 billion in prizes to players, more than $454 million in retailer commissions, and provided more than $187 million in state and federal tax revenue.
Follow the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Visit MyArkansasLottery.com for more information on scholarships, winners, games, odds, promotions – and to join The Club for free. To get help with problem gambling, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
https://www.myarkansaslottery.com/press-release/asl-raises-1113m-scholarships-fiscal-year-2025-reaches-third-highest-contribution-2009