To assist students and increase diversity, the Walton MBA offers scholarships to make programs more accessible.
Three new scholarships that have been created for students in the full-time Walton MBA and the Executive MBA programs will help increase program diversity and accessibility.
The newest scholarship, the Jim and Pat McClain MBA Scholarship, will be awarded for the first time in Fall 2021. This scholarship will be awarded to a student who brings an international perspective to the MBA program by living or working internationally.
The Ecklund Family MBA Scholarship was established in 2019 for students specifically focused in supply chain or entrepreneurship. The Dr. Joseph Jenson MBA Alumni Memorial Award was established in 2020 for students who have exhibited resiliency by demonstrating an ability to overcome a challenge or obstacle.
“One of the missions of the Walton MBA program is to be transformative,” said Vikas Anand, executive director of the program. “By that, we mean that students who would not otherwise have considered the MBA program can do that, and we make a huge impact on their careers and lives. To facilitate that, we try to provide scholarships and other forms of support. This also allows us to have a wide variety of voices in the MBA program, which we believe leads to a better learning environment.”
Because the full-time Walton MBA program is designed to benefit students who are in the beginning stage of their careers or are looking to pivot to a completely new career, there is often more financial assistance available for students in that program.
“Scholarships offered by the Walton MBA program offer students the transformational experience they may not have been able to have without them,” said Lindsey Steiger-Muck, MBA assistant director. “It’s important to us to make sure the opportunity to attend the Walton MBA program is one that’s available to anyone interested, and our scholarships do just that.”
Typically, each cohort in the full-time MBA program is around 40 students. Steiger-Muck said that for the cohort that began in Fall 2020, five students received scholarships to help pay tuition and fees.
Along with the scholarships, the full-time MBA students are also eligible to receive financial support through graduate assistantships. These positions cover tuition and fees and give the student a stipend each semester. There are typically 10-15 positions available, and students may receive a graduate assistantship position for the entire two years or for one or two semesters.
The Executive MBA program differs from the full-time program in that the students are working professionals who usually have been in their careers for several years and are looking to move up within their organization. Even though it may sound like they are more financially secure than the full-time MBA students, Aditi Kar, EMBA assistant director, said that many EMBA students also need help to pay tuition.
“By providing scholarships we can ensure that hard-working and deserving students who might be facing financial crisis get the chance to gain higher education by funding part of or all of a student’s tuition and fees,” Kar said.
The Walton EMBA program typically admits around 70 students in each cohort. Kar anticipates that seven need-based scholarships will be available for EMBA students for the 2021-22 academic year.
Both programs also offer scholarships specifically for the required global immersion trip. This study abroad program is an additional cost for students and the scholarships were created to ensure that the program is accessible to all students who otherwise may not be able to afford to participate.
The scholarships do not require a separate application, and students are considered for them after being admitted to the program.
Students wanting to be considered for scholarships need to apply by Feb. 15 for the full-time MBA program and April 1 for the EMBA program.
Post Author:
Julie Storing is the Associate Director of MBA Recruitment in the Walton MBA Programs Office at
the University of Arkansas. With eight years of experience working in student affairs,
Julie has worked in both admissions and advising at the University of California San
Diego, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Central Arkansas.
She started working with the Walton MBA Programs Office in January 2019 and is passionate
about making higher education accessible to students from diverse backgrounds.
