Arkansas Division of Higher Education

What Arkansas Division of Higher Education does

The Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) is a state government agency of the State of Arkansas, headquartered at #2 Capitol Mall in Little Rock, that serves as the administrative staff for the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board. ADHE coordinates and oversees Arkansas's higher education system across 40+ public and private institutions, managing state scholarship and financial aid programs, recommending institutional budgets to the state legislature, assuring academic program quality, providing faculty and staff professional development, supporting workforce and industry education needs, and maintaining institutional accountability.

ADHE's core technology platform is the Scholarship Application Management System (SAMS), a web-based portal (sams.adhe.edu) that serves as the central entry point for Arkansas students, parents, and counselors to apply for scholarships, access financial aid information, and explore colleges and careers. The SAMS system is integrated with 58 registered Arkansas higher education institutions. Beyond SAMS, ADHE administers several programs including the Arkansas ACCESS reform initiative (six pillars: Acceleration, Common Sense, Cost, Eligibility, Scholarships, and Standardization), the Career Pathways Initiative for workforce development, and the Carl D. Perkins CTE Program for career and technical education. The agency also operates an "Explore Arkansas Careers" search tool supporting ArFuture Grant and Workforce Challenge eligibility verification.

ADHE's business model is non-commercial: as a state government agency, it is funded through annual state legislative appropriations and administers pass-through federal funds (e.g., Perkins CTE, veterans education benefits). The agency does not sell products or services commercially; scholarship award amounts are set by legislative appropriation and program rules. ADHE serves three primary stakeholder segments: students and parents (financial aid and college planning), Arkansas higher education institutions (budget recommendations, academic program approval, compliance), and the state's workforce development ecosystem (teacher loan repayment, credentialing, job training). The Commissioner, Ken Warden, Ed.D., leads the agency under the oversight of the appointed Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Name

Arkansas Division of Higher Education

Legal name

Arkansas Division of Higher Education

Website

https://adhe.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Arkansas Division of Higher Education is a state government agency that coordinates Arkansas's higher education system, administering scholarship and financial aid programs, recommending institutional budgets to the legislature, and overseeing 40+ public and private colleges and universities through its SAMS web portal and supporting programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Administration

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (92311), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Tuition Assistance & Voucher/ESA Program Administration (EDADAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enrollment Management & Admissions Administration (EDADAKAD), Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

Keywords

• Higher education administration
• State scholarship programs
• Financial aid management
• Workforce credential programs
• Institutional oversight

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Appropriations: As a state government agency, ADHE is funded through annual state budget appropriations. The agency manages scholarship and financial aid programs funded by state allocations and administers federal funds for veterans training and other programs.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) is a state government agency that coordinates Arkansas's higher education system. It manages state scholarship and financial aid programs through the Scholarship Application Management System (SAMS) portal, recommends higher education budgets to the legislature, assures academic program quality, and administers workforce development initiatives such as the Career Pathways Initiative and the Carl D. Perkins CTE Program.

Product overview

The Arkansas Division of Higher Education operates primarily through its Scholarship Application Management System (SAMS) web portal, which serves as the central platform for managing the state's scholarship and financial aid programs. The SAMS system supports various programs including the Arkansas ACCESS Act initiative with its six education reform pillars, the Career Pathways Initiative for workforce development, and the Carl D. Perkins CTE Program for career technical education. The division also maintains institutional oversight, academic program quality assurance, and professional development services for Arkansas colleges and universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Application Management System (SAMS) A web-based portal that allows Arkansas students, parents, and counselors to apply for and manage state scholarships and financial aid, search colleges, and explore Arkansas careers.
• Arkansas ACCESS Act Initiative A state education initiative focused on transforming Arkansas higher education through six pillars: Acceleration, Common Sense, Cost, Eligibility, Scholarships, and Standardization.
• Career Pathways Initiative A workforce development program administered by ADHE that connects students with career pathways and training opportunities across Arkansas.
• Carl D. Perkins CTE Program Career and Technical Education program supporting vocational and technical training at Arkansas institutions, administered by ADHE under federal Perkins funding.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Indiana Commission for Higher Education: Indiana's state higher education coordinating agency performing near-identical functions to ADHE: financial aid administration, institutional coordination, academic program review, and workforce alignment. Comparable size and structure make it a strong direct peer for benchmarking.
• Tennessee Higher Education Commission: Tennessee's state higher education coordinating body with overlapping responsibilities including scholarship administration (e.g., Tennessee Promise/Hope), institutional funding recommendations, and academic program coordination. Closely mirrors ADHE's mix of access, affordability, and workforce initiatives.
• Ohio Department of Higher Education: State agency administering Ohio's higher education system, including state grants and scholarships, institutional coordination, and policy recommendations—offering a close analog to ADHE's portfolio of programs and oversight responsibilities.
• Illinois Board of Higher Education: Illinois's statewide higher education coordinating body that develops policy, administers financial aid programs, and reviews institutional programs. Comparable mandate and scale to ADHE.
• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: State-level coordinating body for higher education in Texas with comparable functions: statewide policy coordination, financial aid administration, academic program approval, and institutional accountability. Operates a comparable scholarship/grant infrastructure and reports to the state legislature, making it the closest functional analog to ADHE.
• Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education: Kentucky's coordinating body for higher education with comparable functions: statewide strategic agenda, research and policy analysis, financial aid programs, and academic program review. Similar mid-sized state scope and workforce development focus.
• Virginia State Council of Higher Education for Virginia: Virginia's higher education coordinating agency with parallel responsibilities for policy coordination, financial aid administration, and institutional accountability across public and private institutions—structurally similar to ADHE.
• Minnesota Office of Higher Education: State agency that administers financial aid programs, collects higher education data, and provides policy recommendations to the legislature and governor—directly parallel to ADHE's mandate, including a similar state scholarship portfolio and institutional oversight role.
• Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning: Mississippi's governing board for public universities, performing parallel functions to ADHE in coordinating public higher education institutions, budget recommendations, and program approval. Particularly relevant as a neighboring Southern state with similar demographics and workforce challenges.
• Colorado Department of Higher Education: State department coordinating higher education policy, financial aid, and institutional accountability in Colorado. Comparable scope to ADHE in managing state-funded scholarships and statewide strategic initiatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arkhighered
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ArkHigherEd
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArkHigherEd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arkhighered
• Instagraminstagram.com/arkhighered

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments17 records

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Frequently asked questions about Arkansas Division of Higher Education