2025-26 Statistics

Colleges in Arkansas

At a Glance
Admission, Tuition, Population, and more
Updated: May 14, 2026
Arkansas has 86 colleges and universities.
85 schools offer undergraduate programs and 25 schools offer graduate programs.
In Arkansas, there are 2 ABA-accredited law schools and 1 LCME-accredited medical schools.
By school type, 39 public and 47 private colleges are active for the academic year 2024-2025 in Arkansas.
By school level, there are 31 4-Years Colleges, 25 Community Colleges, and 30 Technical Colleges in Arkansas.
4-Years CollegesCommunity CollegesTechnical Colleges
Total312530
Public15222
Private (not-for-profit)1530
Private (for-profit)1028
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Average Tuition & Fees

For 4-year colleges, the average undergraduate tuition & fees are $9,093 for Arkansas residents and $16,203 for out-of-state students.
For graduate programs, the average tuition & fees are $8,506 for Arkansas residents and $14,359 for out-of-state students.
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4-Year Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, 4-year college tuition has increased 11.4% for in-state and 8.7% for out-of-state students at public schools.
At private schools, the tuition has increased 0.7%. See the detailed tuition history below.
Arkansas Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
AR ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$8,161$14,913$21,895
2022$8,243$15,080$20,951
2023$8,493$15,492$20,442
2024$8,757$15,992$21,483
2025$9,093$16,203$22,048
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Community Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, community college tuition has increased 17.8% for in-state and 14.7% for out-of-state students at public schools.
Arkansas Community Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
AR ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$3,591$4,954$11,176
2022$3,590$4,954$11,458
2023$3,773$5,165$11,788
2024$4,074$5,507$9,919
2025$4,229$5,680$10,195
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Graduate Schools Tuition

The graduate tuition has increased 14% for in-state and 11.1% for out-of-state students over the past 5 years
At private graduate schools, the tuition has increased -23.8%.
Arkansas Graduate Schools Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
AR ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$7,460$12,924$22,360
2022$7,513$13,047$19,995
2023$7,576$13,209$20,762
2024$8,227$13,933$16,639
2025$8,506$14,359$17,045
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Living Costs

The average living costs at Arkansas colleges are $14,521 when a student lives on-campus and $16,430 when living-off campus.
On-campus living costs have increased 19.3% and off-campus costs have increased 24.3% over the past 5 years.
Living Costs at Arkansas Colleges
On-CampusOff-Campus
2021$12,174$13,214
2022$12,333$13,306
2023$12,957$14,209
2024$13,912$15,309
2025$14,521$16,430
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Admission & SAT Scores

On average, 71.2% of applicants are admitted to Arkansas colleges.
The admission rate ranges from 41.2% to 100.0% across colleges in Arkansas.
The average SAT score at Arkansas colleges is 1,087. SAT scores range from 985 to 1,240 across colleges in Arkansas.

Financial Aid

On average, 74.49% students have received grants and/or scholarships at Arkansas colleges. The average amount of aid received is $7,745
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Enrollment

A total of 165,557 students is attending Arkansas colleges - 140,100 undergraduate and 25,401 graduate students.
Of them, 44,727 students enrolled in online programs exclusively.
Total Number of Students
165,557
Undergraduate
140,100
Graduate
25,401
Online Students
44,727
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Faculty & Staff

A total of 10,122 faculties (instructional staffs) are working for colleges in Arkansas and the average faculty salary is $54,160.
There are 29,225 non-instructional staffs and its average salary is $53,519.
Number of Faculties
10,122
Average Faculty Salary
$54,160
Number of Staffs
29,225
Average Staff Salary
$53,519
Faculty/Staff Salary

Best Arkansas colleges

Harding University is ranked #1 in the Arkansas college rankings, followed by University of Arkansas in second place.
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Highest Tuition & Fees

Hendrix College is the most expensive college in Arkansas with a tuition & fees of $38,200 and Ouachita Baptist University has the second-highest tuition & fees of $34,500.
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Highest Graduate Tuition

For graduate programs, Hendrix College requires the most expensive tuition & fees of $38,200 and University of Arkansas has the second-highest graduate tuition & fees of $30,892.
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Highest SAT Scores

Hendrix College has the highest SAT scores of 1,240 submitted by enrolled students and John Brown University has the second-highest SAT score of 1,220.
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Largest Arkansas colleges

University of Arkansas is the largest college with 33,610 students and Arkansas State University has the second-most students of 15,726.
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Largest Online colleges

Arkansas State University has the most online students of 7,752 students and University of Arkansas Grantham has the second-most online students of 5,646.
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