College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Arkansas

ARLarge public institution · Overall rank #218 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks University of Arkansas #218 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

The University of Arkansas is a public university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where Business, Engineering, and Health Professions lead the degree mix. Mobility is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes that gap to the factors it measures, which add to expected earnings, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them.

Pell recipients complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole. At the same time, families in the lowest income band pay less than the published cost, while those in the highest pay closer to it.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest programs are not the highest-earning ones.

University of Arkansas at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
74.3%
Six-year completion[2]
70.5%
Four-year earnings[3]
$68,890

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$15,934
Median student debt[4]
$21,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$28,086

University of Arkansas rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

28,677 undergraduates attend University of Arkansas, a public university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, sitting well above the middle of the field among nonprofit four-year institutions (85th percentile). The share of applicants admitted is 74.3%, against a peer median of 78.1% for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Among full-time first-year students, 86.4% come back for a second year, compared with a peer median of 83.1%. The share who finish within six years is 70.5%, against 65.0% for comparable institutions.

An estimated 17.5% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so a substantial share of undergraduates did not begin here. Mobility leads the four at University of Arkansas and affordability lags behind, while return and access fall in between.

The four are spread across a wide band rather than clustered together, with mobility sitting well above the rest and affordability trailing the other three.

Azimuth ranks the University of Arkansas #218 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is the pillar carrying that position, at the 89th percentile.

Return sits at the 76th percentile and access at the 69th percentile. Affordability is the weakest of the four, at the 61st percentile, so the cost picture is the part of the profile that calls for closer checking.

At University of Arkansas, the middle 50% of submitted SAT scores among enrolled students fell between 1,030 and 1,220, while the ACT middle 50% ran from 21 to 28. 17.8% of the undergraduate population receives Pell Grants.

For access, Azimuth ranks the university #461 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those Pell students complete at 52.8%, which sits 17.7 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (70.5%).

For mobility, Azimuth ranks the university #160 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,532 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of Arkansas rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#218

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 89
Access & reach
National percentile: 69
Affordability
National percentile: 61
Return on investment
National percentile: 76

Top-ranked majors

  1. Agricultural Public Services#5
  2. Animal Sciences#7
  3. Business/Managerial Economics#9

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of Arkansas briefing

University of Arkansas cost & financial aid[6][7]

University of Arkansas has a published cost of attendance of $27,767, and aid reduces that figure for the average recipient but leaves its net price above comparable schools. For in-state residents, tuition and fees are $10,104; out-of-state tuition and fees are $29,966, and room and board are $14,244.

, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $18,209. Financial aid savings average $9,558 against the published budget, with aid covering about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, and the university's figure is $2,575 above that mark. Azimuth places the university's affordability pillar in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid offsets part of the published cost, yet the average recipient's price remains above the comparable-school median.

The published cost of attendance at University of Arkansas is $27,767. Azimuth ranks the university #548 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,319 for families earning under $30,000, $15,934 for families earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $22,470 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,151.

Aid covers about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $18,209, which is $2,575 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,500 in federal student loans. That is $1,424 above the peer median of $20,076.

87.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $28,086 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$15,934

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Arkansas

Federal loans touch 87.0% of federal aid recipients at University of Arkansas, making borrowing a central cost consideration. For completers with federal loans, median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,500.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, and the university’s median is $1,424 above that benchmark. For the separate population of Parent PLUS borrowers, median borrowing is $28,086.

Mobility is the strongest Azimuth pillar at University of Arkansas, yet earnings and borrowing give the investment picture mixed signals. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,890 four years after completion, placing earnings in the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings beyond expectations are the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. That metric shows that graduates earn about $1,532 less than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places that measure in the 49th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings scenarios place the typical case at the same level as the reported median, with a downside scenario of $49,190 and an upside scenario of $89,308.

Median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,500, $1,424 above the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years.

Strong mobility coexists with below-expected modeled earnings and higher peer borrowing.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $28,086. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$28,086

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$244/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$357/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of Arkansas briefing

University of Arkansas career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,890, at the 74th percentile nationally. That is $3,280 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $1,532 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 49th percentile.

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $13,766. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $15,298.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of University of Arkansas who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,890. The four-year earnings cohort includes 4,364 completers, and Azimuth places the figure in the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,532 less than the model expects for similar students. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show the range: a downside scenario of $49,190 and an upside scenario of $89,308.

An estimated 26.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The earnings picture is mixed: graduates out-earn the median among comparable public universities but fall short of what the model predicts for students like them.

University of Arkansas has median earnings above its comparable-institution peer median, though its modeled earnings-beyond-expectations result is negative. Median earnings are $68,890 four years after completion, in the 74th percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving the university $3,280 above that mark. Graduates earn about $1,532 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 49th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $13,766.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $15,298. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,338.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from a downside of $49,190 to an upside of $89,308. Azimuth ranks the return pillar #346 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer comparison and modeled expectation point in different directions. Business Administration and Management is the largest program, with 405 degrees awarded and median earnings of $79,770 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks the field #62 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its earnings are 1.28x the national median for its field.

Earnings vary sharply by field, so the school-level median conceals a broad modeled range. Across 54 programs with published earnings data four years after completion, the downside and upside scenarios run from $49,190 to $89,308.

The published cost of attendance at University of Arkansas is $27,767, and aid covers about 34% of that for the average aid recipient. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients pay—is $18,209, which is $2,575 above the peer median of $15,634.

The peer median is the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,500 in federal student loans.

That is $1,424 above the peer median, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $28,086 in Parent PLUS loans.

Graduates earn about $1,532 less than the model expects for similar students. The return picture is mixed: earnings sit above the peer median but below what the model predicts for similar students.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$13,766
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$15,298
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$1,532

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of Arkansas briefing

University of Arkansas acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of Arkansas admitted 74.3% of applicants to the reported entering class, so an offer went to roughly three quarters of that applicant pool. That rate is below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The admission rate describes an overall result, rather than a prediction for an individual application.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
74.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
1030
Reported average
1169
Approximate upper endpoint
1220

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Arkansas briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Arkansas?[12]

The largest programs show a broad range in earnings four years after completion, making field choice central to the return picture at University of Arkansas. For Finance, median earnings were $87,717 from 351 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #54 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Nursing recorded $84,911 from 269 degrees awarded and ranks #174 in Azimuth’s national comparison among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Business Administration and Management had median earnings of $79,770 from 405 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national rank of #62 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

At the more moderate end, Communication and Media Studies reported $56,969 from 226 degrees awarded and an Azimuth rank of #96 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The higher figures in the first pair contrast with the more moderate figures in the latter pair.

National field rankings give University of Arkansas a broad program profile, with 51 ranked programs and earnings data published for 54 fields. In Azimuth’s national field rankings among nonprofit four-year institutions, Agricultural Public Services ranks #5, awarded 29 degrees, and has median earnings of $54,454 four years after completion.

Business/Managerial Economics is ranked #9 nationally by Azimuth, with 48 degrees awarded and median earnings of $97,743 four years after completion.

The program mix at University of Arkansas is led by Business, which accounts for 28.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Engineering and Health Professions follow, at 9.7% and 9.3% respectively.

The university has 51 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 54 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 405 degrees awarded a year.

Azimuth ranks it #62 nationally within its field and #1 in Arkansas. Finance and Marketing are next in size, with 351 and 342 degrees awarded.

The highest-ranked program is Agricultural Public Services, which Azimuth places #5 nationally within its field and #1 in Arkansas. It awards 29 degrees a year.

Animal Sciences ranks #7 nationally with 88 degrees awarded, and Business/Managerial Economics ranks #9 nationally with 48 degrees awarded. The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where graduates earn a median of $102,747 four years after completion, from 24 degrees awarded.

Computer Engineering follows at $99,031 from 25 degrees. Design and Applied Arts stands out for its return: a benchmark ratio of 1.28x against the national median for its field, with median earnings of $65,780.

Strength is spread across several fields rather than concentrated in one. The largest programs in business carry solid national ranks, while the highest-ranked programs sit in agriculture, business, textiles, and journalism. Across all fields, 18.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 405 degrees awarded
$79,770
Finance and Financial Management Services 351 degrees awarded
$87,717
Marketing 342 degrees awarded
$73,153
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 269 degrees awarded
$84,911
Communication and Media Studies 226 degrees awarded
$56,969
Psychology, General 203 degrees awarded
$48,006

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of Arkansas briefing

How does University of Arkansas serve students from different backgrounds?

Mobility is University of Arkansas's strongest Azimuth pillar, with an 89th percentile standing among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 70.5%, while Pell recipients complete within six years at 52.8%, below the overall rate by 17.7 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $1,532 less than the model expects for similar students, placing earnings beyond expectations in the 49th percentile. Strong completion sits alongside earnings that fall short of the model's expectation.

University of Arkansas combines a broad undergraduate enrollment of 28,677 undergraduates with admission of 74.3% of applicants. Pell Grants go to 17.8% of undergraduates, and an estimated 17.5% enter as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places its access pillar in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The enrollment scale, Pell participation, and estimated transfer presence describe several routes into this public university.

06 / University of Arkansas briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Arkansas?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of Arkansas.

Admissions peerJohn Brown University76.1% admitted
Comparison with University of Arkansas
MeasureUniversity of ArkansasJohn Brown University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,890$55,210-$13,680 vs University of Arkansas
Average annual net price$18,209$20,397+$2,188 vs University of Arkansas · higher cost
Admission rate74.3%76.1%
Higher-admission alternativeOklahoma Christian University96.5% admitted
Comparison with University of Arkansas
MeasureUniversity of ArkansasOklahoma Christian University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,890$67,575-$1,315 vs University of Arkansas
Average annual net price$18,209$21,872+$3,663 vs University of Arkansas · higher cost
Admission rate74.3%96.5%
Nearby alternativeJohn Brown UniversityNearby option · AR
Comparison with University of Arkansas
MeasureUniversity of ArkansasJohn Brown University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,890$55,210-$13,680 vs University of Arkansas
Average annual net price$18,209$20,397+$2,188 vs University of Arkansas · higher cost
Admission rate74.3%76.1%
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell$81,163 earnings
Comparison with University of Arkansas
MeasureUniversity of ArkansasUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,890$81,163+$12,273 vs University of Arkansas
Average annual net price$18,209$17,163-$1,046 vs University of Arkansas · lower cost
Admission rate74.3%83.0%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Lowell →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price
Comparison with University of Arkansas
MeasureUniversity of ArkansasCUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,890$62,833-$6,057 vs University of Arkansas
Average annual net price$18,209$3,103-$15,106 vs University of Arkansas · lower cost
Admission rate74.3%58.4%
Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →
Similar profileLouisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Arkansas
MeasureUniversity of ArkansasLouisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,890$66,893-$1,997 vs University of Arkansas
Average annual net price$18,209$19,151+$942 vs University of Arkansas · higher cost
Admission rate74.3%73.3%
Explore Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings