Cost & financial aid brief
University of Arkansas Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Arkansas cost after financial aid?
Aid is more concentrated in the lower income bands, though the average aid recipient still faces a substantial share of the published budget. The published cost of attendance is $27,767, compared with an average net price of $18,209, a sticker-to-net gap of $9,558.
Aid covers about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across the income bands, average net price is $14,319 at the low end, then $14,322, $15,934, $20,772, and $22,470 at the high end.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,151, a difference of band averages rather than a family quote. The lower prices at the bottom of the income range show an aid pattern that targets larger discounts toward lower-income recipients.
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.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
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 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.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $28,086
- Estimated parent payment
- $357/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
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
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $601/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $68,890, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.3% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.