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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Arkansas Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-arkansas/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-arkansas/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-arkansas/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-arkansas/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-arkansas/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Arkansas cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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.

Average net price, 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.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the affordability pillar is at the 61st percentile. Aid recipients pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $18,209, $2,575 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The lowest income band averages $14,319, and the highest band averages $22,470. Completers who borrowed hold median federal student debt of $21,500, $1,424 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid recipients in the lowest income bands face average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s well below those in the highest band. The average net price is $14,319 in the lowest band, $14,322 in the next band, $15,934 in the middle band, $20,772 in the next band, and $22,470 in the highest band.

Pell Grant recipients account for 17.8% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,151.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$14,319

**$30–48K**
$14,322

**$48–75K**
$15,934

**$75–110K**
$20,772

**$110K+**
$22,470

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$18,209**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$28,086

**Estimated parent payment**
$357/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-arkansas#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.