Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
University of Arkansas graduates experience steady earnings growth from early career to mid-career periods. Median earnings increase from $49,686 six years after enrollment to $54,333 at eight years and $58,191 at ten years, representing 17.1% growth over the four-year period.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings align with peer institutions — outcomes are in line with similar schools.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $21,500 in debt with typical earnings.
University of Arkansas graduates carry median debt of $21,500, slightly above the peer median of $20,000 but within reasonable ranges for public flagship institutions. Debt levels span from $5,500 at the 25th percentile to $26,000 at the 75th percentile, indicating substantial variation in borrowing patterns among students.
University of Arkansas ranks at the 69.2nd percentile for return on investment, reflecting above average performance in converting educational costs into long-term earnings. Despite generating negative earnings beyond expectations of $12,012, the university maintains solid return performance through controlled debt levels and steady earnings progression.
Approximately 26.7% of University of Arkansas graduates continue to graduate or professional school based on program mix analysis. This moderate cont...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Chemical Engineering drives the strongest earnings outcomes at $93,785, followed by Actuarial Science at $75,471 and Mechanical Engineering at $75,174, demonstrating University of Arkansas's technical program strength. Business programs including Accounting Technology ($74,571) and Business Administration ($69,084) provide substantial earning potential with large enrollment numbers.
Liberal arts programs like Psychology ($44,385) and Biology ($46,685) produce more moderate earnings, reflecting typical patterns across comprehensive universities. The program diversity supports different career pathways while the engineering and business emphasis helps drive overall institutional return performance.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
The earnings distribution from $36,435 at the 25th percentile to $87,469 at the 75th percentile creates a 2.4:1 earnings ratio, indicating substantial variation in career outcomes. Low-income graduates earn $48,600, demonstrating reasonable mobility outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
