Public · Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas

University of Arkansas is a public institution in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Graduates earn a median of $58,191 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $18,209/yr.

$58,191
10-yr median earnings
$18,209
Avg net price / yr
74.3%
Acceptance rate
70.2%
4-yr completion

The verdict

University of Arkansas pairs above-median graduate earnings with a moderately open admit.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 34%
graduate earnings, US
74.3%
acceptance rate
70.2%
4-yr completion
+17%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize Carnegie: R1

University of Arkansas is a public institution in Fayetteville, Arkansas enrolling 28,677 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 74.3% with an average SAT of 1,169. Graduates earn a median of $58,191 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $18,209. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.

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Data updated July 2026

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for University of Arkansas

University of Arkansas operates as a public institution located in Fayetteville, Arkansas (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 28,677 students of which 30,360 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; University of Arkansas is categorized as "Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.

The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.

College Value Score

C+
College Value Score
62/100
University of Arkansas

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings A-
$58,191
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price D
$18,209
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$21,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
77.0%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B+
86.4%
First-year students returning for year two
University of Arkansas vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceGrad RateDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$58,191

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$18,209

After grants and scholarships

4-yr completion

70.2%

First-time, full-time bachelor's

4-year completion vs national average (40%) 70.2%

Higher is better

College ROI Quadrant - University of Arkansas vs peers

University of Arkansas positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by 4-year graduation rate (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = avoid (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. University of Arkansas positioned by earning… Carnegie Classification: R1 R1 AVOID PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $17K $61K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $6K $19K Avg Net Price ($) University of Arkansas (you are here): $58K earn · $18K net · 70% grad You are here - University of Arka… Arkansas State University: $43K earn · $12K net · 55% grad Arkansas State Uni… University of Central Arkansas: $46K earn · $17K net · 53% grad University of Cent… Arkansas Tech University: $42K earn · $13K net · 49% grad Arkansas Tech Univ… NorthWest Arkansas Community College: $44K earn · $7K net NorthWest Arkansas… University of Arkansas at Little Rock: $45K earn · $17K net · 42% grad University of Arka… University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College: $35K earn · $14K net Paul Mitchell the School-Arkansas: $20K earn · $14K net Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.

How University of Arkansas ranks nationally

Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

University of Arkansas: graduate earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$58,191 Top 34% higher than 66% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024

Quick Facts

28,677
Total enrollment
74.3%
Acceptance rate
1,169
SAT average
70.2%
4-yr graduation rate
$58,191
10-yr median earnings
86.4%
First-year retention

Admissions

Admission Rate 74.3%
SAT Average 1,169
SAT Math (25th-75th) 510 – 600
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 520 – 620
ACT Average 25
ACT (25th-75th) 21 – 28

Share of applicants admitted

0%100%74.3%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $10,104
Out-of-State Tuition $29,966
Average Net Price $18,209

Net Price by Family Income

$0 – $30,000 $14,319
$30,001 – $48,000 $14,322
$48,001 – $75,000 $15,934
Over $110,000 $22,470
17.8%
Pell Grant Rate
33.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$21,500
Median Debt
$228/mo
Monthly Payment

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

55.9%
Female
26.0%
First Generation

Outcomes

70.2%
4-Year Completion Rate
86.4%
Retention Rate
$49,686
Median Earnings (6yr)
$58,191
Median Earnings (10yr)
70.2%
Earning Over $25K
77.0%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Programs & Earnings

Top programs at University of Arkansas by graduate earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of 2024
Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 110 $157,358 $40,962
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Master's 43 $151,985 $32,346
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Doctoral - $136,259 $55,608
Engineering, General Master's 51 $123,834 -
Engineering-Related Fields Master's 200 $116,774 $23,250
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Master's 20 $113,717 -
Educational Administration and Supervision Doctoral 32 $105,343 -
Computer and Information Sciences, General Bachelor's 24 $102,747 $25,997
Computer Engineering Bachelor's 25 $99,031 $25,957
Industrial Engineering Bachelor's 61 $98,765 $25,405
Business/Managerial Economics Bachelor's 48 $97,743 $19,377
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Bachelor's 45 $97,516 $15,625
Accounting and Related Services Master's 64 $96,213 -
Computer Science Bachelor's 116 $95,642 $20,726
Chemical Engineering Bachelor's 65 $93,641 $20,500

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at University of Arkansas?
University of Arkansas is a public institution in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The acceptance rate is 74.3%. The average SAT score is 1,169. Total enrollment is 28,677 students.
How much do University of Arkansas graduates earn?
Graduates of University of Arkansas earn a median of $58,191 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $49,686.
How much does University of Arkansas cost?
The average net price at University of Arkansas is $18,209. In-state tuition is $10,104 and out-of-state tuition is $29,966. Median student debt at graduation is $21,500.
What is the graduation rate at University of Arkansas?
University of Arkansas has a 4-year completion rate of 70.2%. The first-year retention rate is 86.4%.
Is University of Arkansas worth the student debt?
The median student debt at University of Arkansas is $21,500, while graduates earn a median of $58,191 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 37% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 77.0% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $228.

Sources & methodology

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.

Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for University of Arkansas

  • University of Arkansas's graduates land in the 34th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
  • The average net price after aid is $18,209 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
  • See how this school compares to every other college in Arkansas.Browse Arkansas

This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.