University of Central Arkansas

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

University of Central Arkansas operates as a public institution located in Conway, Arkansas (city: small), with a total reported enrollment of 7,762 students of which 8,682 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 Central Arkansas is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 89.5%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,118 and an ACT midpoint of 23. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $16,511, with published in-state tuition of $10,523 and a Pell grant recipient share of 38.0%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $20,346, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 53.4%, and the first-year retention rate is 73.3%. Graduates earn a median of $45,938 ten years after enrolling, compared with $36,670 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 351000.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 58.0% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.