🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $17,248/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$9,748 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Health Professions or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 890, or ACT below 18 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R2: Doctoral - High Research Activity
Total enrollment
4,949
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$9,748
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$22,158
+$12,410 vs in-state
Admit rate
57.7%
Moderately selective
SAT middle 50%
890–1170
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
18–23
composite
Test policy
Required
2023
10-yr earnings
$45,265
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$40,040
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,265
4-year completion
42%
Median debt (completers)
$22,000
Cost of attendance
$22,519
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
41%

💰 True ROI

6.6× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$68,992
$17,248/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$21,084
vs sticker $90,076
10-yr earnings total
$452,650
$45,265/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.5 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the average net price is $17,248/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$15,195/yr
Family income $30-48k
$16,250/yr
Family income $48-75k
$19,018/yr
Family income $75-110k
$21,087/yr
Family income $110k+
$22,255/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use University of Arkansas at Little Rock's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from University of Arkansas at Little Rock →

Opens on University of Arkansas at Little Rock's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of Arkansas at Little Rock actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions
182 degrees · 33.6%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
168 degrees · 31.0%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
73 degrees · 13.5%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.
4. Public Administration & Social Services
63 degrees · 11.6%
Typical career outcomes
Social Worker $58k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Urban / Regional Planner $82k
Government, nonprofit, social work. Mission-driven; lower wages than private sector but stable.
5. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
56 degrees · 10.3%
Typical career outcomes
Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 192 $78,898 $88,617
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. Bachelor's Degree 18 $71,845 $86,132
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 19 $60,521 $71,526
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 36 $54,817 $70,696
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 46 $58,845 $70,007
Management Information Systems and Services. Bachelor's Degree $63,142
Information Science/Studies. Bachelor's Degree 20 $48,964 $61,350
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. Bachelor's Degree 19 $56,650
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 75 $39,022 $51,384
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree 71 $33,780 $50,805

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of Arkansas at Little Rock

CS degrees (annual)
47
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of Arkansas at Little Rock vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that University of Arkansas at Little Rock doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
31 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Louisville
KY · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Arkansas
AR · Public
15 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Mississippi
MS · Public
15 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Kentucky
KY · Public
13 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($16,412 less)
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($15,310 less)
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($13,087 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($12,259 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($11,829 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Arkansas Tech University
AR · Public
96% admit rate (vs 58% here)
University of Central Arkansas
AR · Public
90% admit rate (vs 58% here)
University of Arkansas
AR · Public
72% admit rate (vs 58% here)
Arkansas State University
AR · Public
70% admit rate (vs 58% here)

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