🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $12,653/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$9,412 — major value play)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 880, or ACT below 14 (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
Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
Total enrollment
1,807
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$9,412
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$17,992
+$8,580 vs in-state
Admit rate
57.5%
Moderately selective
SAT middle 50%
880–1048
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
14–18
composite
Test policy
Required
2023
10-yr earnings
$35,550
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
$31,161
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$35,550
4-year completion
40%
Median debt (completers)
$24,202
Cost of attendance
$21,129
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
70%

💰 True ROI

7.0× 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)
$50,612
$12,653/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$33,904
vs sticker $84,516
10-yr earnings total
$355,500
$35,550/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.4 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 Pine Bluff, the average net price is $12,653/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$12,302/yr
Family income $30-48k
$11,324/yr
Family income $48-75k
$15,920/yr
Family income $75-110k
$13,975/yr
Family income $110k+
$17,840/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 Pine Bluff's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff →

Opens on University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff'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 Pine Bluff

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

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
48 degrees · 26.7%
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.
2. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
35 degrees · 19.4%
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.
3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
33 degrees · 18.3%
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.
4. Health Professions
33 degrees · 18.3%
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.
5. Education
31 degrees · 17.2%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

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 Pine Bluff

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
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians. Bachelor's Degree 25 $61,946 $71,983
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 7 $32,401 $60,272
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 10 $59,597
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 22 $35,532 $53,255
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 37 $26,612 $50,141
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 31 $35,490 $46,323
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree 27 $34,143 $42,902
Agricultural Business and Management. Bachelor's Degree $31,868 $42,184
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 10 $28,206 $41,327
Journalism. Bachelor's Degree 6 $27,259 $40,515

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

CS degrees (annual)
11
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 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 Pine Bluff

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 Pine Bluff doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
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
West Virginia University
WV · Public
11 auto-merit scholarships on file
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
OK · Public
9 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 Pine Bluff.
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($10,895 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($7,844 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($7,247 less)
Texas A & M International University
TX · Public
$10,697/yr for $110k+ families ($7,143 less)
East Central University
OK · Public
$10,702/yr for $110k+ families ($7,138 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)

Building a college list?

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