🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$7,334 — major value play)
  • Students focused on Business, Management, & Marketing (the school's signature program)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: 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
Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
Total enrollment
4,091
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$7,334
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$12,182
+$4,848 vs in-state
Admit rate
81.5%
Accepts the majority
ACT middle 50%
18–23
composite
Test policy
Required
2023
10-yr earnings
$41,102
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
$35,925
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$41,102
4-year completion
38%
Median debt (completers)
$18,250
Cost of attendance
$19,048
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
39%

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

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

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
248 degrees · 52.0%
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.
2. Health Professions
88 degrees · 18.4%
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.
3. Education
62 degrees · 13.0%
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.
4. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
40 degrees · 8.4%
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.
5. Computer & Information Sciences
39 degrees · 8.2%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.

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-Fort Smith

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
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree $51,896 $82,688
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 69 $69,618 $73,708
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. Bachelor's Degree 8 $54,484 $72,074
Chemistry. Bachelor's Degree 14 $22,255 $66,817
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. Bachelor's Degree 16 $58,380 $65,470
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 239 $39,057 $50,020
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 36 $26,541 $48,712
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. Bachelor's Degree 17 $40,525 $45,378
Social Work. Bachelor's Degree 10 $32,532 $45,275
History. Bachelor's Degree 9 $26,445 $45,097

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

CS degrees (annual)
29
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith vs. another college

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