Best Colleges in Arkansas by ROI

Two Arkansas universities tie at the top with an ROI score of 69, and they are versions of the same institution. The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville is the classic pick: $18,209 a year after aid, 71% completion, and $58,191 median earnings ten years after entry, the only Arkansas public that is strong on both cost and outcome. University of Arkansas Grantham, the system's online arm, costs less than half as much at $8,370 a year, and its graduates actually report higher median earnings, $63,496, largely because online enrollment skews toward working adults already in careers. Its 43% completion rate is the caveat that keeps it from being a clean recommendation.

Below those two, the board drops fast. John Brown University (64) is the strongest private, $20,397 net with 72% completion, and Hendrix College (58) posts the state's second-highest earnings at $60,376. After that, no Arkansas school we track clears 50: the University of Central Arkansas scores 38, Arkansas State 33, and UA Little Rock 31, each with median earnings under $46,000.

In our view the practical read for an Arkansas family is narrow: Fayetteville if you want the campus experience, Grantham if you are a working adult finishing a degree, John Brown or Hendrix if a smaller private fits and the aid offer lands under about $21,000 a year. The number to keep in mind is the 31-point cliff between the flagship tie at 69 and the next-best public, Central Arkansas at 38: in this state, the middle tier is a long way down.