University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas · Public · 58.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 31/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
University of Arkansas at Little Rock earns a 31/100 ROI score and the Below Benchmark tier. The numbers tell a tough story. Average earnings six years after entry are $34,600, climbing to a median $45,265 by year ten - modest growth reflecting Arkansas's relatively low regional wages. Net price averages $17,248 against $9,748 in-state tuition (a meaningful gap, suggesting room-board-fees push total cost-of-attendance well above tuition). Total four-year cost is $68,992. The implied payback period is 20.4 years. Median federal debt is $22,000, producing a 0.636 debt-to-earnings ratio. Completion is 41.7%, weak. Repayment performance starts decent at 71% three-year but DROPS to 57% five-year and 52% seven-year - a declining trajectory as borrowers exit grace periods. The bright spots are program-level: nursing (B grade), accounting (B), construction engineering (B+), finance (B+), and CS (B) all post strong outcomes for the students who complete those tracks. The aggregate weakness reflects the school's broad liberal-arts and education-and-social-services mix, where Arkansas wages cap earnings against typical debt loads. UALR is meaningfully better than its 31 score suggests for STEM and business students; weaker for the humanities-and-helping-professions cohort.
How University of Arkansas at Little Rock scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score31/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period20.4 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $9,748/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $22,158/yr |
| Average net price | $17,248/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $68,992 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,265 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $22,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $233 |
| Estimated payback period | 20.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 41.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,949 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $9,748/year ($22,158/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $17,248/year, or roughly $68,992 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $15,195/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $22,255/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $22,000, which works out to about $233 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($34,600) and comes to 0.64, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $15,195 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,250 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,018 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,087 |
| $110,001+ | $22,255 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,195 net price. Pell-eligible students layering the $7,395 federal grant face a $7,800 annual gap, manageable. Across four years, $60,780 net cost against $34,600 six-year earnings is workable for nursing or business-track students; tighter for liberal-arts paths.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $16,250 ($30K-$48K), $19,018 ($48K-$75K), and $21,087 ($75K-$110K). Aid scales reasonably across the income gradient. The $48K-$75K bracket pays $76,072 four-year net.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $22,255 - still well below the $22,158 out-of-state sticker, suggesting institutional aid reaches this bracket. Over four years that's $89,020 net for high-income in-state families. Given $45,265 ten-year median earnings, the math works for STEM and business students; weaker for humanities tracks at this price point.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at University of Arkansas at Little Rock with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $88,617 | B |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $43,990 | D |
| Accounting | $70,007 | B |
| Social Work | $49,594 | D |
| Biology | $48,606 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $51,384 | D |
| Psychology | $45,797 | D |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $50,805 | D |
| Teacher Education | $44,978 | C |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $30,592 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is UALR's flagship program by graduate volume (153) and outcomes. Graduates earn $78,898 one year out and $88,617 four years out. Median debt is $32,419 against a 0.411 debt-to-earnings ratio (B grade).
Accounting
Accounting graduates earn $58,845 one year out and $70,007 four years out, with $25,316 median debt and a 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio (B grade). 63 graduates per cohort. For accounting-track students with CPA aspirations, this is one of UALR's strongest defensible pathways.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal justice graduates earn $40,989 one year out and just $43,990 four years out - almost no mid-career growth, reflecting Arkansas public-sector law-enforcement wage caps. Median debt is $30,026 with a 0.733 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). 73 graduates per cohort. PSLF for public-sector careers is essential to make this pathway financially viable.
Psychology
Psychology graduates earn $32,522 one year out and $45,797 four years out, with $28,646 median debt and a 0.881 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). 52 graduates per cohort. Bachelor's-only psychology produces structurally weak earnings; Arkansas wages amplify that. Most psychology graduates need grad school for licensure and earnings improvement.
Social Work
Social work graduates earn $35,408 one year out and $49,594 four years out, with $26,980 median debt and a 0.762 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). 62 graduates per cohort. Social-work earnings reflect labor-market structure rather than school-specific weakness. MSW grad school for licensure is essential to improve career trajectory.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 73.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 71.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 57.0% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 52.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 58.8% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 470-580 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 490-630 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 17-24 |
| Enrollment | 4,949 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 41.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,312 |
UALR admits 59% of applicants, with SAT mid-ranges of 470-580 math and 490-630 reading and an ACT composite mid-range of 17-24. The completion rate is 41.7%. Prepared, full-time students complete at materially higher rates than the headline.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock (this school) | 31 | $17,248 | $45,265 |
| University of Arkansas | 69 | $18,209 | $58,191 |
| Dalton State College | 41 | $5,012 | $40,251 |
| Idaho State University | 38 | $12,193 | $45,608 |
| Rogers State University | 28 | $15,314 | $43,166 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 10 | $12,653 | $35,550 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See University of Arkansas at Little Rock side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
UALR enrolls 4,949 students with a 41.2% Pell rate - a meaningfully access-mission profile, serving heavily working-adult and first-generation Little Rock-area students. The fit profile is clearest for STEM and professional students (nursing, accounting, finance, construction engineering, CS) where program-level outcomes are strong. The school works as the right choice for place-bound Little Rock-area students with these career goals.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock scores 31/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $17,248 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,265 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 20.4 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 41.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 71.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $22,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock: Common Questions
Is University of Arkansas at Little Rock worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. University of Arkansas at Little Rock scores 31/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $17,248 a year after aid against $45,265 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 20.4 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does University of Arkansas at Little Rock cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $17,248 a year, or roughly $68,992 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,265 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,465 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off University of Arkansas at Little Rock?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 20.4 years for University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $22,000, against average earnings of $34,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at University of Arkansas at Little Rock?
The six-year graduation rate is 41.6%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.