University of the Ozarks
Clarksville, Arkansas · Private Nonprofit · 59.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 30/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
University of the Ozarks, a small private nonprofit in Clarksville, Arkansas, scores 30 on the CampusROI scale and falls into the Below Benchmark tier. The cost stack is $25,950 sticker tuition, $17,360 net price, and $69,440 total four-year cost, but earnings simply do not keep pace. Median 10-year earnings of $44,384 produce a 22.3-year payback period (sub-score 23) and a 0.73 debt-to-earnings ratio (sub-score 24) on $20,875 of median debt. The honest read: Ozarks delivers a personal, small-college experience but the post-graduation earnings trajectory does not justify even its discounted net price for most students, and a 22-year payback period is long.
How University of the Ozarks 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 Score30/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period22.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
University of the Ozarks
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $25,950/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $25,950/yr |
| Average net price | $17,360/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $69,440 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,384 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $28,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $20,875 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $221 |
| Estimated payback period | 22.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 51.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 767 |
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: $25,950/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $17,360/year, or roughly $69,440 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 $14,664/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $22,836/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $20,875, which works out to about $221 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($28,700) and comes to 0.73, 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 | $14,664 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,551 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,291 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $18,632 |
| $110,001+ | $22,836 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $14,664 net at Ozarks, slightly above what households in the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pay ($14,551) - a mildly inverted-bracket pattern worth flagging. Over four years, the lowest-income tier still faces roughly $59,000 of cost. Pell-eligible students who pair federal aid with state Arkansas grants can make this workable, but the 22-year payback period means borrowing should be minimized at all costs.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households at $48,001-$75,000 pay $19,291, which is actually higher than the $75,001-$110,000 bracket's $18,632 - a clearly inverted pattern that suggests aid optimization quirks at the school level. A typical middle-income family is looking at roughly $75,000-$77,000 over four years. With 10-year median earnings of $44,384, the math here is the hardest to defend.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $22,836 net, or about $91,000 across four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at University of the Ozarks with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $50,789 | C+ |
| Public Health | $49,174 | D |
| Biology | $46,151 | 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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is Ozarks's flagship program and its only clear ROI win, with 58 graduates per year, $35,373 in one-year earnings rising to $50,789 at four years. Median debt of $18,575 produces a 0.53 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ ROI grade. Career paths skew local: small-business management, regional finance, and operations roles in northwest Arkansas. Students aiming for the Walmart/Tyson/J.B. Hunt corporate corridor will find this degree workable, particularly with internships.
Public Health
Public Health graduates earn $32,564 at one year and $49,174 at four years, but carry the highest debt of any program at $25,065 - producing a 0.77 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. With 22 graduates a year this is a meaningful cohort, but most well-paid public health roles require a master's (MPH), so families should treat this as a stepping-stone bachelor's rather than a terminal degree.
Biology
Biology graduates earn just $27,992 at one year and $46,151 at four years against $19,750 of debt - a 0.71 ratio and a D grade. Bachelor's-level biology in rural Arkansas offers limited direct earnings power; this program functions almost entirely as a pre-health pipeline (med school, PA, nursing, optometry).
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 75.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 74.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 63.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 66.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How University of the Ozarks’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 | 59.5% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 490-570 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 530-590 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 20-25 |
| Enrollment | 767 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,231 |
Ozarks admits 59.5% of applicants, making it moderately selective on paper, though the academic profile is modest: SAT mid-50% ranges of 490-570 math and 530-590 reading, with an ACT mid-range of 20-25.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of the Ozarks (this school) | 30 | $17,360 | $44,384 |
| Bluefield University | 32 | $25,573 | $48,896 |
| Lyon College | 29 | $19,616 | $44,232 |
| Gallaudet University | 27 | $15,845 | $43,101 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Arkansas Baptist College | 4 | $10,627 | $28,418 |
Who Thrives Here
With only 767 undergraduates and a 39.8% Pell rate, Ozarks fits Arkansas-area students who want a small Christian-affiliated liberal arts environment and qualify for substantial need-based aid. The business administration program (58 graduates per year, $50,789 four-year earnings) is by far the strongest financial path; outcomes for biology and public health are noticeably weaker. Students who arrive without a clear preprofessional or business plan should expect modest earnings, so commuter status, in-state aid stacking, and program selection matter enormously here.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, University of the Ozarks scores 30/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $17,360 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,384 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 22.3 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 51.5% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $20,875 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $28,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. 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 the Ozarks: Common Questions
Is University of the Ozarks worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. University of the Ozarks scores 30/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $17,360 a year after aid against $44,384 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 22.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does University of the Ozarks 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 $17,360 a year, or roughly $69,440 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 the Ozarks graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,384 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,584 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 the Ozarks?
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 22.3 years for University of the Ozarks. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do University of the Ozarks graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $20,875, against average earnings of $28,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. 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 the Ozarks?
The six-year graduation rate is 51.5%. 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.