Arkansas State University
Public Research University in Jonesboro, AR. Six-year graduation rate 55%. Median 10-year earnings $42,617.
Ten years after entry, the median Arkansas State University student earns $42,617 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Six-year completion sits at 56%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $20,500, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 82% puts Arkansas State University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. The applicant pool is large — 12,252 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. Only 20% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere. The score bands below rest on the 3% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 490–570 | 50 (3%) |
| SAT Math | 480–620 | |
| ACT Composite | 18–24 | 1,543 (78%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Arkansas State University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 56%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. 78% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in five are gone before sophomore year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. A 23% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 53% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 7,994 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $12,410 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Income makes less difference than usual: $10,098 at $0–30k, $16,444 at $110k+. About 80% get grants averaging $10,866, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 46% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,505 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,098 |
| $30–48k | $9,255 |
| $48–75k | $12,205 |
| $75–110k | $15,839 |
| $110k+ | $16,444 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 3,712 of these 7,994 students, totalling $27,449,602 — an average of $7,395 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Craighead County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)