University of
Arkansas-Fort Smith
Public College in Fort Smith, AR. Six-year graduation rate 40%. Median 10-year earnings $41,102.
Ten-year median earnings of $41,102 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 40%, meaning about three in five students who start do not finish. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $18,250, neither a bargain nor a burden.
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 80% puts University of Arkansas-Fort Smith on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. The applicant pool runs to 2,769, typical for a school of this reach. A 40% yield rate puts this school in the upper range for admits who follow through. The score bands below cover the middle 50% of the enrolled students who submitted a score — not the whole class, 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 | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | 18–23 | 688 (77%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 40%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 70% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Retention drops to 54% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. The student-faculty ratio is 18:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,133 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $11,159 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $8,890 at $0–30k against $14,297 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Most students get help: 85% receive grants worth $9,232 on average. About 34% 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 · 806 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 | $8,890 |
| $30–48k | $9,391 |
| $48–75k | $11,392 |
| $75–110k | $13,804 |
| $110k+ | $14,297 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,401 of these 4,133 students, totalling $8,818,962 — an average of $6,295 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sebastian 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)