Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Arkansas
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Arkansas college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Arkansas scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,900 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Arkansas's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship
A lottery scholarship for Arkansas residents with a 3.00 GPA or a 19 ACT. At a four-year college it pays $2,000 in the first year, rising to $5,000 in the fourth.
Source: Arkansas Division of Higher Education
“Option 3: High School GPA of 3.00+ AND standardized test score on record ACT, SAT, Accuplacer (reading, writing, math) or other equivalent No specific score required”
“Option 2: High School GPA below 3.00 / Completion of Equivalent AND qualifying test score ACT 19+ Accuplacer (reading, writing, math) 246+ average SAT 990+”
“Be an Arkansas resident (at least 12 months prior to enrollment and a US citizen/lawful permanent resident)”
“Scholarship Award Amounts (4-YR) Year # Award Amounts (4-YR) Year 1 $2,000 ($1,000 per semester) Year 2 $4,000 ($2,000 per semester) Year 3 $4,000 ($2,000 per semester) Year 4 $5,000 ($2,500 per semester)”
Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship
The state’s most rigorous scholarship, for graduating seniors with a 32 ACT or 1410 SAT and a 3.5 GPA. It pays tuition, fees, and room and board, up to $10,000 a year for four years.
Source: Arkansas Division of Higher Education
“At least a composite or superscore of 32 on the ACT (1410 SAT) and a 3.5 cumulative GPA to apply.”
“Up to $10,000 per academic year for 4 years ($40,000 total)”
“Scholarship Deadline to Apply Annual Deadline March 1”
Arkansas's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into Arkansas's Brighter Future 529 plan comes off your Arkansas income, up to $5,000 a year, or $10,000 for a married couple who elect it. Take money out for anything other than school costs and Arkansas may tax the earnings and take the deduction back.
Source: Arkansas Brighter Future 529 Plan, Tax Advantages
“Arkansas taxpayers may be eligible to deduct up to $5,000 (up to $10,000 for married couples making a proper election) in Arkansas Brighter Future 529 Plan contributions from their Arkansas adjusted gross income calculation on their Arkansas state income taxes.”
“Earnings on non-qualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes and recapture”
Arkansas also has a grant for two-year workforce programs and scholarships for military and public safety families. See the Division of Higher Education's scholarships.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State University public |
| — | $25,180 |
| Henderson State University public | None published | — | $22,570 |
| Hendrix College private |
| — | $59,592 |
| John Brown University private | None published | — | $47,836 |
| University of Arkansas public |
| — | $28,716 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock public |
| — | $20,179 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
6 more Arkansas colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Harding University
- Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- Ouachita Baptist University
- University of Central Arkansas
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Arkansas from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 5 colleges in Arkansas take part:
- Arkansas State University
- Arkansas Tech University
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- University of Arkansas
Going from Arkansas to another southern state
An Arkansas student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Arkansas to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Arkansas students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,900 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Arkansas scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Arkansas at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Arkansas' tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Arkansas.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.