Best Community Colleges in Arkansas 2025
The best community colleges provide an effective springboard into higher education, offering students high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The top-rated community colleges in Arkansas offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.
Key Takeaways
- Arkansas community colleges offer robust career-focused programs in fields like healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and information technology, equipping students with the skills needed to enter high-demand industries quickly.
- Many of Arkansas’ top community colleges provide affordable tuition rates along with a variety of scholarships, grants, and work-study programs, making higher education accessible to students from diverse financial backgrounds.
- The best community colleges in Arkansas have established clear transfer agreements with institutions like the University of Arkansas, allowing students to complete general education requirements at a lower cost and seamlessly transfer to a four-year degree program.
10 Best Community Colleges in Arkansas in 2025
- University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville +1
- Northwest Arkansas Community College –1
- Southeast Arkansas College +6
- North Arkansas College –1
- University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton –1
- Southern Arkansas University Tech +6
- Arkansas State University Mid-South +3
- Cossatot Community College –3
- Arkansas State University-Beebe –1
- Black River Technical College +1
2025 Ranking Update
Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.
In 2025, the top schools in our ranking of the best community colleges in Arkansas saw substantial ranking changes. Southeast Arkansas College was able to move up to the third ranking position as the college did more to develop the Advanced Healthcare Training Center, which features state-of-the-art simulation labs for nursing, allied health, and emergency medical services programs. The college has also enhanced its workforce development programs, offering more specialized certifications in high-demand fields like industrial technology and logistics.
Additionally, SEARK has upgraded its student support services, with expanded tutoring, career counseling, and mental health resources to ensure student success and well-being. These updates reflect the college’s focus on practical skills, career readiness, and comprehensive student support.
We’ve identified 22 community colleges in Arkansas. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in Arkansas.
If you’re interested in an online associate degree, visit our best online associate degrees in Arkansas page.
Best Community Colleges in Arkansas
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
62%
Student body
1K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville
Cost of Degree: $3,918Starting Salary: $30,300What is University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville known for?
University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
25%
Student body
10K
Career Outlook for degree at Northwest Arkansas Community College
Cost of Degree: $4,566Starting Salary: $37,100What is Northwest Arkansas Community College known for?
Northwest Arkansas Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
24%
Student body
1K
Career Outlook for degree at Southeast Arkansas College
Cost of Degree: $4,960Expenses: $17,965Starting Salary: $29,700Cost Recoup Time: 14 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Southeast Arkansas College known for?
Southeast Arkansas College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
32%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at North Arkansas College
Cost of Degree: $3,816Expenses: $13,386Starting Salary: $28,900Cost Recoup Time: 12 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is North Arkansas College known for?
North Arkansas College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
36%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton
Cost of Degree: $3,744Starting Salary: $31,600What is University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton known for?
University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Southern Arkansas University Tech
Cost of Degree: $4,830Expenses: $13,288Starting Salary: $31,200Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Southern Arkansas University Tech known for?
Southern Arkansas University Tech’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
43%
Student body
1K
Career Outlook for degree at Arkansas State University Mid-South
Cost of Degree: $3,552Starting Salary: $26,700What is Arkansas State University Mid-South known for?
Arkansas State University Mid-South’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
46%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Cossatot Community College
Cost of Degree: $4,416Starting Salary: $28,000What is Cossatot Community College known for?
Cossatot Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
38%
Student body
4K
Career Outlook for degree at Arkansas State University-Beebe
Cost of Degree: $3,216Expenses: $15,961Starting Salary: $32,900Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Arkansas State University-Beebe known for?
Arkansas State University-Beebe’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
34%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Black River Technical College
Cost of Degree: $4,584Starting Salary: $29,100What is Black River Technical College known for?
Black River Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
46%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
Cost of Degree: $3,650Starting Salary: $26,200What is Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas known for?
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
47%
Student body
4K
What is Arkansas State University-Newport known for?
Arkansas State University-Newport’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
36%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Arkansas State University Three Rivers
Cost of Degree: $3,568Starting Salary: $31,000What is Arkansas State University Three Rivers known for?
Arkansas State University Three Rivers’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
26%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at National Park College
Cost of Degree: $6,050Expenses: $11,600Starting Salary: $28,100Cost Recoup Time: 12 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryTuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
47%
Student body
1K
Career Outlook for degree at Ozarka College
Cost of Degree: $3,820Expenses: $12,340Starting Salary: $28,100Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryTuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
28%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at South Arkansas Community College
Cost of Degree: $3,540Starting Salary: $32,700What is South Arkansas Community College known for?
South Arkansas Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
42%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Arkansas Northeastern College
Cost of Degree: $2,850Starting Salary: $30,800What is Arkansas Northeastern College known for?
Arkansas Northeastern College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
41%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at East Arkansas Community College
Cost of Degree: $4,128Starting Salary: $26,800What is East Arkansas Community College known for?
East Arkansas Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- #8 Best Online Associate Degrees in Arkansas 2025 #15 Best Online Associate in Hospitality and Tourism
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
23%
Student body
6K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College
Cost of Degree: $6,060Starting Salary: $30,700What is University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College known for?
University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
28%
Student body
2K
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
57%
Student body
<1K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Arkansas Rich Mountain
Cost of Degree: $3,864Expenses: $14,231Starting Salary: $24,100Cost Recoup Time: 13 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryTuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
42%
Student body
2K
2021 Ranking Archive
Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
- University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College
- Southeast Arkansas College
- South Arkansas Community College
- Black River Technical College
- Northwest Arkansas Community College
- University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton
- Cossatot Community College
- University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville
- Southern Arkansas University
- Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
- National Park College
- Arkansas State University Mid-South
- Arkansas State University-Newport
- North Arkansas College
- East Arkansas Community College
- Arkansas State University–Mountain Home
- Ozarka College
- Arkansas State University-Beebe
- University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana
