Best Private Colleges in Arkansas 2024

Badge for BEST IN ARKANSAS PRIVATE COLLEGES

Updated: Oct 16, 2023

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Arkansas.

Hendrix College
Harding University
John Brown University
Philander Smith University
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkansas Baptist College
Lyon College
University of the Ozarks
Crowley's Ridge College
Central Baptist College

Ouachita Baptist University 72%
Central Baptist College 64%
University of the Ozarks 60%
Lyon College 60%
Hendrix College 60%
Williams Baptist University 59%
John Brown University 57%
Harding University 45%

University of Arkansas Grantham 33 to 1
Arkansas Baptist College 23 to 1
Williams Baptist University 16 to 1
John Brown University 15 to 1
Harding University 15 to 1
University of the Ozarks 14 to 1
Ouachita Baptist University 12 to 1
Hendrix College 11 to 1
Philander Smith University 11 to 1
Central Baptist College 10 to 1

Hendrix College $35,100
Ouachita Baptist University $31,180
Lyon College $31,000
John Brown University $29,720
University of the Ozarks $25,950
Harding University $23,148
Williams Baptist University $19,450
Central Baptist College $17,700
Crowley's Ridge College $15,000
Philander Smith University $13,014

Hendrix College $34,750
John Brown University $13,920
Ouachita Baptist University $13,500
Harding University $12,399
University of Arkansas Grantham $4,200

University of Arkansas Grantham
Williams Baptist University
Central Baptist College
Arkansas Baptist College
University of the Ozarks
Crowley's Ridge College
Lyon College
Philander Smith University
Ouachita Baptist University
John Brown University

Williams Baptist University
University of Arkansas Grantham
Central Baptist College
Crowley's Ridge College
University of the Ozarks
Lyon College
Arkansas Baptist College
Ouachita Baptist University
Philander Smith University
John Brown University

Harding University 45%
John Brown University 57%
Williams Baptist University 59%
Hendrix College 60%
Lyon College 60%
University of the Ozarks 60%
Central Baptist College 64%
Ouachita Baptist University 72%

Lyon College 9 to 1
Crowley's Ridge College 9 to 1
Central Baptist College 10 to 1
Hendrix College 11 to 1
Philander Smith University 11 to 1
Ouachita Baptist University 12 to 1
University of the Ozarks 14 to 1
John Brown University 15 to 1
Harding University 15 to 1
Williams Baptist University 16 to 1

University of Arkansas Grantham $8,280
Arkansas Baptist College $8,760
Philander Smith University $13,014
Crowley's Ridge College $15,000
Central Baptist College $17,700
Williams Baptist University $19,450
Harding University $23,148
University of the Ozarks $25,950
John Brown University $29,720
Lyon College $31,000

University of Arkansas Grantham $4,200
Harding University $12,399
Ouachita Baptist University $13,500
John Brown University $13,920
Hendrix College $34,750

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Arkansas

Colleges and universities in Arkansas are uniquely affordable, with just under half providing tuition rates of $9,000 or less. We’ve also found 7 high quality colleges offering online degree programs in Arkansas.

Indeed, online students can earn their degree at one of the state’s two largest universities, the University of Arkansas or Arkansas State University.

Though students can find some overlapping degree programs at the two schools, each has its specialties. For example, students hoping to pursue degrees in architecture, agriculture, or business may want to consider the University of Arkansas, while those interested in biology, nursing, or political science may want to attend Arkansas State University. It is possible to study these subjects both through traditional and online degree programs in the state of Arkansas.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Roughly one third of the schools in Arkansas have a religious affiliation. Student populations at these schools range from just under 200 students up to 5,000. Both traditional and online students can pursue degrees that merge religious studies with fields like chemistry and history.

Tuition rates at each of the state’s 12 private schools vary greatly. Arkansas’s private colleges and schools cost anywhere between $9,000 and $46,000. Many of these private colleges boast high graduation rates and small class sizes.

Arkansas is perhaps best-known and loved for its countless lakes, Hot Springs National Park, and the United States’ only active diamond mine. However, the Natural State houses many higher education institutes where both traditional and online students can earn associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a full range of disciplines.

With so many affordable schools and competitive on-campus and online degree programs, students attending school in Arkansas have the luxury of combining their individual budget needs with their desired degree paths. For more information on attending school in Arkansas, check out some of the state’s top schools.

What are Arkansas’s Colleges & Universities?

Arkansas’s Best Overall

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

How do we determine Arkansas's best private colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 12 private universities in Arkansas. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Arkansas, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.