Best Private Colleges in Arkansas 2026

Badge for BEST IN ARKANSAS PRIVATE COLLEGES

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

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.

10 Best Private Colleges in Arkansas in 2026

Hendrix College
Harding University
Ouachita Baptist University
+1
John Brown University
–1
Philander Smith University
Lyon College
Arkansas Baptist College
+2
University of the Ozarks
Crowley's Ridge College
–2
University of Arkansas Grantham
+2

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.

Best Private Colleges in Arkansas

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Arkansas’s Best Private Colleges in Your Area Interest

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.

Private colleges in Arkansas vary widely in size, mission, and program strengths; this guide highlights institutions that stand out for academic quality, program variety, student outcomes, and campus experience as of 2026. Whether you’re comparing liberal arts colleges, faith-based institutions, or specialized professional schools, the selections below are organized to help you quickly evaluate fit based on majors, undergraduate research, student support, and post-graduate pathways.

Use the list to narrow choices, compare typical costs and financial aid options, and identify campuses to visit or investigate further. For a broader view of private higher education nationwide, see our directory of private schools in every state.

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Best Private Colleges in Arkansas 2026

10 Best Private Colleges in Arkansas in 2026

Colleges and Universities in Arkansas

What are Arkansas’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Private Colleges in Arkansas

Last Year’s Ranking:

Career Outlook for degree at Hendrix College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Harding University

Most Influential Alumni

Harding University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Ouachita Baptist University

Most Influential Alumni

Ouachita Baptist University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at John Brown University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Philander Smith University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Lyon College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Arkansas Baptist College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of the Ozarks

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Crowley's Ridge College

University of Arkansas Grantham’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Central Baptist College

Career Outlook for degree at Williams Baptist University

Arkansas’s Best Private Colleges in Your Area Interest