Arkansas’s Best Small Colleges & Universities of 2021

Small colleges in Arkansas are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

Arkansas’s Best Small Colleges & Universities of 2021

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. Included in this list are the state’s two largest universities, the University of Arkansas and 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.

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Additionally, about 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, and allow students to pursue degrees merging religious studies with fields like chemistry and history. While tuition at each of the state’s 12 private schools varies greatly, costing anywhere between $9,000 and $46,000, many of these colleges boast high graduation rates and small class sizes.

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

With so many affordable schools and competitive 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.

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What are Arkansas’s Colleges & Universities?

Arkansas’s Best Overall


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The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Arkansas is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified a total of 13 small colleges in Arkansas that satisfy the following three conditions:

  1. It must be a non-profit institution.
  2. It must be fully accredited.
  3. Its gradution rate must be above 30%
  4. Its student body must consist of 5,000 or fewer students.

How do we determine Arkanasa's best small colleges and universities?

The best colleges pound for pound!

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call Concentrated Influence. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.

Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.

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.

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

Find out more about our ranking methodology here.

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Best Small Colleges & Universities in Arkansas

  1. Hendrix College
    #1

    Hendrix College

    #1323 institution's overall influence
    #995 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $48K

    Acceptance

    71%

    Graduation

    75%

    Student body

    1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1255/29

    Conway, AR

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    What is Hendrix College known for?

    Hendrix College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Psychology
    • History
    • Religious Studies
    • Literature
    • Computer Science
    • Physics
    • Chemistry
    • Medical
    • Biology
    • Political Science

    Most Influential Alumni

  2. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
    #2

    University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

    #1316 institution's overall influence

    Tuition + fees

    $8K

    Student body

    1K

    Little Rock, AR

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    What is University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences known for?

    University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Medical
    • Biology
    • Nursing
    • Political Science
  3. Lyon College
    #3

    Lyon College

    #6754 institution's overall influence
    #696 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $29K

    Acceptance

    50%

    Graduation

    52%

    Student body

    <1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1120/23

    Batesville, AR

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    What is Lyon College known for?

    Lyon College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • Mathematics
    • History
    • Economics
    • Political Science
    • Literature
    • Chemistry
    • Biology
    • Computer Science
    • Psychology

    Most Influential Alumni

  4. Ouachita Baptist University
    #4

    Ouachita Baptist University

    #3353 institution's overall influence
    #1342 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $28K

    Acceptance

    62%

    Graduation

    64%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1155/24

    Arkadelphia, AR

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    What is Ouachita Baptist University known for?

    Ouachita Baptist University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • Political Science
    • Business
    • Medical
    • History
    • Religious Studies
    • Communications
    • Philosophy
    • Engineering
    • Literature

    Most Influential Alumni

  5. John Brown University
    #5

    John Brown University

    #2714 institution's overall influence
    #1471 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $28K

    Acceptance

    59%

    Graduation

    73%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1160/26

    Siloam Springs, AR

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    What is John Brown University known for?

    John Brown University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • Business
    • Psychology
    • Communications
    • Philosophy
    • History
    • Engineering
    • Nursing
    • Political Science
    • Biology

    Most Influential Alumni

  6. Henderson State University
    #6

    Henderson State University

    #2339 institution's overall influence
    #841 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    75%

    Graduation

    33%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1044/21

    Arkadelphia, AR

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    What is Henderson State University known for?

    Henderson State University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • History
    • Education
    • Medical
    • Political Science
    • Business
    • Nursing
    • Psychology
    • Literature
    • Law
    • Communications
  7. Philander Smith College
    #7

    Philander Smith College

    #2436 institution's overall influence

    Tuition + fees

    $13K

    Graduation

    30%

    Student body

    1K

    Little Rock, AR

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    What is Philander Smith College known for?

    Philander Smith College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • Psychology
    • Political Science
    • Literature
    • Mathematics
    • Biology
    • Philosophy
    • Social Work
    • Criminal Justice
    • Chemistry

    Most Influential Alumni

  8. Harding University
    #8

    Harding University

    #2089 institution's overall influence
    #177 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $21K

    Acceptance

    55%

    Graduation

    67%

    Student body

    5K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1165/25

    Searcy, AR

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    What is Harding University known for?

    Harding University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Religious Studies
    • Business
    • Education
    • History
    • Political Science
    • Mathematics
    • Medical
    • Nursing
    • Literature
    • Computer Science

    Most Influential Alumni

  9. Southern Arkansas University
    #9

    Southern Arkansas University

    #3294 institution's overall influence
    #1310 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    69%

    Graduation

    35%

    Student body

    4K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1067/21

    Magnolia, AR

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    What is Southern Arkansas University known for?

    Southern Arkansas University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • Business
    • Political Science
    • Biology
    • History
    • Computer Science
    • Medical
    • Engineering
    • Criminal Justice
    • Social Work

    Most Influential Alumni

  10. University of the Ozarks
    #10

    University of the Ozarks

    #5577 institution's overall influence
    #927 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $26K

    Acceptance

    56%

    Graduation

    51%

    Student body

    <1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    960/20

    Clarksville, AR

    View profile

    What is University of the Ozarks known for?

    University of the Ozarks's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • Political Science
    • History
    • Medical
    • Communications
    • Mathematics
    • Biology
    • Philosophy
    • Economics
    • Chemistry

    Most Influential Alumni

  11. Crowley's Ridge College
    #11

    Crowley's Ridge College

    #8072 institution's overall influence

    Tuition + fees

    $15K

    Graduation

    9%

    Student body

    <1K

    Paragould, AR

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    What is Crowley's Ridge College known for?

    Crowley's Ridge College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Religious Studies
    • Education
  12. Williams Baptist University
    #12

    Williams Baptist University

    #15965 institution's overall influence
    #1347 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $18K

    Acceptance

    69%

    Graduation

    42%

    Student body

    <1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    970/20

    Walnut Ridge, AR

    View profile

    What is Williams Baptist University known for?

    Williams Baptist University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • History

    Most Influential Alumni

  13. Central Baptist College
    #13

    Central Baptist College

    #9468 institution's overall influence
    #182 overall school desirability

    Tuition + fees

    $17K

    Acceptance

    50%

    Graduation

    23%

    Student body

    <1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    960/19

    Conway, AR

    View profile

    What is Central Baptist College known for?

    Central Baptist College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    • Education
    • Business
    • History
    • Religious Studies
    • Communications
    • Medical

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