by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will not be asked to pay the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total cost of going to University of Arkansas can seem overpowering, but remember that the majority of students are given some form of financial assistance.
What financing options does UARK offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Keep going to learn just how much financial aid will be open to you.
The amount of financial aid you can receive varies from person to person and will depend on your family’s economic situation. The figures below will help you estimate the aid you might receive from University of Arkansas.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
Looking at the entering class at University of Arkansas, 77% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance around 4819 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 55% | $8,804 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 44% | $5,811 |
| Federal Pell grants | 20% | $5,420 |
| State/local grants | 35% | $3,103 |
| Federal student loans | 40% | $5,504 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. Across the undergraduate body at UARK, around 52% of undergraduate students received gift aid averaging $9,029 (for some 14388 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 52% | $9,029 |
| Federal Pell grants | 18% | $5,095 |
| Federal student loans | 33% | $6,435 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $9,558.
Because need-based aid scales with family income, what students actually pay differs sharply across income brackets.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $13,428 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $15,960 |
| Over $75,000 | $20,567 |
Each figure is the net price after grants and scholarships, not the published sticker price.
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published cost of attendance — the figure closest to what a typical aid-receiving student actually pays.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $18,209 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $17,525 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit UARK’s net price tool: finaid.uark.edu/aid-calculator.php.
Graduating students at UARK carry a median federal student debt of $15,749 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $15,749 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $21,500 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $227.94/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The figures below chart the debt distribution at UARK.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,750 |
Debt outcomes are not uniform — they shift with income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $15,250 |
| High income | $16,750 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,746 |
| Independent students | $15,753 |
Federal data publishes pre-calculated indicators that summarize debt outcomes. UARK.
Most undergraduate borrowing runs through the federal Stafford loan program. The aggregate figures below show how active the program is at UARK:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 56725 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,256,233,886 |
If you are a veteran or active-duty service member, the GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the primary federal programs you can use at this school.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 363 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $2,548,520 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $7,021 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 38 |
| Total DoD amount | $81,500 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,145 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.