by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Top Arkansas Colleges ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 36 schools in Arkansas, we came up with our list of those that offered the highest quality education. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
University of Arkansas tops this year’s ranking as the best school in Arkansas for overall quality.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UARK go into careers with an average salary of $58,191 during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Arkansas.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UA Cossatot make an average of $33,775 a year.
Full Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas Report
Out of the 36 schools in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Harding University landed the #3 spot on the list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $52,876 during the early years of their career..
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arkansas State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from A-State go into careers with an average salary of $42,617 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 36 schools in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, NorthWest Arkansas Community College landed the #5 spot on the list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from NWACC is $43,505 during the early years of their career.
John Brown University landed the #6 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from JBU go into careers with an average salary of $53,907 during the early years of their career.
Arkansas Northeastern College landed the #7 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Arkansas Northeastern College make an average of $33,169 a year.
University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College landed the #8 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UA Pulaski Tech make an average of $34,722 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College
Southeast Arkansas College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking, coming in at #9.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. During the early years of their career, graduates from SEARK College make an average of $33,603 a year.
Ouachita Baptist University landed the #10 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Ouachita Baptist is $51,673 during the early years of their career.
University of Central Arkansas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UCA make an average of $45,938 a year.
Arkansas Tech University landed the #12 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $41,766 during the early years of their career..
University of Arkansas at Little Rock ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UA Little Rock make an average of $45,265 a year.
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UAFS make an average of $41,102 a year.
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking, coming in at #15.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $42,386 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #16, Southern Arkansas University Tech did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from SAU Tech make an average of $36,376 per year during the early years of their career.
University of Arkansas Community College - Morrilton did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking, coming in at #17.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UACCM go into careers with an average salary of $34,924 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Arkansas Community College - Morrilton
With a ranking of #18, Hendrix College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Hendrix make an average of $60,376 a year.
National Park College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from National Park College is $32,444 during the early years of their career.
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas landed the #20 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Phillips County Community College make an average of $29,552 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
With a ranking of #21, University of Arkansas at Monticello did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $36,902 during the early years of their career..
North Arkansas College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Northark is $34,653 during the early years of their career.
Ozarka College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Ozarka College make an average of $29,314 a year.
With a ranking of #24, South Arkansas Community College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from SouthArk make an average of $34,521 per year during the early years of their career.
Arkansas State University Three Rivers did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in Arkansas ranking, coming in at #25.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from ASU Three Rivers make an average of $37,374 per year during the early years of their career.
View Best Colleges Nationwide >
All Majors and Fields of Study >
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.