Public · University

Arkansas State University

Jonesboro, Arkansas · Small city

#4 best value in Arkansas
82.3%
Admit rate
$12,366
Avg net price
55%
Graduation rate
$42,617
Median earnings

Arkansas State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Jonesboro, Arkansas (small city setting), enrolling 9,110 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 9,110 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 82% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Sun Belt ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Arkansas State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
82.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
970–1190
Avg GPA (est.)
3.14

Enter a test score to see where you land against Arkansas State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Arkansas State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas. At the time of the European encounter, historic tribes included the Osage, the Caddo, and the Quapaw. The name for the state of Arkansas comes from the Quapaw language. The French and Spanish traders and trappers had relations with those groups. Craighead Forest Park is a city-owned park located on Crowley's Ridge featuring a 60-acre fishing lake, camping facilities, hiking/biking trails, nature areas, picnic sites and recreational fields. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
60 miles to Memphis, TN
To the ocean
378 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Jonesboro (JBR)

How Arkansas State University compares

Selectivity82.3%

More selective than 40% · #13 most selective of 15 in Arkansas

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 51% · #6 of 21 in Arkansas

First-year retention78%

Higher than 56%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,617

Higher than 19% · #14 of 22 in Arkansas

Average net price$12,366

Cheaper than 84% · #4 cheapest of 21 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment9,110

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Arkansas State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Arkansas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

14,851students
  • Undergraduate9,11061%
  • Graduate5,74139%

Undergraduates by gender

9,110undergrads
  • Women5,56561%
  • Men3,54539%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White63%
  • Black15%
  • Hispanic5.3%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial15%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
9,110
Graduate enrollment
5,741
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
20%
Median family income
$33,450
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$68,211
Endowment
$115,395,232

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,660 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Arkansas75%
  • Other U.S. states17%
  • International8.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Arkansas State University draws overwhelmingly from Arkansas.

8% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
82.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
970–1190
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
490–570
SAT math
480–620
ACT composite
18–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.14

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,090
Out-of-state tuition
$14,522
Room & board
$11,550
Books & supplies
$1,250
Total cost of attendance
$25,082
Average net price
$12,366

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
55%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
23%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,944
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,617
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
41%
Low-income (Pell)
36%
First-generation
37%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,491
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Sun Belt Conference
Varsity athletes
444 (287 men · 157 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Football153
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)137
Baseball42
Soccer31
Basketball28
Volleyball18
Golf16
Bowling11
Tennis8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
31
Property offenses (2022–2024)
27

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (15,726 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

19reported offenses a year
10 violent a year9.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.3
Rape
5.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.7
Fondling
2.3
Aggravated assault
2.0
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$10,098
$30–48k
$9,255
$48–75k
$12,205
$75–110k
$15,839
$110k+
$16,444

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$53,430

$12,205/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

87%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,720
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 87% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,720. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,240 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$42,617
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
48%
Out-earn a HS grad
49%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$39,151
Men
$47,943

Men out-earn women by $8,792 (22%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
52″
Annual snow
3.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jonesboro 2 NE, AR US station (1.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Arkansas State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Arkansas State University side by side →

Colleges near Arkansas State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.