Public · Community college

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, Arkansas · Remote town

#4 for grad earnings in Arkansas
19%
Transfer rate
$12,970
Avg net price
49%
Grad / completion
$41,766
Median earnings

Arkansas Tech University is a public certificate-granting institution in Russellville, Arkansas (remote town setting), enrolling 5,388 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 5,388 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division II with football · Great American ConferenceCold winters

About Russellville, Arkansas

Russellville is the county seat of and the largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States. Before the town was named Russellville, its vicinity was known as Chactas Prairie, the Prairie, or Cactus Flats. Located on the southern edge of the Ozark Mountains and north of the Arkansas River, this setting was an ideal settlement area. In 2013, Russellville was chosen as one of the filming locations for the independent Christian film Cowboys and Jesus. One scene was filmed at Cyclone Stadium, depicting a football game in which locals from the area were invited to attend, appearing as "extras". (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
369 miles
Nearest airport
57 miles to Memorial Field (HOT)

How Arkansas Tech University compares

Selectivity95.9%

More selective than 26% · #3 most selective of 4 in Arkansas

SAT average1049

Higher than 43%

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 35% · #29 of 47 in Arkansas

First-year retention74%

Higher than 53%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,766

Higher than 76% · #4 of 43 in Arkansas

Average net price$12,970

Cheaper than 58% · #29 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$21,000

Lower than 5%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment5,388

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare Arkansas Tech University with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Arkansas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,989students
  • Undergraduate5,38890%
  • Graduate60110%

Undergraduates by gender

5,388undergrads
  • Women3,05057%
  • Men2,33843%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White72%
  • Black5.8%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian2.0%
  • Other or multiracial8.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,388
Graduate enrollment
601
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$32,169
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$63,423
Endowment
$72,478,176

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 1,467 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Arkansas94%
  • Other U.S. states5.5%
  • International0.5%

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

1% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,674
Out-of-state tuition
$14,668
Room & board
$10,338
Books & supplies
$1,250
Total cost of attendance
$22,808
Average net price
$12,970

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

Admissions

Admission rate
95.9%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
880–1100
SAT average
1049
SAT reading
450–550
SAT math
430–550
ACT composite
17–23
Average GPA (estimated)
3.01

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
49%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,638
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,766
Median debt at graduation
$21,000
Students with federal loans
26%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
60%

About 17% 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
32%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
38%

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
2,058
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$5,369
Meal plan (year)
$4,483
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Great American Conference
Varsity athletes
330 (220 men · 110 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 (8)

Football134
Baseball49
Basketball40
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)31
Softball30
Golf18
Volleyball18
Tennis10

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)
18
Property offenses (2022–2024)
14

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (8,746 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.

11reported offenses a year
6.0 violent a year4.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.0
Burglary
3.7
Fondling
2.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0

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
$12,426
$30–48k
$11,165
$48–75k
$13,130
$75–110k
$14,675
$110k+
$15,543

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
$59,322

$13,130/year × about 4.5 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.

75%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,527
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 75% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,527. 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 1,385 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)
$41,766
Typical debt at graduation
$21,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
52%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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
$36,932
Men
$47,647

Men out-earn women by $10,715 (29%) 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
92°F
Winter low
30°F
Annual rain
46.4″
Annual snow
3.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Russellville Muni AP, AR US station (3.6 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 Tech University

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

Colleges near Arkansas Tech 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.