Public · Community college

National Park College

Hot Springs, Arkansas · Small suburb

10%
Transfer rate
$12,720
Avg net price
35%
Grad / completion
$32,444
Median earnings

National Park College is a public certificate-granting institution in Hot Springs, Arkansas (small suburb setting), enrolling 1,789 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,789 undergradsSmall suburbNJCAA Division IICold winters

About Hot Springs, Arkansas

Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas, United States, and the county seat of Garland County. In 1673, Father Marquette and Jolliet explored the area and claimed it for France. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded the land to Spain; however, in 1800, control was returned to France until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
315 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Memorial Field (HOT)

How National Park College compares

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 20% · #41 of 47 in Arkansas

First-year retention51%

Higher than 12%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$32,444

Higher than 40% · #23 of 43 in Arkansas

Average net price$12,720

Cheaper than 59% · #27 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment1,789

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare National Park College 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

Undergraduates by gender

1,789undergrads
  • Women1,05959%
  • Men73041%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian1.0%
  • Other or multiracial9.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,789
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
48%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
21%
Median family income
$17,464
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$48,699
Endowment
$2,289,969

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,600
Out-of-state tuition
$7,280
Room & board
$6,750
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$19,331
Average net price
$12,720

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
35%
First-year retention
51%
Transferred to another college
10%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$28,337
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$32,444
Median debt at graduation
$10,500
Students with federal loans
22%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
45%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
27%
First-generation
27%

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
180
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
10%
Housing charge (year)
$4,725
Meal plan (year)
$2,000
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
159 (110 men · 49 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 (5)

Baseball55
Soccer41
Basketball31
Softball19
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,805 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
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
$12,368
$30–48k
$12,953
$48–75k
$13,349
$75–110k
$15,084
$110k+
$9,541

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.

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.

45%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,893
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 45% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,893. 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 474 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)
$32,444
Typical debt at graduation
$10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
37%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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
$29,624
Men
$36,633

Men out-earn women by $7,009 (24%) 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
93°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
58″
Annual snow
1.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.36.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hot Springs 1 Nne, AR US station (4 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 National Park College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare National Park College side by side →

Colleges near National Park College

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.