Public · Community college
NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Bentonville, Arkansas · Small city
- 16%
- Transfer rate
- $7,196
- Avg net price
- 31%
- Grad / completion
- $43,505
- Median earnings
NorthWest Arkansas Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Bentonville, Arkansas (small city setting), enrolling 4,953 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The first known use by humans of the area which is now known as Bentonville, was as hunting grounds by the Osage Nation who lived in Missouri. The Osage would leave their settlements to hunt in present-day Benton County for months at a time before returning to their families. Bentonville's culture is a combination of a southern city, small town, global business hub, and the surrounding Northwest Arkansas metro. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 20 miles to Fayetteville, AR
- To the ocean
- 441 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Northwest Arkansas National (XNA)
How NorthWest Arkansas Community College compares
Higher than 14% · #42 of 47 in Arkansas
Higher than 26%
Higher than 80% · #3 of 43 in Arkansas
Cheaper than 81% · #9 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas
Lower than 51%
Lower than 67%
Larger than 91%
Percentiles compare NorthWest Arkansas Community 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
- Women2,95760%
- Men1,99640%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White53%
- Black3.0%
- Hispanic31%
- Asian3.5%
- Other or multiracial9.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,953
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 23%
- First-generation students
- 52%
- Students over 25
- 18%
- Median family income
- $29,102
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $61,848
- Endowment
- $11,117,347
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $3,342
- Out-of-state tuition
- $5,238
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,240
- Total cost of attendance
- $12,157
- Average net price
- $7,196
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
- 31%
- First-year retention
- 62%
- Transferred to another college
- 16%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,242
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,505
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,506
- Students with federal loans
- 11%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 40%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division II
- Varsity athletes
- 33 (19 men · 14 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 (1)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (8,412 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.
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 3% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,298. 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 712 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)
- $43,505
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,506
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 22%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 50%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $10,856 (28%) 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
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 47.3″
- Annual snow
- 9.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bentonville 4 S, AR US station (3.4 mi from campus).
What NorthWest Arkansas Community College graduates study — and earn
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 NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare NorthWest Arkansas Community College side by side →
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas · Small city · 48 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 4,091
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $41k
Arkansas Tech University
Russellville, Arkansas · Remote town · 61 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 5,388
- Tuition
- $9k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $42k
Georgia Highlands College
Rome, Georgia · Small suburb · 55 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 4,761
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 37%
- Earnings
- $43k
Clackamas Community College
Oregon City, Oregon · Large suburb · 14 mi to Portland
- Students
- 4,963
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 22%
- Earnings
- $43k
Lee College
Baytown, Texas · Small city · 24 mi to Houston
- Students
- 5,116
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $42k
McHenry County College
Crystal Lake, Illinois · Fringe rural · 37 mi to Rockford
- Students
- 4,691
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 20%
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Academy of Professional Cosmetology
Rogers, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 115 students
Ecclesia College
Springdale, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 108 students
Northwest Technical Institute
Springdale, AR · Public · Certificate · 206 students
Career Academy of Hair Design
Springdale, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 245 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 99 students
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR · Public · Bachelor's · 28,677 students
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,471 students
Crowder College
Neosho, MO · Public · Associate · 2,570 students
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.