Public · Community college
Ozarka College
Melbourne, Arkansas · Remote rural
- 3%
- Transfer rate
- $4,543
- Avg net price
- 47%
- Grad / completion
- $29,314
- Median earnings
Ozarka College is a public certificate-granting institution in Melbourne, Arkansas (remote rural setting), enrolling 575 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Melbourne, Arkansas
Melbourne is a city in and the county seat of Izard County, Arkansas, United States. It is home to the main campus of Ozarka College. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 93 miles to Little Rock, AR
- To the ocean
- 403 miles
- Nearest airport
- 72 miles to Jonesboro (JBR)
How Ozarka College compares
Higher than 34% · #32 of 47 in Arkansas
Higher than 32%
Higher than 29% · #27 of 43 in Arkansas
Cheaper than 93% · #2 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas
Lower than 50%
Lower than 67%
Larger than 65%
Percentiles compare Ozarka 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
- Women40170%
- Men17430%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White95%
- Black0.9%
- Hispanic2.6%
- Other or multiracial1.0%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 575
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 42%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 15%
- Median family income
- $17,500
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $45,675
- Endowment
- $2,919,069
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $3,820
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,820
- Room & board
- $5,700
- Books & supplies
- $1,100
- Total cost of attendance
- $12,069
- Average net price
- $4,543
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
- 47%
- First-year retention
- 64%
- Transferred to another college
- 3%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $28,145
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $29,314
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,818
- Students with federal loans
- 13%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 38%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 32
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 6%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,000
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
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 4 campuses (1,069 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: 31% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,934. 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 121 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)
- $29,314
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,818
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 33%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 32%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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 $5,822 (21%) 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
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 25°F
- Annual rain
- 48.9″
- Annual snow
- 6.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Calico Rock 2 Wsw, AR US station (15.4 mi from campus).
What Ozarka 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 Ozarka College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Ozarka College side by side →
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
Helena, Arkansas · Remote town · 53 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 614
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $30k
University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain
Mena, Arkansas · Remote town · 102 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 503
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $30k
Arkansas State University Mid-South
West Memphis, Arkansas · Large suburb · 10 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 502
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $32k
Arkansas Northeastern College
Blytheville, Arkansas · Remote town · 52 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 756
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $33k
Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas
De Queen, Arkansas · Remote town · 111 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 772
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $34k
University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College
Forrest City, Arkansas · Distant town · 41 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 554
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 2%
- Earnings
- $28k
Colleges near Ozarka College
University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville
Batesville, AR · Public · Certificate · 751 students
Lyon College
Batesville, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 648 students
Arkansas State University-Mountain Home
Mountain Home, AR · Public · Certificate · 925 students
Missouri State University-West Plains
West Plains, MO · Public · Associate · 965 students
Southern Missouri Technical Institute
West Plains, MO · Public · Certificate · 90 students
Arkansas State University-Newport
Newport, AR · Public · Certificate · 1,236 students
Williams Baptist University
Walnut Ridge, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 478 students
Black River Technical College
Pocahontas, AR · Public · Certificate · 903 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.