Public · Community college

Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas

Helena, Arkansas · Remote town

#4 best value in Arkansas

19%
Transfer rate: $4,848
Avg net price: 55%
Grad / completion: $29,552
Median earnings

Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas is a public certificate-granting institution in Helena, Arkansas (remote town setting), enrolling 614 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 614 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division IICold winters

About Helena, Arkansas

Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas, United States, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, Governor of French Louisiana, built Fort St. Francis as a rendezvous point and supply depot for his 1738 campaign against the Chickasaws. Robert Palmer noted that in the mid-1930s Helena was "the blues capital of the Delta". (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 53 miles to Memphis, TN
To the ocean: 288 miles
Nearest airport: 50 miles to Memphis (MEM) · major hub

How Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas compares

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 42% · #21 of 47 in Arkansas

First-year retention66%

Higher than 34%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$29,552

Higher than 30% · #26 of 43 in Arkansas

Average net price$4,848

Cheaper than 91% · #4 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 78%

Undergraduate enrollment614

Larger than 66%

Percentiles compare Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas 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

Women40766%
Men20734%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White35%
Black60%
Hispanic2.9%
Other or multiracial2.1%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 614
Student–faculty ratio: 11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 34%
First-generation students: 45%
Students over 25: 14%
Median family income: $15,160
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $48,825

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 113 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Arkansas99%
Other U.S. states0.9%

Most first-years stay in state — Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas draws overwhelmingly from Arkansas.

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: $3,380
Out-of-state tuition: $4,550
Room & board: $5,400
Books & supplies: $1,350
Total cost of attendance: $11,567
Average net price: $4,848

Outcomes

Graduated: 55%
First-year retention: 66%
Transferred to another college: 19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $27,083
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $29,552
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 0%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 33%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes: 20 (13 men · 7 women)

Varsity sports (1)

Basketball20

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

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

$4,683

$30–48k

$4,573

$48–75k

$5,549

$75–110k

$7,148

$110k+

—

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.

23%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,027

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 23% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,027. 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 115 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): $29,552
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 26%

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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

$28,045

Men

$33,388

Men out-earn women by $5,343 (19%) 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: 32°F
Annual rain: 49.7″
Annual snow: 0.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Helena, AR US station (2.3 mi from campus).

What Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas graduates study — and earn

Ground TransportationCert.

75 grads$30k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

75$30,221——Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

72 grads$27k 1 yr$35k 5 yr$6k debt

72$27,137$34,794$5,500 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

64 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

64———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

51 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

51———Construction Trades, GeneralCert.

22 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

22———Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

22 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

22———Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

14 grads$78k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14$78,213——Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———

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 Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas side by side →

Ozarka College

Public

Melbourne, Arkansas · Remote rural · 93 mi to Little Rock

Students: 575
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 3%
Earnings: $29k

University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain

Public

Mena, Arkansas · Remote town · 102 mi to Fayetteville

Students: 503
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $30k

Arkansas State University Mid-South

Public

West Memphis, Arkansas · Large suburb · 10 mi to Memphis

Students: 502
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $32k

Arkansas Northeastern College

Public

Blytheville, Arkansas · Remote town · 52 mi to Memphis

Students: 756
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 7%
Earnings: $33k

University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College

Public

Forrest City, Arkansas · Distant town · 41 mi to Memphis

Students: 554
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 2%
Earnings: $28k

Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas

Public

De Queen, Arkansas · Remote town · 111 mi to Shreveport

Students: 772
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $34k

Colleges near Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas

Coahoma Community College

Clarksdale, MS · Public · Certificate · 1,144 students

20 mi

University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College

Forrest City, AR · Public · Certificate · 554 students

35 mi

Northwest Mississippi Community College

Senatobia, MS · Public · Associate · 5,452 students

37 mi

Delta Technical College-Mississippi

Horn Lake, MS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 2,307 students

45 mi

Concorde Career College-Southaven

Southaven, MS · Private for-profit · Certificate · 115 students

46 mi

Arkansas State University Mid-South

West Memphis, AR · Public · Certificate · 502 students

47 mi

Remington College-Memphis Campus

Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 331 students

51 mi

Le Moyne-Owen College

Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 581 students

52 mi

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.