Public · Community college
South Arkansas College
El Dorado, Arkansas · Remote town
- 23%
- Transfer rate
- $7,486
- Avg net price
- 30%
- Grad / completion
- $34,521
- Median earnings
South Arkansas College is a public certificate-granting institution in El Dorado, Arkansas (remote town setting), enrolling 862 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About El Dorado, Arkansas
El Dorado is a city in and the county seat of Union County, on the southern border of Arkansas, United States. In 1829, the territorial legislature took sections of Hempstead and Clark counties to establish Union County. Matthew Rainey founded and named El Dorado in 1843. El Dorado became the Union County seat that same year and the first Presbyterian church was organized. The Murphy Arts District opened in 2017 in downtown El Dorado. The district includes a music hall, outdoor amphitheater, farmer's market, musical performers, restaurant with performance stage, the largest playscape in the state, and a water park. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 79 miles to Shreveport, LA
- To the ocean
- 232 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field (ELD)
How South Arkansas College compares
Higher than 13% · #43 of 47 in Arkansas
Higher than 19%
Higher than 48% · #16 of 43 in Arkansas
Cheaper than 80% · #11 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas
Lower than 34%
Lower than 73%
Larger than 71%
Percentiles compare South Arkansas 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
- Women63273%
- Men23027%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White47%
- Black40%
- Hispanic6.7%
- Other or multiracial5.9%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 862
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 41%
- First-generation students
- 54%
- Students over 25
- 32%
- Median family income
- $19,138
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $45,882
- Endowment
- $4,810,340
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 184 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Arkansas75%
- Other U.S. states25%
Most first-years stay in state — South Arkansas College 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
- $3,324
- Out-of-state tuition
- $5,532
- Room & board
- $9,555
- Books & supplies
- $2,600
- Total cost of attendance
- $12,932
- Average net price
- $7,486
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
- 30%
- First-year retention
- 57%
- Transferred to another college
- 23%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $30,240
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $34,521
- Median debt at graduation
- $11,153
- Students with federal loans
- 17%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 48%
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
- 75 (63 men · 12 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 (3)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (1,207 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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: 52% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,035. 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 165 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)
- $34,521
- Typical debt at graduation
- $11,153
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 32%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 44%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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 $5,611 (17%) 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
- 94°F
- Winter low
- 34°F
- Annual rain
- 52.1″
- Annual snow
- 0.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, EL Dorado S AR Rgnl AP, AR US station (8.6 mi from campus).
What South Arkansas 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 South Arkansas College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare South Arkansas College side by side →
University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville
Batesville, Arkansas · Remote town · 82 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 751
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 2%
- Earnings
- $34k
Arkansas State University-Mountain Home
Mountain Home, Arkansas · Remote town · 79 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 925
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $34k
Southern Arkansas University Tech
Camden, Arkansas · Distant rural · 81 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 672
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $36k
University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana
Hope, Arkansas · Distant town · 78 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 583
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $34k
University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton
Morrilton, Arkansas · Distant town · 39 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 1,447
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $35k
North Arkansas College
Harrison, Arkansas · Remote town · 61 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 1,202
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $35k
Colleges near South Arkansas College
University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology
El Dorado, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 42 students
Southern Arkansas University Tech
Camden, AR · Public · Certificate · 672 students
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Magnolia, AR · Public · Bachelor's · 2,708 students
Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA · Public · Bachelor's · 8,312 students
Grambling State University
Grambling, LA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,164 students
Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College
Minden, LA · Public · Certificate · 866 students
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Monticello, AR · Public · Certificate · 1,933 students
Unitech Training Academy-West Monroe
West Monroe, LA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 81 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.