Public · Community college

Southeast Arkansas College

Pine Bluff, Arkansas · Distant town

5%
Transfer rate: $19,038
Avg net price: 28%
Grad / completion: $33,603
Median earnings

Southeast Arkansas College is a public certificate-granting institution in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (distant town setting), enrolling 851 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 851 undergradsDistant townNJCAA Division II

About Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Pine Bluff is a city in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States, and its county seat. By the time of encounter with Europeans, the historical Quapaw were the chief people in the area, having migrated from the Ohio River valley centuries before. The Pine Bluff Convention Center is one of the state's largest meeting facilities. The Arts and Science Center features theatrical performances and workshops for children and adults. Pine Bluff did also boast the only Band Museum in the country but it has closed. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 40 miles to Little Rock, AR
To the ocean: 284 miles
Nearest airport: 38 miles to Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (LIT)

How Southeast Arkansas College compares

Graduation rate28%

Higher than 10% · #44 of 47 in Arkansas

First-year retention44%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$33,603

Higher than 45% · #21 of 43 in Arkansas

Average net price$19,038

Cheaper than 36% · #44 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$8,600

Lower than 69%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment851

Larger than 71%

Percentiles compare Southeast 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

Women55565%
Men29635%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White22%
Black61%
Hispanic13%
Asian0.9%
Other or multiracial2.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 851
Student–faculty ratio: 8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 79%
First-generation students: 53%
Students over 25: 53%
Median family income: $17,448
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $45,450
Endowment: $630,695

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,200
Out-of-state tuition: $8,650
Room & board: $11,300
Books & supplies: $1,800
Total cost of attendance: $22,405
Average net price: $19,038

Outcomes

Graduated: 28%
First-year retention: 44%
Transferred to another college: 5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $29,235
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $33,603
Median debt at graduation: $8,600
Students with federal loans: 50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 49%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 165
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 19%
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes: 93 (66 men · 27 women)

Varsity sports (4)

Baseball43

Basketball36

Softball12

Golf2

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 2

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.7

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

$19,038

$30–48k

—

$48–75k

—

$75–110k

—

$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.

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,001

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 7% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,001. 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 45 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): $33,603
Typical debt at graduation: $8,600
Debt vs. one year's pay: 26%
Out-earn a HS grad: 34%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 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

$32,408

Men

$36,917

Men out-earn women by $4,509 (14%) 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: 92°F
Winter low: 33°F
Annual rain: 53.6″
Annual snow: 2.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pine Bluff, AR US station (1.1 mi from campus).

What Southeast Arkansas College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

72 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

72———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

69 grads$19k 1 yr— 5 yr$10k debt

69$18,605—$10,496 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

58 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

58———Communication and Media StudiesCert.

49 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

34 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$14k debt

34——$13,553 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

27 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

27———Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

15 grads$49k 1 yr$62k 5 yr$10k debt

15$48,660$61,730$9,500 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

14 grads$25k 1 yr— 5 yr$14k debt

14$24,880—$14,484 Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansCert.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———

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 Southeast Arkansas College

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

National Park College

Public

Hot Springs, Arkansas · Small suburb · 50 mi to Little Rock

Students: 1,789
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $32k

University of Arkansas at Monticello

Public

Monticello, Arkansas · Remote town · 84 mi to Little Rock

Students: 1,933
Tuition: $9k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $37k

North Arkansas College

Public

Harrison, Arkansas · Remote town · 61 mi to Fayetteville

Students: 1,202
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $35k

Arkansas State University-Beebe

Public

Beebe, Arkansas · Fringe town · 32 mi to Little Rock

Students: 1,986
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $37k

University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana

Public

Hope, Arkansas · Distant town · 78 mi to Shreveport

Students: 583
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $34k

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home

Public

Mountain Home, Arkansas · Remote town · 79 mi to Springfield

Students: 925
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $34k

Colleges near Southeast Arkansas College

Jefferson Regional School of Nursing

Pine Bluff, AR · Private nonprofit · Associate · 92 students

2 mi

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Pine Bluff, AR · Public · Bachelor's · 1,807 students

2 mi

Northern Technical College

Pine Bluff, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 8 students

3 mi

Washington Barber College Inc

Little Rock, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 43 students

38 mi

Philander Smith University

Little Rock, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 751 students

39 mi

Arkansas Baptist College

Little Rock, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 342 students

39 mi

Velvatex College of Beauty Culture

Little Rock, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 8 students

39 mi

GoodFellas Barber College

Little Rock, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 32 students

39 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.