Public · Community college
Southern Arkansas University Tech
Camden, Arkansas · Distant rural
- 5%
- Transfer rate
- $9,018
- Avg net price
- 62%
- Grad / completion
- $36,376
- Median earnings
Southern Arkansas University Tech is a public certificate-granting institution in Camden, Arkansas (distant rural setting), enrolling 672 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Camden, Arkansas
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673 and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, in 1682 established French claims to the land they called Louisiana, which included what would become Camden, and found the Quapaw living at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers. Attractions in town include the McCollum-Chidester House, home to the Ouachita County Historical Society. Built in 1847 by local merchant Peter McCollum, the house was purchased by John T. Chidester in 1857 and was used as a way station on his stage line. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 81 miles to Little Rock, AR
- To the ocean
- 259 miles
- Nearest airport
- 29 miles to South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field (ELD)
How Southern Arkansas University Tech compares
Higher than 51% · #15 of 47 in Arkansas
Higher than 18%
Higher than 54% · #11 of 43 in Arkansas
Cheaper than 74% · #18 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas
Lower than 95%
Lower than 78%
Larger than 67%
Percentiles compare Southern Arkansas University Tech 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
- Women37956%
- Men29344%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White45%
- Black38%
- Hispanic5.2%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 672
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 42%
- First-generation students
- 52%
- Students over 25
- 21%
- Median family income
- $19,466
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $40,617
- Endowment
- $1,275,764
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $5,040
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,480
- Room & board
- $5,372
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $17,294
- Average net price
- $9,018
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
- 62%
- First-year retention
- 57%
- Transferred to another college
- 5%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,841
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,376
- Median debt at graduation
- $6,000
- Students with federal loans
- 10%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 41%
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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 200
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 30%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,200
- Meal plan (year)
- $1,972
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division II
- Varsity athletes
- 86 (54 men · 32 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)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (991 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: 37% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,414. 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 195 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)
- $36,376
- Typical debt at graduation
- $6,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 16%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 41%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 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 $8,858 (27%) 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
- 31°F
- Annual rain
- 53.1″
- Annual snow
- 1.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Camden 1, AR US station (6.4 mi from campus).
What Southern Arkansas University Tech 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 Southern Arkansas University Tech
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern Arkansas University Tech side by side →
Arkansas State University Three Rivers
Malvern, Arkansas · Fringe town · 40 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 550
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $37k
University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana
Hope, Arkansas · Distant town · 78 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 583
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $34k
Arkansas State University-Mountain Home
Mountain Home, Arkansas · Remote town · 79 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 925
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $34k
University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville
Batesville, Arkansas · Remote town · 82 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 751
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 2%
- Earnings
- $34k
South Arkansas College
El Dorado, Arkansas · Remote town · 79 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 862
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 23%
- Earnings
- $35k
North Arkansas College
Harrison, Arkansas · Remote town · 61 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 1,202
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $35k
Colleges near Southern Arkansas University Tech
University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology
El Dorado, AR · Private for-profit · Certificate · 42 students
South Arkansas College
El Dorado, AR · Public · Certificate · 862 students
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Magnolia, AR · Public · Bachelor's · 2,708 students
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, AR · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,602 students
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR · Public · Bachelor's · 1,456 students
University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana
Hope, AR · Public · Certificate · 583 students
Arkansas State University Three Rivers
Malvern, AR · Public · Certificate · 550 students
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Monticello, AR · Public · Certificate · 1,933 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.







