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.

PublicSmall · 672 undergradsDistant ruralNJCAA Division IICold winters

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
To the ocean
259 miles
Nearest airport
29 miles to South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field (ELD)

How Southern Arkansas University Tech compares

Graduation rate62%

Higher than 51% · #15 of 47 in Arkansas

First-year retention57%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,376

Higher than 54% · #11 of 43 in Arkansas

Average net price$9,018

Cheaper than 74% · #18 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$6,000

Lower than 95%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 78%

Undergraduate enrollment672

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

672undergrads
  • 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)

All students
62%
First-generation
35%

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)

Baseball37
Basketball33
Softball16

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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
0.3

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
$8,848
$30–48k
$9,208
$48–75k
$8,633
$75–110k
$11,321
$110k+
$17,294

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.

37%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,414
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$33,240
Men
$42,098

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Camden 1, AR US station (6.4 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Southern Arkansas University Tech

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.