Public · University

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Pine Bluff, Arkansas · Distant town

#1 most selective in Arkansas#5 best value in Arkansas
41.2%
Admit rate
$12,653
Avg net price
40%
Graduation rate
$35,550
Median earnings

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (distant town setting), enrolling 1,807 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicSmall · 1,807 undergradsDistant townSelective · 41% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's admitted students.

Admit rate
41.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
845–1108
Avg GPA (est.)
2.78

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

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
Graduate
To the ocean
286 miles
Nearest airport
35 miles to Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (LIT)

How University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff compares

Selectivity41.2%

More selective than 89% · #1 most selective of 15 in Arkansas

SAT average922

Higher than 1%

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 24% · #13 of 21 in Arkansas

First-year retention64%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$35,550

Higher than 8% · #21 of 22 in Arkansas

Average net price$12,653

Cheaper than 82% · #5 cheapest of 21 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$24,202

Lower than 44%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,807

Larger than 54%

Percentiles compare University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Arkansas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,995students
  • Undergraduate1,80791%
  • Graduate1889%

Undergraduates by gender

1,807undergrads
  • Women1,07760%
  • Men73040%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White2.4%
  • Black89%
  • Hispanic3.1%
  • Other or multiracial5.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,807
Graduate enrollment
188
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
70%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$22,300
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$55,809
Endowment
$8,326,293

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 411 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Arkansas67%
  • Other U.S. states31%
  • International1.9%

A regional draw: about 67% of first-years come from Arkansas, the rest from elsewhere.

2% came from outside the U.S. 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
41.2%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
845–1108
SAT average
922
SAT reading
425–570
SAT math
420–538
ACT composite
14–18
Average GPA (estimated)
2.78

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,412
Out-of-state tuition
$17,992
Room & board
$9,194
Books & supplies
$1,156
Total cost of attendance
$21,129
Average net price
$12,653

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 (within 6 years)
40%
Graduated on time (4 years)
23%
First-year retention
64%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,161
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$35,550
Median debt at graduation
$24,202
Students with federal loans
58%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
36%

About 18% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
23%
Low-income (Pell)
33%
First-generation
34%

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
1,418
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
78%
Housing charge (year)
$4,600
Meal plan (year)
$4,522
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
330 (220 men · 110 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 (8)

Football110
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)91
Baseball39
Basketball27
Softball24
Volleyball17
Soccer13
Golf9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
6.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
26
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,005 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.

12reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
6.3
Burglary
2.3
Fondling
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Rape
0.7
Murder
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
$12,302
$30–48k
$11,324
$48–75k
$15,920
$75–110k
$13,975
$110k+
$17,840

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$74,140

$15,920/year × about 4.7 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,974
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 97% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,974. 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 504 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)
$35,550
Typical debt at graduation
$24,202
Debt vs. one year's pay
68%
Out-earn a HS grad
35%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

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
$35,080
Men
$36,056

Men out-earn women by $976 (3%) 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
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pine Bluff, AR US station (1.3 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 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff side by side →

Colleges near University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

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.