Public · Community college

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, Arkansas · Small city

9%
Transfer rate
$10,574
Avg net price
38%
Grad / completion
$41,102
Median earnings

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is a public associate-granting institution in Fort Smith, Arkansas (small city setting), enrolling 4,091 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,091 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 80% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold winters

About Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith is the third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. No evidence indicates permanent indigenous settlements at the time of European contact in what became Fort Smith. Fort Smith has long been a regional manufacturing center, with major plants located in the city operated by Rheem, Trane, Georgia-Pacific, Gerber, Kraft Heinz Company-Planters Peanuts, Mars Petcare, Umarex USA, Graphic Packaging, International Paper, Pernod Ricard-USA, and many others. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
374 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Fort Smith (FSM)

How University of Arkansas-Fort Smith compares

Selectivity80.5%

More selective than 52% · #1 most selective of 4 in Arkansas

SAT average1050

Higher than 47%

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 23% · #39 of 47 in Arkansas

First-year retention70%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,102

Higher than 73% · #7 of 43 in Arkansas

Average net price$10,574

Cheaper than 68% · #22 cheapest of 49 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$18,250

Lower than 8%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment4,091

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare University of Arkansas-Fort Smith 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

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,128students
  • Undergraduate4,09199%
  • Graduate371%

Undergraduates by gender

4,091undergrads
  • Women2,30656%
  • Men1,78544%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White56%
  • Black4.2%
  • Hispanic20%
  • Asian5.3%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,091
Graduate enrollment
37
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
48%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$29,173
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,979
Endowment
$118,586,732

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 886 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Arkansas86%
  • Other U.S. states13%
  • International0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Arkansas-Fort Smith draws overwhelmingly from Arkansas.

1% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,334
Out-of-state tuition
$12,182
Room & board
$10,082
Books & supplies
$1,416
Total cost of attendance
$19,048
Average net price
$10,574

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Admissions

Admission rate
80.5%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1050
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
18–23
Average GPA (estimated)
3.04

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
38%
Graduated on time (4 years)
25%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
9%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,925
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,102
Median debt at graduation
$18,250
Students with federal loans
26%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
52%

About 13% 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
25%
Low-income (Pell)
27%
First-generation
27%

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
918
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
22%
Housing charge (year)
$4,750
Meal plan (year)
$4,350
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
144 (86 men · 58 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 (6)

Baseball39
Basketball33
Cross Country23
Golf18
Volleyball18
Tennis13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
15
Property offenses (2022–2024)
19

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,496 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.

11reported offenses a year
5.0 violent a year6.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.0
Rape
2.3
Fondling
2.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$8,890
$30–48k
$9,391
$48–75k
$11,392
$75–110k
$13,804
$110k+
$14,297

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
$51,423

$11,392/year × about 4.5 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.

82%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,240
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 82% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,240. 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 764 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)
$41,102
Typical debt at graduation
$18,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
50%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 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
$37,584
Men
$46,500

Men out-earn women by $8,916 (24%) 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
30°F
Annual rain
47.3″
Annual snow
2.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, FT Smith Rgnl AP, AR US station (3.6 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-Fort Smith

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Arkansas-Fort Smith side by side →

Colleges near University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

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.