Private nonprofit · University

Williams Baptist University

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas · Distant rural

83.4%
Admit rate
$15,745
Avg net price
26%
Graduation rate
$38,484
Median earnings

Williams Baptist University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas (distant rural setting), enrolling 478 undergraduates. It has a Southern Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 478 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 83% admitNAIA Division ICold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Williams Baptist University's admitted students.

Admit rate
83.4%
ACT (mid 50%)
16–21
Avg GPA (est.)
2.85

Enter a test score to see where you land against Williams Baptist University's admitted students.

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

About Walnut Ridge, Arkansas

Walnut Ridge is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States. Walnut Ridge was formally established in 1875 as a result of the railroad coming through the area. There was settlement in the area known as Old Walnut Ridge not far from the current city since about 1860. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
84 miles to Memphis, TN
To the ocean
399 miles
Nearest airport
26 miles to Jonesboro (JBR)

How Williams Baptist University compares

Selectivity83.4%

More selective than 38% · #14 most selective of 15 in Arkansas

SAT average980

Higher than 6%

Graduation rate26%

Higher than 9% · #19 of 21 in Arkansas

First-year retention70%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,484

Higher than 12% · #19 of 22 in Arkansas

Average net price$15,745

Cheaper than 69% · #8 cheapest of 21 in Arkansas

Median debt at graduation$21,820

Lower than 60%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment478

Larger than 21%

Percentiles compare Williams Baptist University 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

500students
  • Undergraduate47896%
  • Graduate224%

Undergraduates by gender

478undergrads
  • Women20844%
  • Men27056%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White74%
  • Black9.8%
  • Hispanic3.6%
  • Asian0.6%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
478
Graduate enrollment
22
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
54%
First-generation students
32%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$43,632
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$50,130
Endowment
$14,166,817

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

Admissions

Admission rate
83.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
980
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
16–21
Average GPA (estimated)
2.85

Cost

In-state tuition
$21,070
Room & board
$9,340
Books & supplies
$1,250
Total cost of attendance
$33,597
Average net price
$15,745

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)
26%
Graduated on time (4 years)
18%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
43%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,067
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,484
Median debt at graduation
$21,820
Students with federal loans
47%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
60%

About 8% 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
18%
Low-income (Pell)
31%
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
480
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
286 (168 men · 118 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)

Soccer62
Basketball60
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)53
Baseball51
Softball22
Golf15
Volleyball14
Wrestling9

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (517 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.

0.7reported 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
$10,733
$30–48k
$19,044
$48–75k
$15,655
$75–110k
$15,195
$110k+
$24,028

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
$69,663

$15,655/year × about 4.4 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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$12,534
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Williams Baptist University itself, averaging $12,534, which softens the sticker price.

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 144 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)
$38,484
Typical debt at graduation
$21,820
Debt vs. one year's pay
57%
Out-earn a HS grad
52%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.7 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
$36,574
Men
$42,902

Men out-earn women by $6,328 (17%) 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
90°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
51.5″
Annual snow
6.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pocahontas 1, AR US station (9.7 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 Williams Baptist University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Williams Baptist University side by side →

Colleges near Williams Baptist University

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.