Most Affordable Public Universities in Arkansas
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
11 public universities in Arkansas are listed here, 11 of them reporting a net price. They run from $8,370 a year at University of Arkansas Grantham to $23,405 at Henderson State University, with a middle of about $14,027.
The cheapest are University of Arkansas Grantham, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and Arkansas State University. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Arkansas, cheapest first · 11
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- University of Arkansas Grantham
- University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
- Arkansas State University
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- Arkansas Tech University
- Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
- University of Arkansas at Monticello
- University of Central Arkansas
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- University of Arkansas
- Henderson State University
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Arkansas?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is University of Arkansas Grantham at about $8,370 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in Arkansas cost on average?
- Across the 11 public universities in Arkansas that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $14,027 a year after aid, running from $8,370 to $23,405.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 18% to 72%, with a middle of about 41%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
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