Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best schools in Arkansas. The average acceptance rate of best schools in Arkansas is 75.20% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 27.87%.
Hendrix College has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 55.65% and Harding University has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 44.62% among best schools in Arkansas. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harding University | 2,714 (1,271/1,442) | 1,914 (909/1,005) | 854 (413/441) | 71% (72%/70%) | 45% (45%/31%) |
| 2 | University of Arkansas | 30,555 (12,589/17,957) | 22,703 (8,894/13,804) | 6,618 (2,773/3,844) | 74% (71%/77%) | 29% (31%/21%) |
| 3 | Hendrix College | 3,161 (1,709/1,452) | 1,759 (850/909) | 318 (163/155) | 56% (50%/63%) | 18% (19%/11%) |
| 4 | John Brown University | 1,647 (632/1,015) | 1,254 (493/761) | 388 (169/219) | 76% (78%/75%) | 31% (34%/22%) |
| 5 | Lyon College | 1,654 (128/104) | 1,038 (128/104) | 234 (128/104) | 63% (100%/100%) | 23% (100%/100%) |
| 6 | Williams Baptist University | 609 (213/396) | 508 (171/337) | 147 (57/90) | 83% (80%/85%) | 29% (33%/23%) |
| 7 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | 2,708 (1,009/1,673) | 2,040 (755/1,265) | 709 (302/397) | 75% (75%/76%) | 35% (40%/24%) |
| 8 | Arkansas State University | 12,252 (5,514/6,736) | 10,078 (4,536/5,541) | 1,969 (782/1,187) | 82% (82%/82%) | 20% (17%/18%) |
| 9 | University of Central Arkansas | 7,039 (2,534/4,505) | 6,299 (2,232/4,067) | 2,182 (824/1,358) | 89% (88%/90%) | 35% (37%/30%) |
| 10 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 4,335 (1,550/2,785) | 2,548 (876/1,672) | 556 (231/325) | 59% (57%/60%) | 22% (26%/12%) |
| Average | 6,667 (2,715/2,715) | 5,014 (1,984/2,947) | 1,398 (584/812) | 75.20% (73.1%/108.5%) | 27.87% (29.4%/27.6%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best schools in Arkansas is 1113. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 559 and the average SAT Math score is 554.
Hendrix College has the highest SAT scores of 1,240 and Southern Arkansas University Main Campus has the lowest SAT scores of 1,000 among best schools in Arkansas. The following table compares SAT Scores between best schools in Arkansas for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harding University | 18% (157) | 1150 | 590 | 560 |
| 2 | University of Arkansas | 31% (2,058) | 1120 | 570 | 550 |
| 3 | Hendrix College | 10% (31) | 1240 | 610 | 630 |
| 4 | John Brown University | 11% (41) | 1220 | 630 | 590 |
| 5 | Lyon College | Test Score is NOT considered for Lyon College admission. | |||
| 6 | Williams Baptist University | 1% (1) | - | ||
| 7 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | 7% (51) | 1000 | 500 | 500 |
| 8 | Arkansas State University | 3% (50) | 1100 | 530 | 570 |
| 9 | University of Central Arkansas | 2% (52) | 1040 | 520 | 520 |
| 10 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 5% (26) | 1030 | 520 | 510 |
| Average | 9.78% | 1113 | 559 | 554 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best schools in Arkansas is 22. By subject, the average ACT English score is 22 and the ACT math score is 21.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best schools in Arkansas for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harding University | 75% (643) | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| 2 | University of Arkansas | 73% (4,818) | 24 | 23 | 23 |
| 3 | Hendrix College | 50% (158) | 27 | 27 | 25 |
| 4 | John Brown University | 50% (195) | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| 5 | Lyon College | Test Score is NOT considered for Lyon College admission. | |||
| 6 | Williams Baptist University | 95% (140) | 18 | 18 | 17 |
| 7 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | 100% (708) | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| 8 | Arkansas State University | 78% (1,543) | 21 | 21 | 19 |
| 9 | University of Central Arkansas | 95% (2,066) | 22 | 22 | 20 |
| 10 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 84% (465) | 20 | 21 | 18 |
| Average | 77.78% | 22 | 22 | 21 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best schools in Arkansas based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harding University | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 2 | University of Arkansas | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3 | Hendrix College | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 4 | John Brown University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 5 | Lyon College | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 6 | Williams Baptist University | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 7 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 8 | Arkansas State University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 9 | University of Central Arkansas | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator. We compare the schools that ranked top 10 in Arkansasand in top 500 ranking for all colleges and universities in United States.
Top Colleges By Subject
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
- Inexpensive Colleges (Lowest Tuition & Fees)
- Colleges with Most Students
- Colleges with Least Students
- Colleges with Most Online Students
- Colleges with Least Online Students
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rates
- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
- High Student to Faculty Ratio
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.