Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Harding University

Searcy, Arkansas·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·harding.edu
6-yr Graduation
69%
+4.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
4,696
peer median 4,990
Avg net price
$22,130
-$1.2k vs Doctoral/Professional
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR Office

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
2,714
2,714 candidates competed
Admitted
1,914
70.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
854
44.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
69%+4.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
52%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
69%
Full-time retention
86%

Pell equity

15.2pp gap
Pell recipients
57%112 of 196
Non-Pell (all)
72%481 of 666
Subsidized loan, no Pell
68%128 of 187
No Federal Aid
74%353 of 479

Non-Pell students graduate at a 15.2-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 116 Title IV programs, 30 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 85 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
116
Passing
30
25.9% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.9% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.9%
+0.3pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

116programs
  • Passing30 · 25.9%
  • No Data85 · 73.3%
  • Failing1 · 0.9%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
4
Watch
3
Safe
23
No data
85

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

31
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-23.5%
$45,988 vs $60,112
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.8%
$61,215 vs $60,112
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+3.5%
$48,014 vs $46,391
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+7.4%
$37,384 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+8.7%
$50,418 vs $46,391
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+14.0%
$52,869 vs $46,391
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+18.4%
$41,228 vs $34,808
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+18.7%
$41,328 vs $34,808

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.8%
+$1,103
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+3.5%
+$1,623

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

28
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
163%
$220,050 debt · $135,372 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
149%
$119,000 debt · $79,976 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
106%
$126,501 debt · $119,507 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
104%
$55,069 debt · $52,869 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
84%
$51,250 debt · $61,215 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
72%
$27,000 debt · $37,384 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
66%
$33,000 debt · $50,418 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
65%
$27,000 debt · $41,328 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1954Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 15

Action history · 13

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  2. Mar 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Nov 2022Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Apr 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  5. Apr 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,418
$30–48k$17,430
$48–75k$19,832
$75–110k$22,017
$110k+$26,284

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$22,130
-$1,193vs Doctoral/Professional median $23,323
Federal loans
43.8%
In-state tuition
$26,262
Out-of-state
$26,262

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 977 students received $5.8M in Pell grants, alongside $34.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
977
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.8M
$5,804,422 total
Direct Loans
$34.6M
3,308 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.9M
928 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.6M
1,253 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$14.3M
638 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.6M
270 loan awards
Grad PLUS$6.1M
219 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 1,228 borrowers who entered repayment, 13 (1.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.0%
-1.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,228
Defaulted
13
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.8%
2017
4.5%
2018
3.1%
2019
1.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Harding

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs123
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,062 total completions
01Health Professions
30528.7%
02Education
24322.9%
03Business
17416.4%
04Computer Sciences
827.7%
05Theology
666.2%
06Parks/Recreation
545.1%
07Visual/Performing Arts
383.6%
08Psychology
363.4%
09Communication
333.1%
10Engineering
312.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
4,696
12-mo unduplicated
5,387
Undergraduate
3,940
Graduate
1,447

Gender split

Men
43%2,319
Women
57%3,068

Race / ethnicity composition

White
79.8%
Non-resident
5.0%
Hispanic
4.8%
Black
4.5%
Two or more
4.0%
Asian
1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
445
312 M · 133 W
Women athletes
29.9%
Athletic aid
$4.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$11.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.8M
$1.6M
Recruiting expense
$61K
$17K
Head-coach salaries
$62K
$53K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Football
145 M · —
$3.4M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
71 M · 54 W
$1.4M
Soccer
28 M · 30 W
$968K
Baseball
46 M · —
$818K
Basketball
15 M · 14 W
$1.3M
Tennis
12 M · 9 W
$434K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.09
5 offenses · 4,608 students

3-year trend

2.612 yrs ago2.911 yr ago1.09Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
32
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
6
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
2
Fondling
2
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

5total
  • On campus5

Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs01
Liquor03

Residence-hall fires

  • Center Place Apartments1 fire
    CookingDamage $100-$999
  • Graduate Hall1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $100-$999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
265

Harding vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Harding selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectHarding University
69%—4,696$22,130Doctoral/Professional
Campbell University
60%87.2%4,963$24,516Doctoral/Professional
Lipscomb University
72%67.7%5,017$24,739Doctoral/Professional
Samford University
77%82.4%6,097$32,622Doctoral/Professional
Lincoln Memorial University
47%62.6%6,081$20,406Doctoral/Professional
Belhaven University
49%49.8%4,213$15,676Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median65%67.7%4,990$23,323

Institutions like Harding

Explore the federal data for institutions in Harding's comparison group.

IPEDS

Harding Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Team
1 member
  • Patti Jo White
    Institutional Research Analyst

Frequently asked questions about Harding University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Harding.

What is the graduation rate at Harding University?

Harding University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 69% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Harding University?

Harding University reports a total enrollment of 4,696 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Harding University?

The average net price at Harding University is $22,130 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Harding University?

Harding University's yield rate is 44.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Harding University located?

Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas 72149-5615.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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