Philander Smith University
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 14.9-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.
Of 24 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 22 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing2 · 8.3%
- No Data22 · 91.7%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 2
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Mar 2015Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 561 students received $3.5M in Pell grants, alongside $5.0M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 334 borrowers who entered repayment, 21 (6.2%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Philander Smith
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 6
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 7 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Philander Smith vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Philander Smith selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPhilander Smith University | 30% | — | 780 | $14,224 | Baccalaureate |
| 51% | 59.5% | 778 | $17,360 | Baccalaureate | |
| 35% | 63.5% | 547 | $12,287 | Baccalaureate | |
| 26% | 83.4% | 517 | $15,745 | Baccalaureate | |
| 25% | 69.4% | 878 | $29,529 | Baccalaureate | |
| 45% | 74.0% | 950 | $20,925 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 32% | 69.4% | 779 | $16,553 |
Institutions like Philander Smith
Explore the federal data for institutions in Philander Smith's comparison group.
- BaccalaureateArkansas
University of the Ozarks
Grad rate51%Admit rate59.5%Enrollment778Net price$17,360View data - BaccalaureateArkansas
Central Baptist College
Grad rate35%Admit rate63.5%Enrollment547Net price$12,287View data - BaccalaureateArkansas
Williams Baptist University
Grad rate26%Admit rate83.4%Enrollment517Net price$15,745View data - BaccalaureateFlorida
Webber International University
Grad rate25%Admit rate69.4%Enrollment878Net price$29,529View data - BaccalaureateGeorgia
Emmanuel University
Grad rate45%Admit rate74.0%Enrollment950Net price$20,925View data
Philander Smith Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
To implement an ongoing process and monitor all units of the University in their pursuit of fulfilling requirements for reaffirmation of accreditation.
Visit IR office pageFrequently asked questions about Philander Smith University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Philander Smith.
What is the graduation rate at Philander Smith University?
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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.
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