BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofitHBCU

Philander Smith University

Little Rock, Arkansas·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·philander.edu
6-yr Graduation
30%
-2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
780
peer median 779
Avg net price
$15,360
-$910 vs Baccalaureate
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OutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeers

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
30%-2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
20%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
30%
Full-time retention
66%

Pell equity

4.0pp gap
Pell recipients
28%
Non-Pell
32%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

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 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.

Total programs
24
Passing
2
8.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

24programs
  • Passing2 · 8.3%
  • No Data22 · 91.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
2
No data
22

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.

2
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+36.5%
$43,163 vs $31,625
Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services Other
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+40.2%
$44,330 vs $31,625

Debt vs earnings

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

2
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
62%
$26,750 debt · $43,163 earn
Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services Other
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
48%
$21,452 debt · $44,330 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1949Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 2

  1. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Mar 2015Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

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$15,661
$30–48k$14,460
$48–75k$15,092
$75–110k$20,335
$110k+—

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

Avg net price (private)
$15,360
-$909vs Baccalaureate median $16,270
Federal loans
62.7%
In-state tuition
$13,014
Out-of-state
$13,014

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, 541 students received $3.3M in Pell grants, alongside $4.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
541
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.3M
$3,347,475 total
Direct Loans
$4.8M
958 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$1.9M
436 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.7M
430 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$552K
32 loan awards
Parent PLUS$608K
58 loan awards
Grad PLUS$14K
2 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 334 borrowers who entered repayment, 21 (6.2%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
6.2%
+3.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
334
Defaulted
21
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
23.9%
2017
27.5%
2018
21.8%
2019
6.2%
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 Philander Smith

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs18
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

120 total completions
01Business
5243.3%
02Biological Sciences
1411.7%
03Security/Protective
1310.8%
04Psychology
1210.0%
05Education
75.8%
06Public Admin
65.0%
07Computer Sciences
54.2%
08Parks/Recreation
54.2%
09Social Sciences
32.5%
10Liberal Arts
32.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
780
12-mo unduplicated
1,001
Undergraduate
975
Graduate
26

Gender split

Men
48%478
Women
52%523

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
79.2%
Non-resident
7.7%
White
4.4%
Hispanic
3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
2.0%
Unknown
1.8%
Two or more
1.2%
Asian
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
107
67 M · 40 W
Women athletes
37.4%
Athletic aid
$400K
Total student aid
Budget
$1.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$183K
$217K
Recruiting expense
$2K
$0
Head-coach salaries
$23K
$24K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 6

Baseball
37 M · —
$201K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
17 M · 13 W
$90K
Basketball
14 M · 14 W
$721K
Track and Field (Indoor)
14 M · 10 W
$90K
Volleyball
— · 14 W
$230K
Cross Country
6 M · 6 W
$100K

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
0.00
0 offenses · 769 students

3-year trend

1.252 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    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
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Data quality: 7 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    11.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    38

    Philander Smith vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Philander Smith 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
    SubjectPhilander Smith University
    		30%—780$15,360Baccalaureate
    University of the Ozarks
    		51%59.5%778$13,630Baccalaureate
    Central Baptist College
    		35%63.5%547$16,664Baccalaureate
    Williams Baptist University
    		26%83.4%517$15,875Baccalaureate
    Webber International University
    		25%69.4%878$29,932Baccalaureate
    Emmanuel University
    		45%74.0%950$19,297Baccalaureate
    Peer group median32%69.4%779$16,270

    Frequently 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?

    Philander Smith University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 30% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Philander Smith University?

    Philander Smith University reports a total enrollment of 780 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Philander Smith University?

    The average net price at Philander Smith University is $15,360 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Philander Smith University located?

    Philander Smith University is located in Little Rock, Arkansas 72202-3799.

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