Doctoral/ProfessionalPublic

University of Central Arkansas

Conway, Arkansas·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·uca.edu
6-yr Graduation
54%
+2.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
10,112
peer median 10,187
Avg net price
$16,775
+$4.1k vs Doctoral/Professional
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Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
7,039
7,039 candidates competed
Admitted
6,299
89.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,182
34.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
54%+2.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
42%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
53%
Full-time retention
73%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
42%
Non-Pell
51%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 9.0-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.

Of 117 Title IV programs, 49 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 67 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
117
Passing
49
41.9% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.9% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.9%
+0.3pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

117programs
  • Passing49 · 41.9%
  • No Data67 · 57.3%
  • Failing1 · 0.9%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
8
Safe
40
No data
67

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.

50
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-1.0%
$47,991 vs $48,452
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+2.0%
$32,267 vs $31,625
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+10.8%
$47,965 vs $43,298
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+14.9%
$36,336 vs $31,625
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+15.8%
$56,125 vs $48,452
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+16.7%
$50,549 vs $43,298
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+18.5%
$37,484 vs $31,625
Linguistic Comparative and Related Language Studies and Services
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+22.2%
$38,631 vs $31,625

Near the line (±5%)

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

2
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-1.0%
$461
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+2.0%
+$642

Debt vs earnings

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

44
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
85%
$68,500 debt · $80,363 earn
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
84%
$40,382 debt · $47,991 earn
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
78%
$25,000 debt · $32,267 earn
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
70%
$29,625 debt · $42,493 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
67%
$37,368 debt · $56,125 earn
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
64%
$23,935 debt · $37,484 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
61%
$25,000 debt · $41,043 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
60%
$21,925 debt · $36,336 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1931Next review Aug 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 17

Action history · 21

  1. Oct 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  2. Oct 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Counseling Psychology (COPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  3. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  4. Feb 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
  5. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$14,387
$30–48k$14,946
$48–75k$17,233
$75–110k$19,775
$110k+$20,028

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

Avg net price
$16,775
+$4,077vs Doctoral/Professional median $12,698
Federal loans
41.7%
In-state tuition
$10,118
Out-of-state
$17,258

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 3,976 students received $23.7M in Pell grants, alongside $39.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
3,976
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$23.7M
$23,702,979 total
Direct Loans
$39.4M
6,868 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
20
3k
21
3k
22
3k
23
4k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$9.8M
2,608 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$9.8M
2,698 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$12.1M
822 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.7M
437 loan awards
Grad PLUS$3.1M
303 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.

Of 2,633 borrowers who entered repayment, 24 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,633
Defaulted
24
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.5%
2017
8.5%
2018
4.8%
2019
0.9%
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 UCA

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs94
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,891 total completions
01Health Professions
46924.8%
02Business
38620.4%
03Education
30216.0%
04Psychology
1337.0%
05Parks/Recreation
1286.8%
06Visual/Performing Arts
1206.3%
07Biological Sciences
955.0%
08Social Sciences
924.9%
09Family/Consumer Sci
834.4%
10Computer Sciences
834.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
10,112
12-mo unduplicated
10,989
Undergraduate
8,682
Graduate
2,307

Gender split

Men
36%3,943
Women
64%7,046

Race / ethnicity composition

White
64.8%
Black
16.7%
Hispanic
7.7%
Two or more
5.0%
Non-resident
3.1%
Asian
2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Unknown
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
503
299 M · 204 W
Women athletes
40.6%
Athletic aid
$5.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$16.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.2M
$1.8M
Recruiting expense
$217K
$141K
Head-coach salaries
$106K
$67K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
107 M · 95 W
$1.5M
Football
135 M ·
$4.0M
Soccer
51 M · 29 W
$1.3M
Baseball
42 M ·
$986K
Other Sports
· 39 W
$188K
Basketball
17 M · 13 W
$2.7M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.51
15 offenses · 9,913 students

3-year trend

0.772 yrs ago1.291 yr ago1.51Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
36
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
55
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
6
Rape
4
Burglary
3
Fondling
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

15total
  • On campus12
  • Non-campus3

Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
10
Dating violence
8
Stalking
21 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons50
Drugs2233
Liquor1024

Residence-hall fires

  • Bear Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 5 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.

Student-to-faculty
15.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
518

UCA vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UCA selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectUniversity of Central Arkansas
54%10,112$16,775Doctoral/Professional
Valdosta State University
42%72.3%10,262$11,298Doctoral/Professional
University of Louisiana at Monroe
53%84.8%8,601$11,633Doctoral/Professional
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
50%81.1%11,775$12,817Doctoral/Professional
Western Carolina University
60%81.8%11,686$12,579Doctoral/Professional
Radford University
49%89.5%7,812$16,640Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median52%81.8%10,187$12,698

Frequently asked questions about University of Central Arkansas

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UCA.

What is the graduation rate at University of Central Arkansas?

University of Central Arkansas reports a 6-year graduation rate of 54% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Central Arkansas?

University of Central Arkansas reports a total enrollment of 10,112 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Central Arkansas?

The average net price at University of Central Arkansas is $16,775 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Central Arkansas?

University of Central Arkansas's yield rate is 34.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Central Arkansas located?

University of Central Arkansas is located in Conway, Arkansas 72035-0001.

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