Community colleges

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, AR Β· Public Β· 4,091 undergrads Β· website β†—

Does anyone get out?

The point of starting here is finishing somewhere else. This is how often that happens.

8.6%

of students transfer to a four-year institution

Completed after transferring
1.9%

had finished a degree by year 2

Still enrolled after transferring
3.9%

still progressing at year 2

What it costs

Household incomeAvg net price / year
Under $30,000$8,890
$30,000 – $48,000$9,391
$48,000 – $75,000$11,392
$75,000 – $110,000$13,804
Over $110,000$14,297
All incomes (average)$10,574

Sticker tuition and fees: $7,334 in-state β€” before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use University of Arkansas-Fort Smith's own net price calculator β€” every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator β†—

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, on campus$10,543
Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)$13,976
Books and supplies$1,834
Other expenses, on campus$6,119
Other expenses, off campus$6,119

Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23

What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (764 of them) in 2022–23; 99% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.

Type of aidStudents awardedAverage amount
Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own99%$7,827
Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government56%$5,304
The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college82%$4,240
Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans30%$4,686

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.

Outcomes

Completion rate
38%

at this college

Students with Pell grants
39%
Earnings @ 10yr
$41,102

after entering

Median debt
$18,250

at graduation

Admission and teaching

SAT/ACT policy
Required

Required to be considered for admission (fall 2024)

Application fee
None

undergraduate, 2023–24

Students per faculty member
18 to 1

undergraduates, fall 2024

Faculty who are full-time
60%

fall 2024

Open admission
No

fall 2024

Middle 50% of test scores, fall 2024

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the first figure and a quarter above the second. Section ranges can't be added together into a total-score range.

SAT Reading and Writing
β€”
SAT Math
β€”
ACT composite
18–23

What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023

How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.

High school GPARequired
High school class rankNot considered
High school recordRequired
Completion of a college-preparatory programRequired
RecommendationsNot considered
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio)Not considered
English proficiency test (for applicable students)Considered if submitted
Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)Required
Work experienceNot considered
Personal statement or essayNot considered
Legacy statusNot considered
First-time applicants
2,677

fall 2023

Admitted
2,181

fall 2023

Enrolled
886

fall 2023, full and part time

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.

What students study

Business15%
Health & Nursing10%
Education9%
Engineering2%
Biology & Life Sciences2%
Psychology2%
Criminal Justice2%
Visual & Performing Arts2%

Earnings and debt by field of study

Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. β€œNational” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.

Associate degrees (4)

Field of studyDegrees awarded 2023–24Earnings, 1 yr afterEarnings, 4 yrs afterMedian federal debt
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities579β€”$35,639national $44,125$17,000
Engineering, General39β€”$75,794national $72,916β€”
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions32$51,714$58,435national $65,389$12,750
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services0β€”$31,742national $37,587β€”
Bachelor's degrees (16)
Field of studyDegrees awarded 2023–24Earnings, 1 yr afterEarnings, 4 yrs afterMedian federal debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations194$43,210$50,020national $68,257$20,787
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing67$71,652$73,708national $88,910$20,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods45$41,044$44,197national $47,382$17,900
Biology, General43$34,666$48,712national $57,214$17,562
Psychology, General32$27,514$40,519national $50,706$20,500
Criminal Justice and Corrections27$41,638$43,509national $55,378$18,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas26$42,985$45,378national $51,389$21,650
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities25β€”$37,641national $53,072$22,750
Social Work19β€”$45,275national $51,790$21,400
Chemistry15β€”$66,817national $65,120β€”
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions13$67,400$65,470national $68,061β€”
Communication and Media Studies12$35,508$35,760national $56,359β€”
History12β€”$45,097national $50,680$32,812
Design and Applied Arts9$41,801β€”national $51,490β€”
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions4$65,349$72,074national $70,786β€”
Computer and Information Sciences, Generalβ€”$55,710$82,688national $92,374β€”
Master's degrees (1)
Field of studyDegrees awarded 2023–24Earnings, 1 yr afterEarnings, 4 yrs afterMedian federal debt
Health and Medical Administrative Services15$70,074β€”national $89,981β€”

A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured β€” not zero. 52 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.

Contact and accreditation

Address
5210 Grand Ave, Fort Smith, AR 72913-3649
Phone
(479) 788-7000
Institutional accreditor
Higher Learning Commission

Where would you transfer to?

Find four-year colleges ranked by what they'd cost your family and what graduates earn β€” then check which of your credits they accept before you commit.

Find four-year matches β†’

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Transfer rate is the share of entrants transferring to a four-year institution; it is published for roughly a third of community colleges, and a blank means unpublished rather than zero. Which specific credits transfer is set by agreements between individual institutions and is not published nationally β€” confirm with both colleges before enrolling.

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