College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus: Cross and Nelson Hall Historic District, 1 of 2
Photo: Fessie, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Southern Arkansas University Main Campus

Magnolia, AR · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid About $14,000 a year

Median debt at graduation: $18,750 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.49%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.66%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,047 · ACT 20.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.16 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$6,019

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average paid by families who received aid, by income. Families who get no aid pay the full cost of attendance: $24,951 a year.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000About $13,000
$30,001–$48,000About $13,000
$48,001–$75,000About $14,000
$75,001–$110,000About $16,000
Over $110,000About $19,000

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
3,224
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 42% · Women 58%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
42%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
31%
Total students5,127
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
About $14,000
Cost of attendance (per year)$24,951
Median federal debt at graduation$18,750
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
49%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
39%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
40%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
49%
First-year retention66%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$42,386
Admission rate75%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
No application fee
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $688 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants48%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 875–1105ACT 17–24
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1047
SAT reading & writing450–565
SAT math425–540
ACT composite17–24
Test policyRequired

Value: Good · Top 41% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Physics$89,685
Nursing$70,185
Computing and information science$60,952
Agricultural business$55,787
Secondary education$48,923
Community Organization and Advocacy$48,773
Kinesiology and exercise science$48,662
Business (general)$47,979
Accounting$46,771
Biology$44,873
Criminal justice$44,523
Psychology$42,925
Teacher education$40,843
Liberal arts$38,931
Design$33,649
Fine arts$28,938

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Allied health, Business administration, Chemistry, Criminology, Engineering (general), English, History, History and Political Science, Interdisciplinary studies, Journalism, Mathematics, Music, Other visual and performing arts, Political science, Public health, Romance languages, Social sciences, Social work, Theatre.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Education18%
Business16%
Agriculture7%
Parks, recreation and fitness7%
Visual and performing arts6%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates4%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older8%
On-campus room and board (per year)$7,911
SportsNCAA Division II · Great American Conference
Students per faculty member16 to 1
Disability servicesVisit the office’s pageThe college’s own page
Faculty who are full-time61%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$14,178IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 66% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceShreveport Regional Airport (SHV)About 68 miles away · about 2 hours 5 minutes by car
Town population10,894Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or morePlanoAbout 204 miles away · about 4 hours 20 minutes by car
Typical weather43°F in January · 81°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Magnolia, AR, about 4 miles away

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Questions families ask

What is Southern Arkansas University Main Campus’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B-). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Southern Arkansas University Main Campus cost after financial aid?
The average net price is about $14,000 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Southern Arkansas University Main Campus?
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus admitted 75% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Southern Arkansas University Main Campus’s graduates do?
49% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $42,386; the median federal debt at graduation is $18,750.

Ask the school

Something you want to know that isn’t on this page? Ask it here. We send it to the school, and their answer appears on this page. Your name is never shared.

Sign in to ask a question

Reviews

Personal experiences from signed-in readers. Reviews are moderated automatically and never change a school’s grades.

No reviews yet.

Sign in to write a review.

My rating and notes

Sign in or create a free account to rate this school privately, keep notes, and save it to your list.

About this school’s data

Colleges like this one

The same kind of school first, then the closest in selectivity, size and cost.

More in Arkansas · Arkansas rankings

0 school selectedCompare

What would it cost your family?

Pick your family’s yearly income. Each college then shows what families like yours paid on average after grants and scholarships (federal data).

Reach, Target or Likely?

Enter an SAT or ACT to sort every college in this search.

Will you get in?

Enter your SAT or ACT. We compare it with the middle range of students the college admitted.