Study ranks best colleges in Arkansas with Little Rock campus included
A new national report evaluated higher education institutions across Arkansas and the country. The findings give families comparative data on student costs, graduation rates and earnings. Little Rock appears in the state list with a local campus in the top five.
The consumer finance site WalletHub conducted the research. It looked at 740 higher education institutions across the country, the authors said.
The researchers scored student selectivity, cost and financing, and faculty resources. They also reviewed admission rates, graduation rates, campus safety, post-attendance median salary and student loan debt.
Some schools were not ranked due to data limitations. The University of Arkansas Grantham was among those excluded, the authors said.
Hendrix College placed first in the state. It earned top ranks for graduation rate and post-attendance median salary.
Harding University took second place in the state report. John Brown University followed in third place.
The study determined the top ten schools in the state:
- Hendrix College
- Harding University
- John Brown University
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- University of the Ozarks
- Arkansas State University
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- University of Arkansas
- University of Central Arkansas
- Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Nationally, Princeton University took first place among universities. Massachusetts Institute of Technology followed closely, and Yale University placed third.
Wellesley College ranked first among national colleges. Pomona College came in second, followed by Harvey Mudd College.
California Institute of Technology took fourth place among national universities. It had the lowest admission rate and the lowest student-to-faculty ratio.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo explained the national patterns among school types.
“In general, universities tend to rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities and higher earnings for students post-graduation. In fact, the top 10 places for higher education in the U.S. are all universities.”
Lupo said smaller colleges offer distinct benefits.
“There are still tons of high-ranking colleges, though, which offer their own advantages like smaller class sizes, more personalized learning and often safer campuses.”
Comparative education studies examine public records and government datasets. Analysts gather reported institutional measures to evaluate learning environments and financial investments for consumers.
The state list includes urban centers such as Little Rock alongside regional college towns.
