Arkansas State University (A-State), located 100 miles northeast of Little Rock in Jonesboro, enjoys a reputation as a quality regional institution of higher education and is recognized for offering special services to the people of the Arkansas Delta. It is the only comprehensive public university located in this region. Dedicated to teaching, research and service, the university provides students with the broad educational foundations that help develop critical thinking and analytical skills, decision-making capabilities, and communication skills.
Arkansas Tech University (ATU) is a comprehensive regional institution located in Russellville, Arkansas, United States. The university offers programs at both baccalaureate and graduate levels in a range of fields. As of 2004, the University also operates a small satellite campus in the town of Ozark. This campus primarily focuses on associate and certificate education.
Central Baptist College (CBC) is a four-year, private, liberal arts college owned and operated by the Baptist Missionary Association of Arkansas. CBC offers 21 Bachelor’s degrees, 19 Minors, and Associate of Arts degrees in several emphases. CBC recently opened a new Science Center to support three new Bachelor’s degrees: Biology, Biotechnology, and Health Sciences. The center includes two Biology labs, two Chemistry labs, a Research lab, faculty offices, chemical storage, and a large state-of-the-art classroom.
Harding University is a private liberal arts Christian university located in Searcy, Arkansas. Harding University also operates Camp Tahkodah in Floral, Arkansas, Harding Academy in Searcy, and the Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee. The College of Sciences offers degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, mathematics and physics. Engineering degrees are offered in computer engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and a new degree in biomedical engineering is being implemented. Health fields in which degrees are offered are physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, dietetics and pharmacy.
Founded in 1876 as Central Institute in Altus, Arkansas, Hendrix College is now located in Conway. Hendrix is a 4-year, private, residential, liberal arts college. Hendrix offers the Bachelor of Arts degree for 25 academic majors, including Interdisciplinary Studies for students who want to develop their own major, and the Master of Arts in Accounting. Students are taught by 82 terminal-degree-holding, full-time faculty. Hendrix is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, University Senate of the United Methodist Church, National Association of Schools of Music, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the American Chemical Society.
John Brown University (JBU) is located in northwest Arkansas, 30 minutes west of Fayetteville. JBU is a fully accredited, four-year, private university committed to providing academic excellence in a distinctly Christian university community. JBU’s “Head, Heart, Hand” motto describes our educational philosophy, in which academic excellence, spiritual development and professional preparation are each an important element of a university education. JBU offers 50 majors in the liberal arts, sciences, and professions to over 1,100 undergraduate students. JBU is listed as one of “America’s 100 Best College Buys,” and is a U.S. News & World Report top-tier regional university.
Founded in 1872, Lyon College offers a liberal arts education of superior quality in a personalized setting. A selective, independent, undergraduate, residential teaching and learning community affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Lyon encourages the free intellectual inquiry essential to social, ethical and spiritual growth. With a rich scholarly and religious heritage, Lyon develops, in a culture of honor, responsible citizens and leaders committed to continued personal growth and service. Located in Batesville, Lyon is classified as a baccalaureate (liberal arts) college by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and is included among the country’s best liberal arts (bachelorette) colleges by U.S. News & World Report.
Ouachita Baptist University (pronounced Wash’-uh-taw) was named for the Ouachita River, which forms the eastern boundary of the campus. Ouachita is a Caddo Indian word which is thought to have meant “eastern boundary of our nation.” Ouachita Baptist University, located on the banks of the Ouachita River in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, was founded as a church-related, liberal arts university in 1886. Ouachita offers more than forty majors in four schools. In addition to the four schools, Ouachita offers many academic opportunities outside the scope of the classroom.
Established in 1877, Philander Smith University is Arkansas’s oldest private historically black college (HBCU). A four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, PSU sits on an enclosed 12-square-block campus in the beautiful and historic Quapaw Quarter of downtown Little Rock. Philander Smith University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and is approved by the Arkansas State Department of Education. PSU offers bachelor’s degrees after a quality education through six major divisions: Teacher Education, Humanities, Natural and Physical Sciences, Business and Economics, Social Sciences, and the Division of Continuing Education. Philander Smith College’s rich legacy continues by providing an educational experience that embraces academic excellence, builds self-esteem, cultivates critical thinking skills, and prepares learners for tomorrow.
Southern Arkansas University (SAU) is a unique, yet comprehensive liberal arts university at the heart of southern Arkansas. Established in 1909, SAU has built on its foundation tied to the region’s agricultural past and continues to grow while expanding its tradition of success into more than 60 degrees in four distinct colleges. The University is committed to providing the best tools, programs, services and opportunities with qualified professors dedicated to helping their students reach their educational goals and professional future.
University of Arkansas, Fort Smith
Each semester, more than 7,000 students begin their future at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. Established as a junior college with 34 students in 1928, the university expanded in size and vision over the years, finally taking on its current name and identity as a premier regional university when it joined the University of Arkansas System in 2002.
UAFS is one of 13 academic institutions and four other units governed by the University of Arkansas System board of trustees and administered by the president of the system. System offices are located in Little Rock. As a public university, UAFS is overseen by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a metropolitan research university that provides an accessible, quality education through flexible learning and unparalleled internship opportunities. At UA Little Rock, we prepare our more than 8,000 students to be innovators and responsible leaders in their fields. Committed to its metropolitan research university mission, UA Little Rock is a driving force in Little Rock’s thriving cultural community and a major component of the city and state’s growing profile as a regional leader in research, technology transfer, economic development, and job creation.
University of Arkansas, Monticello
The University of Arkansas-Monticello (UAM) was established in 1909 by an act of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas to serve the education needs of Southeast Arkansas. UAM became a part of the University of Arkansas system in 1971. The main campus is located in the 90 miles south of Little Rock, situated in the pine forests of Southeastern Arkansas on the edge of the rich Mississippi delta. UAM is committed to excellence in all program offerings. UAM assures opportunities in higher education for both traditional and non-traditional students, and strives to provide an environment that fosters individual achievement and personal development. Degrees are offered in the liberal arts, basic and applied sciences, and selected professions. Eleven academic schools and divisions offer several undergraduate degrees, including: A.A; A.S.; A.A.S.; B.S.; B.A.; B.B.A.; B.S.N. Graduate degree programs are offered in Education (M.Ed.) and Forestry (M.S.). UAM has the only School of Forest Resources in Arkansas.
University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is an 1890 Land-Grant HBCU with a diverse student population, competitive degree offerings and stellar faculty. For more than 150 years, UAPB has worked to create an environment that inculcates learning, growth and productivity while affording a basic need to its students – a chance to advance. UAPB is located in Jefferson County in Southeast Arkansas, 45 miles from Little Rock. UAPB adheres to the philosophy that education is the cornerstone of a creative, enlightened, participative, and responsive society. Guiding principles embrace the conviction that total student development is best achieved by providing an atmosphere conducive to the full realization of human dignity and productivity.
University of Central Arkansas
The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) at Conway is a public, 4-year institution founded in 1907 as Arkansas State Normal School, becoming the University of Central Arkansas in 1975. UCA supports various colleges: Business Administration, Fine Arts and Communication, Education, Health and Applied Sciences, Liberal Arts, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Honors College. UCA is primarily a teaching institution, but has a growing program of research and public service.
The University of the Ozarks is a private, four-year liberal arts, comprehensive university located in Clarksville, Arkansas, a community of approximately 8,000 people and the county seat of Johnson County. U of O is located at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, about 100 miles (160 km) west of Little Rock. The university’s enrollment averages around 650 students, and the student body is represented by more than 25 states and 20 foreign countries. U of O is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.
University of the Ozarks has been ranked as a “top tier” college in the South Region by U.S. News & World Report and has been ranked in the magazine’s “Great Schools, Great Prices”. In the 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges, Ozarks was ranked No. 1 in the South in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category. The university’s 30-acre (120,000 m2), tree-shaded campus sits atop College Hill, about two blocks north of downtown Clarksville. The university is accredited by the North Central Association.
updated 6/10/2024