Harding University vs Arkansas State

Harding University and Arkansas State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Arkansas, offer distinct educational experiences. Harding, a private Christian university, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Arkansas State, a public research university, offers a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees, and attracts a more diverse student population. While both universities excel in certain areas, their unique characteristics may appeal to different types of students. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations, preferred campus environment, and personal values.

	Arkansas State University	Harding University
Overview
Location	Jonesboro, Arkansas	Searcy, Arkansas
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation		Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	63.3%	54.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1030 - 1200	1050 - 1300
ACT range	20 - 26	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	2.0%	23.0%
Students submitting ACT score	89.0%	80.0%
Total number of applicants	5,835	2,200
Total number of admissions given out	3,693	1,191
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,301	748
Yield rate	35.2%	62.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,703 Out of state: $29,271	$34,538
Average net price	$13,560	$20,533
Tuition	In state: $5,232 Out of state: $10,800	$21,690
Room & board	$9,640	Room/dormitory: $4,068 Meal plan: $4,658
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $11,264	97.0% Average amount $12,769
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,098	45.0% Average amount $5,607
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $9,249	6.0% Average amount $12,585

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,241 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	3,684 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	4,622 Men 29.6% Women 70.4%	1,289 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	13.4%	N/A
International students	4.8%	6.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	3,200	2,867
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Missouri Tennessee Texas Florida	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Communication and Journalism Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.8%	67.2%
Dropout rate	17.1%	31.7%
Transferred out	26.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,704 Year 2: $135,614 Year 3: $142,090 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,394 Year 2: $68,422 Year 3: $72,609 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,156 Year 2: $58,142 Year 3: $63,281 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,331 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,119 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,131 Year 3: $62,428 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,829 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $61,766 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,334 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,498 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,368 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $59,662 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,639 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $59,484 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $55,539 Year 2: $56,544 Year 3: $59,037	Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $117,748 Year 2: $124,539 Year 3: $127,639 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,011 Year 2: $106,978 Year 3: $105,028 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,933 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $88,179 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $69,415 Year 2: $68,618 Year 3: $71,365 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,335 Year 2: $66,104 Year 3: $69,942 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,533 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,054 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,156 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $65,082 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,219 Year 2: $57,047 Year 3: $64,125 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,088 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,592 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,124 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $60,778

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Arkansas State

Troy University