Harding University vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Harding University and University of Central Arkansas, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Harding, a private Christian university, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. UCA, a public university, offers a more diverse student body and a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees. While Harding excels in fields like nursing and education, UCA shines in business and engineering. Both universities offer competitive athletic programs and vibrant campus life, but their unique characteristics may appeal to different students. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Harding University	University of Central Arkansas
Overview
Location	Searcy, Arkansas	Conway, Arkansas
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	54.1%	92.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1050 - 1300	980 - 1160
ACT range	20 - 28	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	23.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	94.0%
Total number of applicants	2,200	6,057
Total number of admissions given out	1,191	5,595
Admitted students who chose to enroll	748	1,854
Yield rate	62.8%	33.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$34,538	In state: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089
Average net price	$20,533	$14,042
Tuition	$21,690	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,068 Meal plan: $4,658	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $12,769	92.0% Average amount $7,693
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,607	51.0% Average amount $5,106
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $12,585	5.0% Average amount $10,426

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,684 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	1,289 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.9%
International students	6.2%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,867	3,675
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Communication and Journalism Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.2%	49.4%
Dropout rate	31.7%	19.1%
Transferred out	N/A	29.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,284 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $96,070 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,491 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $76,640 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,696 Year 2: $67,548 Year 3: $65,753 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,174 Year 2: $58,842 Year 3: $59,396 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,787 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,030 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,080 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $52,677 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,462 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $52,542 Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,140 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,838 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,755 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,837

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.

Harding University vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Harding University

University of Central Arkansas

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About