University of Central Arkansas vs. Henderson State University

University of Central Arkansas vs. Henderson State University comparison

	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
Location	Conway, AR	Arkadelphia, AR
Setting	Distant Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	9,790	2,136
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#842	#988
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	uca.edu	hsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
Tuition (In State)	$7,140	$6,163
Tuition (Out of State)	$14,280	$8,160
Room & Board	$8,662	$10,680
Avg Net Price	$16,362	$16,929
Avg Grant Aid	$8,280	$9,017
% Receiving Grant Aid	93%	99%

Admission	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	6,589	1,814
Admitted	5,961	1,486
Acceptance Rate	90.5%	81.9%
Enrolled %	29.1%	20.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.7	3.23
Typical High School Grades	A-	B
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	19/25	16/21
SAT Range	940/1120	903/1073
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline		Jul 15, 2026

Academics	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	14:1	17:1
Popular Majors	Liberal Arts and Humanities (55%) Health Professions (9%) Business (8%) Education (4%) Visual and Performing Arts (3%)	Education (19%) Business (17%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (11%) Psychology (8%) Biology (6%)
Outcomes	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
Graduation Rate	40%	31%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$40,800	$38,400
Making Student Loan Payments	57%	48%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,415	$19,500
Median Loan Payment	$221	$201

Diversity	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
% Men	5%	8%
% Women	14%	23%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Medium
HBCU	No	No
% White	66%	66%
% Black	18%	24%
% Hispanic	5%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	4%	4%
% International	4%	1%
% Unknown Race	1%	0%

Students	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
% In-State	90%	77%
% Out-of-State	8%	21%
Campus	University of Central Arkansas	Henderson State University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• University of Central Arkansas is larger than than Henderson State University based on total student enrollment (9,790 students vs. 2,136 students)

University of Central Arkansas vs. Henderson State University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, University of Central Arkansas or Henderson State University?

• University of Central Arkansas is 15.9% more expensive to attend than Henderson State University for in-state tuition ($7,140.00 vs. $6,163.00)
• Out of state tuition is 75% higher at University of Central Arkansas than Henderson State University ($14,280.00 vs. $8,160.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of Central Arkansas than Henderson State University ($16,362 vs. $16,929)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Central Arkansas are 23.3% lower than costs at Henderson State University ($8,662 vs. $10,680)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Henderson State University than University of Central Arkansas (99% vs. 93%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Henderson State University students is 8.9% larger than aid received University of Central Arkansas ($9,017 vs. $8,280)

University of Central Arkansas vs. Henderson State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, University of Central Arkansas or Henderson State University? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Henderson State University or University of Central Arkansas .

• The average SAT score at University of Central Arkansas (1068) is 80 points higher than at Henderson State University (988)
• Incoming University of Central Arkansas students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Henderson State University (21)
• Accepted freshman University of Central Arkansas students have a 0.47 point higher average high school GPA (3.7) than students at Henderson State University (3.23)
• University of Central Arkansas has a higher acceptance rate (90.5%) than Henderson State University (81.9%)

University of Central Arkansas vs. Henderson State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, University of Central Arkansas or Henderson State University? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Henderson State University and University of Central Arkansas.

• The graduation rate at University of Central Arkansas is higher than Henderson State University (40% vs. 31%)
• Graduates from University of Central Arkansas earn on average $2,400 more per year than Henderson State University graduates after ten years. ($40,800 vs. $38,400)
• Henderson State University students graduate with a $1,915 lower median federal student loan debt than University of Central Arkansas graduates. ($19,500 vs. $21,415)
• Henderson State University graduates are paying $20 less per month on federal student loans than University of Central Arkansas graduates. ($201 vs. $221)
• More University of Central Arkansas graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Henderson State University students, three years after graduation. (57% vs. 48%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/