---
title: University of Arkansas-Fort Smith — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Fort Smith, AR
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, AR · Public · Associate-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $41,102 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $24,344 – $61,170 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $10,750 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $7,484 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 38% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $19,048 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 56% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.26× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $13,102 | derived |

**38% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $10,750 (≈ 26% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $22,446 to $60,394 across 16 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,394 | $20,413 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,691 | not reported |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,884 | $24,125 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,923 | $21,490 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,492 | $19,652 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,587 | $16,416 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Associate's Degree | $31,945 | $12,491 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,076 | $16,328 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,485 | $20,189 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,118 | $18,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,797 | $22,938 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,233 | $21,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,566 | $19,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,877 | $19,462 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,782 | not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $22,446 | $12,390 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore University of Arkansas-Fort Smith by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?108092

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/university-of-arkansas-fort-smith-ar.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`