University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Nestled in the heart of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and University of Central Arkansas (UCA) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they offer unique experiences that cater to diverse aspirations. UALR, located in the vibrant capital city, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a more diverse student body, while UCA, situated in the historic city of Conway, offers a smaller, close-knit community with a higher graduation rate. With UALR's strength in business, nursing, and engineering, and UCA's focus on education, nursing, and business, both universities provide a wide range of academic programs to suit various interests. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover the nuances that set these two esteemed institutions apart and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of Arkansas at Little Rock	University of Central Arkansas
Overview
Location	Little Rock, Arkansas	Conway, Arkansas
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	65.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.7%	92.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1020 - 1180	980 - 1160
ACT range	19 - 25	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	5.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	85.0%	94.0%
Total number of applicants	3,786	6,057
Total number of admissions given out	2,184	5,595
Admitted students who chose to enroll	481	1,854
Yield rate	22.0%	33.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,733 Out of state: $39,324	In state: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089
Average net price	$11,901	$14,042
Tuition	In state: $5,729 Out of state: $16,320	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,180 Meal plan: $3,750	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $9,445	92.0% Average amount $7,693
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,576	51.0% Average amount $5,106
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $10,227	5.0% Average amount $10,426

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,969 Men 36.7% Women 63.3%	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	2,326 Men 38.5% Women 61.5%	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	11.3%	7.9%
International students	5.5%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,395	3,675
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Texas Florida Oklahoma Indiana	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Public Administration and Social Service Education Liberal Arts	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	39.9%	49.4%
Dropout rate	31.2%	19.1%
Transferred out	25.3%	29.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,541 Year 2: $70,536 Year 3: $72,771 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,078 Year 2: $54,739 Year 3: $68,918 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $63,376 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $46,708 Year 2: $56,302 Year 3: $61,634 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,268 Year 2: $54,032 Year 3: $58,844 Systems Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,749 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $57,063 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,546 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $52,075 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,951 Year 2: $47,877 Year 3: $50,493 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,502 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $47,743 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,944 Year 2: $44,765 Year 3: $46,128	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

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