The Most Selective Colleges in Arkansas
Every eligible Arkansas four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 15 of 27 Arkansas institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-09-01
- 1Hendrix CollegeConway, AR · Private53.0%Compare nearby
- 2University of Arkansas at Pine BluffPine Bluff, AR · Public57.5%Compare nearby
- 3University of Arkansas at Little RockLittle Rock, AR · Public57.7%Compare nearby
- 4University of the OzarksClarksville, AR · Private58.1%Compare nearby
- 5Lyon CollegeBatesville, AR · Private65.5%Compare nearby
- 6Southern Arkansas University Main CampusMagnolia, AR · Public66.6%Compare nearby
- 7John Brown UniversitySiloam Springs, AR · Private67.6%Compare nearby
- 8Ouachita Baptist UniversityArkadelphia, AR · Private68.5%Compare nearby
- 9Arkansas State UniversityJonesboro, AR · Public69.7%Compare nearby
- 10University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR · Public71.7%Compare nearby
- 11University of Arkansas-Fort SmithFort Smith, AR · Public81.5%Compare nearby
- 12Henderson State UniversityArkadelphia, AR · Public81.9%Compare nearby
- 13University of Central ArkansasConway, AR · Public90.5%Compare nearby
- 14Arkansas Tech UniversityRussellville, AR · Public96.3%Compare nearby
- 15Harding UniversitySearcy, AR · Private100.0%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Arkansas institutions in this universe (27 schools).
- Arkansas four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 15 of 27 Arkansas institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to AR
- Showdown: Hendrix College vs University of Arkansas at Pine BluffHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Hendrix CollegeEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.