Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR · Public · Town (distant) · HSU
Public institution in Arkadelphia, AR · 1,491 undergraduates · 82% acceptance rate · $43,459 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 13%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 17%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 20%Pell Grant share
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $16,929818th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $7,885352nd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $9,882257th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $25,946744th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $19,500570th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,4591,428th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,1941,528th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 38.0%1,559th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 59.4%1,615th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 81.9%967th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- 21701st highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,4911,116th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,581st smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 47.7%429th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 236 mi (DAL)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 37 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $59,253 | — |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $41,937 | $31,305 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasEducation | bachelors | $36,560 | $38,289 |
| MusicVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $33,993 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $33,637 | $32,711 |
| Air TransportationTransportation | bachelors | $33,281 | — |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBusiness | bachelors | $33,077 | $34,420 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralEnglish Language & Literature | bachelors | $29,685 | — |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities ManagementParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $29,685 | — |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $28,960 | $28,236 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesLiberal Arts | bachelors | $28,753 | $25,580 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, GeneralFamily & Consumer Sciences | bachelors | $25,774 | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1890source
- Athletic nickname: "Reddies"source
- Carpenter–Haygood Stadium seats about 9,600source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- Formerly known as "{{ubl|Arkadelphia Methodist College (1890–1904)|Henderson College (1904–1911)|Henderson-Brown College (1911–1929)|Henderson State Teachers College (1929–1967)|Henderson State College (1967–1975) }}"source
- Athletic conference: GACsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Football rivalry: Battle of the Ravine (since 1895)source
- Notable alum: Billy Bob Thorntonsource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $2,395,663 (M $1,579,067 · W $816,596)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Henderson State University’s 1,491 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In AR
- John Brown UniversitySiloam Springs, AR · 1,415 undergrads
- Ouachita Baptist UniversityArkadelphia, AR · 1,612 undergrads
- University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesLittle Rock, AR · 1,361 undergrads
- University of Arkansas at MonticelloMonticello, AR · 1,868 undergrads
- Hendrix CollegeConway, AR · 1,094 undergrads
- University of Arkansas at Pine BluffPine Bluff, AR · 1,899 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Randolph-Macon CollegeAshland, VA · 1,489 undergrads
- Lincoln Memorial UniversityHarrogate, TN · 1,487 undergrads
- South Seattle CollegeSeattle, WA · 1,495 undergrads
- University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · 1,495 undergrads
- American Musical and Dramatic AcademyNew York, NY · 1,502 undergrads
- University of EvansvilleEvansville, IN · 1,477 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitehsu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 107071)
- Compare colleges in ARRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in ArkansasEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with John Brown UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Henderson State University vs John Brown UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.