More selective than 65% of Arkansas colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $47,321. College Scorecard.
Higher than 83% of Arkansas colleges we cover and 64% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 74% of Arkansas colleges we cover and 45% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
OBU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 2,138 applicants, Ouachita Baptist University admitted 1,465 and 469 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1070–1280 on the SAT or 22–28 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
OBU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What OBU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Ouachita Baptist University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Arkansas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $15,207 | $62,957 | 3.3 years |
| $30–48k | $15,954 | $66,050 | 3.4 years |
| $48–75k | $18,007 | $74,549 | 3.9 years |
| $75–110k | $19,151 | $79,285 | 4.1 years |
| $110k+ | $26,281 | $108,803 | 5.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (62% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($51,673) minus $32,399 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in AR (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $19,274 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
OBU majors, earnings & careers
Ouachita Baptist University offers 55 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 16
- Health & Medicine · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Business & Finance · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Education · 3
- Engineering · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at OBU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | $77,583 | $21,320 |
| Accounting | $74,714 | — |
| Biology | $69,747 | $24,447 |
| Marketing | $67,705 | — |
| Business Administration | $66,175 | — |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $62,886 | $22,829 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $53,597 | $19,672 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $50,553 | — |
Quick list of all 55 majors
- Accounting$74,714
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Bible Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$69,747
- Business Administration$66,175
- Chemistry—
- Communications$50,369
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice—
- Dietetics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$44,525
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Engineering—
- Engineering Physics—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance$77,583
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$53,597
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Science / Analytics$50,553
- Marketing$67,705
- Mathematics—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Missions / Missionary Studies and Missiology—
- Music—
- Nursing—
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies—
- Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other—
- Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
- Philosophy—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$49,954
- Religious Music and Worship—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Sciences, Other—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$62,886
- Studio Art—
- Theatre$31,155
- Theology / Ministry—
- Theology and Religious Vocations, Other—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Finance → Financial analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Arkadelphia
2 bedrooms $928.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 55 inches of rain a year, 1 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Clark County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Clark County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare OBU with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Arkansas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita Baptist University | 68% | $22,409 | 61% | $51,673 | This school |
| John Brown University | 76% | $20,397 | 72% | $53,907 | |
| Harding University | 71% | $22,130 | 69% | $52,876 | |
| University of the Ozarks | 60% | $17,360 | 51% | $44,384 | |
| Lyon College | 63% | $19,616 | 47% | $44,232 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Ouachita Baptist University would cost you $2,012 more per year than John Brown University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Ouachita Baptist University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$2,744).
- Ouachita Baptist University gives aided families $599 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Arkansas resident | OBU | John Brown University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $34,500 | $31,756 | +$2,744 |
| Books & supplies | $1,100 | $800 | +$300 |
| Housing & meals | $9,240 | $10,258 | −$1,018 |
| Personal & travel | $4,678 | $2,820 | +$1,858 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,197 | −$924 | −$1,273 |
| Sticker price | $47,321 | $44,710 | +$2,611 |
| Average grants | −$24,912 | −$24,313 | −$599 |
| You pay | $22,409 | $20,397 | +$2,012 |
“+” means OBU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about OBU
What is the OBU acceptance rate?
Ouachita Baptist University accepts 68% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,465 of 2,138 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1070–1280 on the SAT or 22–28 on the ACT.
How much does Ouachita Baptist University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $47,321 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,409 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $15,207 and families earning $110k+ pay $26,281.
How much do OBU graduates earn?
Former Ouachita Baptist University students earn a median $51,673 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the OBU graduation rate?
61% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 83% return for their second year.
How long does a OBU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Ouachita Baptist University costs about $74,549 after grants ($18,007 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $51,673 ten years after starting, $19,274 more than high school graduates in Arkansas ($32,399), so the cost is repaid in 3.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Ouachita Baptist University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/ouachita-baptist-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).