Finance and Financial Management Services at University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas finance program turns out graduates who earn above the national and state averages right from the start, and that advantage grows over time. Students earn $56,387 in year one—outpacing the national median by $2,800 and the Arkansas median by nearly $3,000. Four years later, that gap widens as earnings climb 23% to nearly $70,000. Among Arkansas finance programs, this trails only University of Arkansas at Little Rock, putting it comfortably ahead of peers like Harding and Ouachita Baptist.

The debt picture is equally straightforward: graduates leave with $22,924 in loans, slightly below both national and state medians. That translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.41, meaning graduates owe less than half their first-year salary—a manageable burden that most can pay down within a few years. The robust sample size of 100+ graduates adds confidence that these numbers reflect genuine program outcomes rather than statistical noise.

For Arkansas families, this represents solid value at the flagship university. You're getting above-average earnings trajectories without taking on above-average debt, and the 72% admission rate makes it accessible to strong students who aren't reaching for the most selective schools. The relatively low proportion of Pell grant recipients (17%) suggests most families can manage the cost structure, but the debt figures show that even borrowers come out in good shape.