Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Ouachita Baptist University

Students comparing Ouachita Baptist University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Arkadelphia, Arkansas1,602 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 56Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Ouachita Baptist University: U.S. News ranks it #158 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1238 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #272 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,602 undergraduates, admits 67.5% of applicants, and posts a 61.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,500; aid recipients pay $22,409 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,673.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
67.5%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$22,409

49% below the $44,220 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$51,673

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
61.4%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$21,050

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1070–1280

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Ouachita Baptist ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Liberal Arts Colleges#158of 210Liberal arts colleges
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1238of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B+#272of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Ouachita Baptist's position moves 72 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Ouachita Baptist

Ouachita Baptist University is a private nonprofit institution in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Federal data show 82.5% first-year retention and a 12:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $22,409 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $44,220 sticker cost against $22,409 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Ouachita Baptist University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$34,500

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
23.4%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$9,720

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $44,220 a year, but the average family pays $22,409 — a 49% difference. 23.4% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Ouachita Baptist's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    12:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    82.5%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,602

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Ouachita Baptist: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $34,500 and on-campus room and board is $9,720, for a published total of $44,220 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $22,409.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 67.5%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Schreiner University

    Kerrville, TXPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Schreiner University: U.S. News ranks it #75 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #947 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1078 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,053 undergraduates, admits 88.2% of applicants, and posts a 43.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $39,266; aid recipients pay $21,507 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,228.

    Acceptance rate
    88.2%
    Average net price
    $21,507
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,228
    6-yr graduation rate
    43.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#75 of 118Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#947 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1078 of 2,605

    1,053 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 56 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Austin College

    Sherman, TXPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Austin College: U.S. News ranks it #83 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #419 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1106 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #693 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,165 undergraduates, admits 47.6% of applicants, and posts a 67.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $48,680; aid recipients pay $21,107 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,296.

    Acceptance rate
    47.6%
    Average net price
    $21,107
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $61,296
    6-yr graduation rate
    67.0%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#83 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#419 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1106 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    1,165 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 56 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Ferrum College

    Ferrum, VAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Ferrum College: U.S. News ranks it #51 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1224 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1227 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 699 undergraduates, admits 89.0% of applicants, and posts a 31.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,520; aid recipients pay $20,082 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,296.

    Acceptance rate
    89.0%
    Average net price
    $20,082
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $44,296
    6-yr graduation rate
    31.9%
    US News · Regional colleges (South)#51 of 131Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1224 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1227 of 2,605

    699 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 56 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Ouachita Baptist against these