Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, Arkansas · Also known as OBU · Website
$51,673
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$51,673
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Ouachita Baptist University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Arkadelphia, Arkansas with 1,602 undergraduates and 129 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $22,409 a year (tuition and fees $34,500). It admits 68% of applicants and 61% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $51,673 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,050 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$22,409
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$34,500
US median $11,837
Admission rate
68%
US median 78%
Completion rate
61%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,050
About $223 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$51,673
Rank 1,349 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $22,409
- Tuition and fees
- $34,500
- Cost of attendance
- $47,321
- Students with a need-based grant
- 23%
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $15,207
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $15,954
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $18,007
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,151
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $26,281
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $24,120 in 2015-16 to $34,500 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 68%
- Average SAT
- 1,211
- Undergraduates
- 1,602
- Graduate students
- 129
- Part-time students
- 1.4%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 61%
- Retention rate
- 83%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 70
- Endowment
- $140.3M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,349 of 5,094 US colleges and 9 of 72 in Arkansas (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | AR median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $22,409 | $14,044 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $34,500 | $7,334 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 68% | 74% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 61% | 50% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 83% | 66% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,050 | $12,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $41,697 | $30,343 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $51,673 | $34,688 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 69% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 69% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
70 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 48 | $24,322 | Withheld | $69,747 | $57,214 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 34 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $22,750 | $34,574 | $50,369 | $56,359 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $21,320 | $53,195 | $77,583 | $83,343 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | $19,500 | $31,385 | $53,597 | $54,562 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $25,197 | $41,595 | $44,525 | $47,382 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $23,375 | Withheld | $49,954 | $50,706 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition ServicesGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 17 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | $66,175 | $68,257 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,390 |
| Bible/Biblical StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,533 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,389 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $74,714 | $76,194 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $26,000 | $18,350 | $31,155 | $39,775 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $22,829 | Withheld | $62,886 | $58,928 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,568 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,027 |
| Curriculum and InstructionMaster's | Master's | 8 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,590 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,490 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,753 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Arkadelphia and Arkansas on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Arkansas
- Homes: Homes for sale in Arkansas
Questions and answers
How much does Ouachita Baptist University cost?
$22,409 a year is the average net price at Ouachita Baptist University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $34,500, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $47,321. Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,207 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Ouachita Baptist University?
68% of applicants are admitted to Ouachita Baptist University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,211. The median admission rate of colleges in Arkansas is 74%.
How much do Ouachita Baptist University graduates earn?
$51,673 a year is the median pay of former Ouachita Baptist University students who work, 10 years after they started ($41,697 after 6 years). That ranks 1,349 of 5,094 US colleges and 9 of 72 in Arkansas. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's) at $53,195.
How much student debt do Ouachita Baptist University graduates have?
$21,050 is the median federal student loan debt of Ouachita Baptist University graduates, about $223 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 46% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Ouachita Baptist University?
61% of first-time, full-time students at Ouachita Baptist University finish within 6 years. 83% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Ouachita Baptist University?
Biology, General (48 bachelor's graduates), Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (34 master's graduates), Communication and Media Studies (30 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 70 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.