Philander Smith University
Little Rock, Arkansas · Also known as PSU · Website
$38,427
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$38,427
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Philander Smith University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Little Rock, Arkansas with 751 undergraduates and 25 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $14,224 a year (tuition and fees $13,014). 30% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $38,427 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $24,736 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,224
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$13,014
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
30%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$24,736
About $262 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$38,427
Rank 2,968 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
- $14,224
- Tuition and fees
- $13,014
- Cost of attendance
- $28,136
- Students with a need-based grant
- 68%
- Students with federal loans
- 58%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $13,393
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $14,606
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $16,686
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $12,847
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $15,800
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 $12,564 in 2015-16 to $13,014 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
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 751
- Graduate students
- 25
- Part-time students
- 16%
- Women
- 51%
- Students per teacher
- 11
- Completion rate
- 30%
- Retention rate
- 66%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 17
- Endowment
- $14.8M
- Other
- Historically Black college, Religious affiliation, Open admission
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 2,968 of 5,094 US colleges and 28 of 72 in Arkansas (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | AR median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,224 | $14,044 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,014 | $7,334 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 74% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 30% | 50% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 66% | 66% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $24,736 | $12,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $25,254 | $30,343 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $38,427 | $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. 39% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 44% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
17 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $27,000 | $27,413 | $43,163 | $68,257 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,378 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,790 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,590 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,213 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biological and Physical SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,891 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | $19,172 | Withheld | $44,330 | $69,830 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Little Rock and Arkansas on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Arkansas
- Homes: Homes for sale in Arkansas
Questions and answers
How much does Philander Smith University cost?
$14,224 a year is the average net price at Philander Smith University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,014, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $28,136. Families earning under $30,000 pay $13,393 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Philander Smith University?
Philander Smith University has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Philander Smith University graduates earn?
$38,427 a year is the median pay of former Philander Smith University students who work, 10 years after they started ($25,254 after 6 years). That ranks 2,968 of 5,094 US colleges and 28 of 72 in Arkansas. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's) at $27,413.
How much student debt do Philander Smith University graduates have?
$24,736 is the median federal student loan debt of Philander Smith University graduates, about $262 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 58% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Philander Smith University?
30% of first-time, full-time students at Philander Smith University finish within 6 years. 66% 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 Philander Smith University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (37 bachelor's graduates), Biology, General (20 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (18 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 17 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.