Black River Technical College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Pocahontas, Arkansas. It enrolls 903 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (2-Year). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Strong
72/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes42
Value82
Affordability68
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Black River Technical College generally admits all qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Black River Technical College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $5,095 per year. That's well below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$5,095
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
37%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
11%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$4,776
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$7,488
Room & Board (off-campus)
$6,510
Books & Supplies
$2,696
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,638
Total Cost of Attendance
$14,374
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$3,433
$30,001 – $48,000
$2,770
$48,001 – $75,000
$7,435
$75,001 – $110,000
$10,609
Over $110,000
$12,977
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$1,70010%percentile
$3,00025%percentile
$9,500Medianpercentile
$14,14975%percentile
$22,40690%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $6,550
↓ $2,950
No Pell $5,039
↓ $4,461
Dependent students $5,000
↓ $4,500
Independent students $9,000
↓ $500
Female students $6,780
↓ $2,720
Male students $5,244
↓ $4,256
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($9,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
26% of full-time students who enrolled at Black River Technical College graduate within six years, and 58% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
26%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
58%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Black River Technical College earn a median of $34,818 ten years after first enrolling. That's below the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$34,818
Earning > $25K
58%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$26,200
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$33,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,100, about 21% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
What this means:
Strong return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$6.8 of median earnings 10 years out.
Who Studies Here
Black River Technical College is home to 903 students, a small, close-knit community. Some distinctive traits: 48% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
903
Part-Time
36%
First-Generation
48%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 85.9%776
Black 4.5%41
Other 3.9%35
Hispanic 3.7%33
Asian 0.3%3
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Black River Technical College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Town: DistantPocahontas, Arkansas
Housing
Commuter campusNo on-campus housing
Adult Learners
25%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Black River Technical College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
46 distinct programs across
12 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Black River Technical College is 16:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$10,910
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$143,095
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$45,338
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
55 instructional faculty across 1 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
No Rank
55
100%
$45,338
Pros & Cons of Black River Technical College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Black River Technical College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Very affordable net price after aid
Open admissions
Reasonable class sizes
Tight-knit, close community feel
Low typical debt at graduation
First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Below-average post-graduation earnings
Best for:
Based on the data, Black River Technical College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Black River Technical College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Black River Technical College.
Is Black River Technical College hard to get into?
Black River Technical College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted.
What is the acceptance rate at Black River Technical College?
Black River Technical College has an acceptance rate of 0%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Black River Technical College cost?
The average net price after aid at Black River Technical College is $5,095 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Black River Technical College worth it?
Strong return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $34,818 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $5,095 per year. That's roughly 6.8x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Black River Technical College known for?
Black River Technical College is best known for its programs in Medical Assisting, Liberal Arts, Medical Assisting. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Black River Technical College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Black River Technical College are $34,818, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Black River Technical College accredited?
Yes. Black River Technical College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Black River Technical College?
Black River Technical College enrolls 903 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Black River Technical College?
Black River Technical College graduates 26% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Black River Technical College a public or private college?
Black River Technical College is a Public institution.
Where is Black River Technical College located?
Black River Technical College is located in Pocahontas, Arkansas.
What programs does Black River Technical College offer?
Black River Technical College offers 46 distinct programs. The most popular include Medical Assisting, Liberal Arts, Medical Assisting.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Black River Technical College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Black River Technical College is 16:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Arkansas
Other colleges in Arkansas share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
