Harding University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Searcy, Arkansas. It enrolls 3,382 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
67/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes77
Value37
Affordability34
Selectivity57
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Harding University admits 70.5% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
70.5%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1050 – 1290
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
20 – 29
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyRequiredSAT or ACT scores must be submitted with the application.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Harding University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
38.7 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $22,130 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$26,262
Room & Board (on-campus)
$9,060
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,548
Books & Supplies
$598
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,066
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$8,132
Total Cost of Attendance
$39,534
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
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
$15,418
$30,001 – $48,000
$17,430
$48,001 – $75,000
$19,832
$75,001 – $110,000
$22,017
Over $110,000
$26,284
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.
$4,50010%percentile
$8,02025%percentile
$26,500Medianpercentile
$29,50075%percentile
$37,50090%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 $25,000
↓ $1,500
No Pell $19,375
↓ $7,125
Dependent students $21,931
↓ $4,569
Independent students $20,500
↓ $6,000
Female students $22,532
↓ $3,968
Male students $20,500
↓ $6,000
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $10,644, less than completers ($26,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
63% of students who start here finish within six years, and 87% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
63%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
87%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $52,876 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$52,876
Earning > $25K
81%
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
$39,900
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$55,100
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$44,300
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$42,700
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$50,600
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $15,200, about 28% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
9.1 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 85% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 3,382 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
3,382
Part-Time
5%
First-Generation
21%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 79.8%2,700
International 5.0%168
Hispanic 4.8%163
Other 4.6%156
Black 4.6%154
Asian 1.2%41
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Harding University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Harding University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
79 distinct programs across
22 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.
There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$407M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$70,049
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
267 instructional faculty across 5 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
Full Professors
92
34%
$79,269
Associate Professors
69
26%
$69,585
Assistant Professors
80
30%
$64,949
Instructors
23
9%
$56,260
Lecturers
3
1%
$39,720
Pros & Cons of Harding University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Harding University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Frequently Asked Questions about Harding University
The questions families ask most about Harding University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Harding University hard to get into?
Admissions at Harding University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 70.5%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Harding University?
70.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Harding University?
Aim for 1290 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1050 and 1290 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Harding University?
Aim for 29 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 20 and 29 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Harding University cost?
Budget around $22,130 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Harding University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $52,876 a year against a net price of $22,130, about 2.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Harding University known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Counseling Education, Teacher Education (K-12). Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Harding University graduates earn?
About $52,876 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Harding University accredited?
Yes. Harding University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Harding University?
3,382 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Harding University?
63% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Harding University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Harding University located?
Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas.
What programs does Harding University offer?
79 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Counseling Education, Teacher Education (K-12). If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Harding University?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Arkansas
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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