Public Associate Fair 49/100

Southeast Arkansas College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

Compare This College

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

About Southeast Arkansas College

Thinking about Southeast Arkansas College, a college in Arkansas where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Southeast Arkansas College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It enrolls 851 students (a small, tight-knit 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.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
11%
Net Price
$19,038
Median Earnings (10yr)
$33,603
Enrollment
851
Student : Faculty
7:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

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 (2-Year), 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.

Fair
49/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 9
Value 23
Affordability 62
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, Southeast Arkansas College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

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 $19,038 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$19,038
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
79%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
50%
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)
$5,200
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$8,650
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,300
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,000
Books & Supplies
$1,800
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,475
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,275
Total Cost of Attendance
$22,405

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.

$1,187
10% percentile
$2,000
25% percentile
$8,600
Median percentile
$8,500
75% percentile
$15,932
90% 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 $6,419 ↓ $2,181
No Pell $5,400 ↓ $3,200
Dependent students $5,284 ↓ $3,316
Independent students $7,039 ↓ $1,561
Female students $6,500 ↓ $2,100
Male students $5,357 ↓ $3,243
Pell recipients: 17.8% (1,533 students)No Pell: 15.0% (1,290 students)Dependent students: 14.7% (1,262 students)Independent students: 19.6% (1,682 students)Female students: 18.1% (1,553 students)Male students: 14.9% (1,280 students)Overall Median$8,600
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,601, less than completers ($8,600), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

11% of students who start here finish within six years, and 42% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. 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
11%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
42%
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

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $33,603 a year, below the national median. Weigh that against the cost above before taking on debt here. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$33,603
Earning > $25K
57%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$29,000$30,000$31,000$33,000$34,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

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
$27,800

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$34,800

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $7,000, about 20% 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: Moderate return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$1.8 of median earnings 10 years out. Compare carefully against your funding plan.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 851 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 53% are the first in their family to go to college, and 86% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
851
Part-Time
86%
First-Generation
53%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Black 61.3% 522
White 22.0% 187
Hispanic 13.4% 114
Other 1.9% 16
Asian 0.9% 8
International 0.5% 4
Black: 61.3% (522 students)White: 22.0% (187 students)Hispanic: 13.4% (114 students)Other: 1.9% (16 students)Asian: 0.9% (8 students)International: 0.5% (4 students)Total851

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Southeast Arkansas College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Distant Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Housing
Partly residential 165 beds available
Adult Learners
53% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Predominantly Black Institution (PBI)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Liberal Arts graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Southeast Arkansas College offers a varied set of programs: 24 distinct programs across 10 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.

6 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
3 Programs
4 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 7 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
7:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$7,554
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$603,898
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$46,490
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

29 instructional faculty across 3 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 26 90% $48,885
Instructors 1 3% $37,440
No Rank 2 7% $19,875

Pros & Cons of Southeast Arkansas College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Southeast Arkansas College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Open admissions
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • Low typical debt at graduation
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
  • Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for: Based on the data, Southeast Arkansas College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; working adults or students needing part-time study options; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Southeast Arkansas College

The questions families ask most about Southeast Arkansas College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Southeast Arkansas College hard to get into?
Not especially. Southeast Arkansas College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Southeast Arkansas College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Southeast Arkansas College cost?
Budget around $19,038 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 Southeast Arkansas College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $33,603 a year against a net price of $19,038, about 1.8 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 Southeast Arkansas College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Practical Nursing, Precision Metal Working. 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 Southeast Arkansas College graduates earn?
About $33,603 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 Southeast Arkansas College accredited?
Yes. Southeast Arkansas College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Southeast Arkansas College?
851 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Southeast Arkansas College?
11% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Southeast Arkansas College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Southeast Arkansas College located?
Southeast Arkansas College is located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
What programs does Southeast Arkansas College offer?
24 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Practical Nursing, Precision Metal Working. 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 Southeast Arkansas College?
7 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Continue Exploring

Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.