Why SAU · Magnolia, Arkansas
Arkansas’s best small public college. And the lowest cost to live on campus.
Scholarships up to $12,000 a year, 87 undergraduate majors, and a guarantee that you’ll be ready for what comes next. Here’s the case for Southern Arkansas University.
Ranking: Niche 2027 Best Small Colleges in Arkansas, top-ranked public university.
Southern Arkansas University
1 semester · 2026–27
Tuition, 15 credit hours
$3,900
Mandatory fees
$1,320
Room, average double
$2,070
Meal plan, unlimited
$2,095
Total to live on campus
$9,385
Lowest of Arkansas’s 10 public universities
The cost
No Arkansas public university costs less to live at.
Tuition, mandatory fees, an average double room and the top meal plan, per semester, at all 10 of Arkansas’s public universities.
Compare the cost
Live on campus for less
Tuition, fees, room and board per semester · in-state, 15 credit hours, 2026–27 published rates at Arkansas’s 10 public universities
| University | Tuition | Fees | Room | Meal plan | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Arkansas University | $3,900 | $1,320 | $2,070 | $2,095 | $9,385 |
| UA Monticello | $2,978 | $2,004 | $2,092 | $2,575 | $9,648 |
| UA Pine Bluff | $3,299 | $1,582 | $2,240 | $2,594 | $9,715 |
| Henderson State | $4,125 | $1,290 | $2,409 | $2,045 | $9,869 |
| UA Fort Smith | $3,420 | $1,671 | $2,575 | $2,280 | $9,946 |
| UA Little Rock | $3,506 | $1,581 | $2,388 | $2,605 | $10,079 |
| Arkansas State | $5,055 | $370 | $2,730 | $2,660 | $10,815 |
| Arkansas Tech | $3,975 | $1,727 | $2,691 | $2,452 | $10,846 |
| Central Arkansas | $4,005 | $1,687 | $3,002 | $3,115 | $11,809 |
| University of Arkansas | $4,168 | $1,290 | $4,655 | $2,843 | $12,955 |
Room = average of on-campus double rooms; meal plan = each school’s top tier. Source: each university’s published 2026–27 rates.
$2,493
$7,141
Source: each university’s published 2026–27 rates
Niche 2027 rankings
The best small public college in Arkansas.
No small public college in Arkansas ranks higher on Niche’s 2027 lists, and no university south of Little Rock outranks SAU for value, for its professors or among public universities.
#1
Small public college in Arkansas
#1
Best value south of Little Rock
#1
Best professors south of Little Rock
Niche 2027 Arkansas rankings, where SAU is #3 on each list. Best Small Colleges: behind two private colleges. Best Value: behind UA Grantham (online) and UA Little Rock. Top Public Universities and Colleges with the Best Professors: behind UA Fayetteville and UA Little Rock.
87 undergraduate majors
Study what no other Arkansas public university offers.
The only bachelor’s degree of its kind in Arkansas.
The only BFA in Musical Theatre at an Arkansas public university.
A Biology concentration no other Arkansas public university offers.
A Business concentration no other Arkansas public university offers.
Concentrations no other Arkansas public university offers.
Not offered at Henderson State, UA Monticello, UA–Fort Smith, UA Pine Bluff or Texas A&M–Texarkana.
Majors from SAU’s degree directory. “Only” comparisons use the Arkansas Division of Higher Education AY2027 approved programs and concentrations (all Arkansas public universities) and, for Texas A&M–Texarkana, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board program inventory.
Scholarships
Up to $12,000 a year.
One scholarship application considers incoming freshmen for every SAU academic award, and awards renew for up to 8 semesters.
Fall 2027 freshmen
Jan 15
Early decision
Mar 1
Priority deadline
All scholarships require admission to SAU and are awarded as funds allow; meeting the criteria doesn’t guarantee an award.
A job or grad school within six months of graduation. Guaranteed.
Mentorship, skill-building workshops, networking events and internships start in your first year.
Complete the program, and if you don’t have a full-time job or a graduate or professional school admission within six months, SAU keeps investing in you at no cost: career coaching plus targeted coursework or a paid internship.
33.29° N · 93.23° W — Magnolia, Arkansas
Explore campus from anywhere
Walk through campus with current students, then find your way around it on the map.
Virtual tour
- 11 short videos led by current students
- Housing, dining, athletics and all four colleges
- Captions, and a menu to jump to any stop
Campus map
- Shows where you are when you’re on campus
- Photos, departments and directions for every building
- Parking, dining, housing and athletics layers
From out of state
From a neighboring state? Pay Arkansas tuition.
Live on campus and students from these six states pay the same tuition rate as Arkansans.
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Tennessee
From Bowie or Cass County, Texas, or a north Louisiana parish (Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, East Carroll, Morehouse, Union, Webster or West Carroll)? You qualify even if you live off campus.
Questions families ask
Straight answers.
How much does it cost to live on campus at Southern Arkansas University?
For 2026–27, an in-state freshman living on campus pays $9,385 a semester: $3,900 tuition for 15 credit hours, $1,320 in mandatory fees, $2,070 for an average double room and $2,095 for the top meal plan. That is the lowest total of Arkansas’s 10 public universities, where the other nine average $10,631 a semester.
Is SAU the most affordable public university in Arkansas?
For students who live on campus, yes. Counting tuition, mandatory fees, an average double room and the top meal plan, SAU costs $2,493 a year less than the average of Arkansas’s other nine public universities and $7,141 a year less than the University of Arkansas, based on each university’s published 2026–27 rates.
How does Niche rank SAU?
In Niche’s 2027 rankings, SAU is the top-ranked public college on Best Small Colleges in Arkansas (#3 overall, behind two private colleges). It is also #3 in Arkansas for Best Value, Colleges with the Best Professors and Top Public Universities. On each of those lists, the schools ranked higher are in Fayetteville or Little Rock, or are online only.
Can students from Texas, Louisiana or other states pay in-state tuition?
Yes. Students from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee who live in university housing pay the Arkansas tuition rate. Students with a home address in Bowie or Cass County, Texas, or in Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, East Carroll, Morehouse, Union, Webster or West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, qualify even if they live off campus. None of these waivers needs a form. See every tuition waiver.
What scholarships can incoming freshmen get?
SAU academic scholarships for incoming freshmen go up to $12,000 a year and renew for up to 8 semesters. One scholarship application considers students for every SAU academic award. For Fall 2027, the early decision date is January 15 and the priority deadline is March 1. Scholarships require admission to SAU and are awarded as funds allow. See every award.
How many majors does SAU offer?
SAU offers 87 undergraduate majors. Several aren’t offered at any other Arkansas public university: Integrated Livestock Management, the Musical Theatre BFA, and concentrations in Marine Biology, Wealth Management, Pre-Art Therapy and Pre-Music Therapy.
What is the Mulerider Next Step Guarantee?
Students who complete the Next Step program and don’t have a full-time job or a graduate or professional school admission within six months of graduating keep getting support at no cost: career coaching plus targeted coursework or a paid internship. How the guarantee works.
Does SAU charge an application fee?
No. Applying to Southern Arkansas University is free.
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