Admit rate has ranged 61%–74% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Ouachita Baptist University is a small, Baptist-affiliated liberal arts college in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where two-thirds of applicants get in—but those who enroll find a tight-knit, faith-infused community with a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and a 99% career outcomes rate. Its social clubs (not Greek life) dominate campus culture, and its 66% graduation rate tops Southern Baptist colleges.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Grade point average
Class rank
Letters of recommendation
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
1,602
In-state tuition
$34,500
Out-of-state tuition
$34,500
Housing
93% on-campus
Location
Arkadelphia, AR
Acceptance Rate
67.5%
4-Year Grad Rate
66%
Career Outcomes Rate
99%
Student-Faculty Ratio
13:1
Annual Cost (After Aid)
$20,677
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$51,673
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.3×
Median debt at graduation
$21,050
Graduation rate
61%
First-year retention
83%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
69%
Pell (lower-income) share
53%
First-generation share
24%
Endowment / student
$87,594
Financial health
2.6 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Finance and Financial Management Services$44,776
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$37,748
Communication and Media Studies$37,208
Design and Applied Arts$37,208
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$36,726
Music
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
0
Per 1,000 students
0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
80
Summer high
92°F
Winter low
38°F
Annual rain
56"
Annual snow
2.4"
Natural-hazard risk
Very Low
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
44
Scholarly works
625
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
2.4%
Bottom → top quintile
26%
From bottom quintile
9%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Ouachita Baptist University?
Ouachita Baptist University's acceptance rate is approximately 68% (Arkadelphia, AR), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Ouachita Baptist University?
Admitted students at Ouachita Baptist University typically score 1070–1280 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Ouachita Baptist University cost?
At Ouachita Baptist University, the average net price (after aid) is about $22,409 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Ouachita Baptist University?
Ouachita Baptist University enrolls approximately 1,602 undergraduate students.
Where is Ouachita Baptist University located?
Ouachita Baptist University is located in Arkadelphia, AR.
Admissions
Ouachita Baptist’s admissions are moderately selective, with a 67.5% Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants.—19 percentage points higher than the national average. The middle 50% of admitted students score between 1080–1270 on the SAT or 22–28 on the ACT. Applications are due August 15, and transfer students are welcome (though specific transfer admission stats aren’t publicly broken out). Notably, the gender gap in admissions is slight: 68% of female applicants were admitted in 2024, mirroring the overall rate.
Ouachita offers 60+ programs across seven schools, with popular majors including communications/journalism (6% of degrees), parks/recreation (6%), and psychology (5%). All students take a CORE curriculum of liberal arts requirements. The 13:1 student-faculty ratio supports intimate classrooms, and the 66% graduation rate—highest among Southern Baptist colleges—suggests students stick around. For the undecided, Ouachita promotes exploratory coursework early on, with one alum noting: 'My freshman year, I mostly took the typical CORE classes... to give me time to explore different areas.'
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$28,598
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$27,439
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$25,967
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Campus life revolves around Ouachita’s unique social club system—homegrown alternatives to Greek life with decades of tradition. A full 93% of students live on campus, fostering what Niche calls 'meaningful relationships' in this 1,500-student community. The Office of Student Life orchestrates events to 'facilitate connections,' but much socialization happens organically through clubs, intramurals, and Division II athletics (the Tigers compete in the NCAA’s Great American Conference). One parent’s guide notes: 'Unlike Greek life at many universities, Ouachita doesn’t have national fraternities and sororities. Instead, we have longstanding social clubs.'
Ouachita boasts a 99% career outcomes rate for recent grads—with 83% of surveyed alumni responding, well above the 75% national average. Its 66% graduation rate outpaces peers like Union University (58%) and Clear Creek Baptist Bible College (50%). The university touts these numbers aggressively, noting in a press release its 'second consecutive 99% career outcomes rate.' About one-third of graduates pursue further education, while others enter fields aligned with top majors like communications and kinesiology.
Tuition runs $52,222 annually, but 57% of students receive financial aid—averaging $31,657 per package and bringing the Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. down to $20,677. Ouachita awards over $42M annually in scholarships/grants, with tools like a [Scholarship Calculator](https://obu.edu/finaid/tuition-value/scholarship-calculator.php) and [Net Price Calculator](https://admissions.obu.edu/register/netpricecalculator) to estimate costs. Aid blends merit and need-based options, plus state and private sources. As the Financial Aid office puts it: 'We offer a comprehensive program... to help with the costs of private higher education.'
Ouachita Baptist carves a niche as a small, faith-driven campus where social clubs—not frat houses—define student life, and where career outcomes rival elite liberal arts colleges (99% placement). Its 13:1 classes and Baptist identity attract students seeking close mentorship and spiritual growth, while its 66% graduation rate—tops among Southern Baptist schools—proves it retains them. As one parent’s guide noted, Ouachita swaps 'national fraternities' for homegrown traditions, creating a culture that’s 'vibrant' (per Niche) but unmistakably its own.
Ouachita Baptist University logo · sourceOuachita Baptist University · sourceOuachita Baptist University · sourceMyLiaison - Ouachita Baptist University · source
