University of Arkansas vs. Texas A&M University

A side-by-side comparison of Arkansas and Texas A&M — acceptance rates (73.9% vs. 51.7%), SAT scores (1020–1210 vs. 1160–1390), tuition, financial aid, and majors, drawn from each school's official Common Data Set.

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ArkansasFayetteville, AR

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

Arkansas CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Arkansas CDS (Fall 2025).
73.9%acceptance rate
Applied
32,928
Admitted
24,326
Enrolled
6,956

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state79.2%
7,116 admitted of 8,988 applicants
Out-of-state76.2%
17,028 admitted of 22,358 applicants
International11.5%
182 admitted of 1,578 applicants

Early action

Arkansas offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Arkansas is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1020
50th Percentile
1110
75th Percentile
1210

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
21
50th Percentile
24
75th Percentile
28

Class rank

Where Arkansas's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class25.9%
Top quarter of class79.1%
Top half of class93.7%

Based on the 58% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Arkansas does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Arkansas weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Arkansas's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$33,988
In-State
$56,256
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$10,916$33,184
Room & Board
$15,694$15,694
Other Expenses
$7,378$7,378
Total
$33,988$56,256

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$14k
$30–48k~$14k
$48–75k~$16k
$75–110k~$21k
$110k+~$22k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants17.8%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

2024–25 CDSArkansas's 2025-2026 Common Data Set hasn't published this section yet, so this figure is shown from the 2024-2025 edition instead.
Receiving Aid
44%
Avg. Package
$12,543
Avg. Need Met
55%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Health Professions
Engineering
Communication/Journalism
Biological & Life Sciences
Social Sciences
Psychology
Other
Business
31%
Health
10%
Engineering
7%
Comms
7%
Life Sci
6%
Social Sci
6%
Psychology
5%
Other
28%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

N/A

Student outcomes

First-years who return86%
Graduate within six years71%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$69k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$22k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Arkansas’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

  • Finance

    382 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$88kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$22k median debt
  • Nursing

    342 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$85kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$20k median debt
  • Business Administration & Management

    332 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$80kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$21k median debt
  • Psychology

    243 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$48kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$22k median debt
  • Biology

    178 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$54kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$22k median debt
Show all 35 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
85%
In Fraternities
24%
In Sororities
47%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize city
Location
Fayetteville, AR

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
4825J
5229F
6136M
7045A
7754M
8563J
8967J
8965A
8257S
7145O
5935N
5028D
Snow a year
7 in
Precipitation a year
47 in
Days at 90°F or above
41
Days below 32°F
94

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, FAYETTEVILLE DRAKE FLD, AR US station, 4.2 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

45%
55%
Male
12,947
Female
16,046

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White72.7%
Hispanic12.5%
Other7.2%
Black3.5%
Asian and Pacific Islander3.1%
Native American<1%
Texas A&MCollege Station, TX

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

Texas A&M CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Texas A&M CDS (Fall 2025).
51.7%acceptance rate
Applied
62,967
Admitted
32,531
Enrolled
12,484

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state54.2%
26,620 admitted of 49,156 applicants
Out-of-state41.3%
4,489 admitted of 10,882 applicants
International48.5%
1,422 admitted of 2,929 applicants

Early admissions

Texas A&M does not offer an Early Decision or Early Action plan; all applicants apply through Regular Decision.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Not offered
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Texas A&M is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1160
50th Percentile
1280
75th Percentile
1390

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
24
50th Percentile
28
75th Percentile
32

Class rank

Where Texas A&M's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class71.56%
Top quarter of class93.14%
Top half of class98.62%

Based on the 72.15% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Texas A&M does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Texas A&M weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Texas A&M's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$31,626
In-State
$59,617
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$12,856$40,847
Room & Board
$12,944$12,944
Other Expenses
$5,826$5,826
Total
$31,626$59,617

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$13k
$30–48k~$13k
$48–75k~$17k
$75–110k~$27k
$110k+~$31k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants19.6%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
40%
Avg. Package
$20,717
Avg. Need Met
71%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Engineering
Agriculture & Life Sciences
Social Sciences & Communication
Business
Sciences & Computing
Health Professions
Other
Engineering
22.9%
Ag & Life Sci
20.1%
Social Sci
14.4%
Business
13.9%
Sciences
7.2%
Health
6.5%
Other
15%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

20:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return95%
Graduate within six years85%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$76k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$18k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Texas A&M’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 36 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
55%
In Fraternities
N/A
In Sororities
N/A

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize city
Location
College Station, TX

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
6241J
6645F
7352M
7958A
8666M
9273J
9575J
9775A
9170S
8260O
7150N
6343D
Precipitation a year
42 in
Days at 90°F or above
117
Days below 32°F
16

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, COLLEGE STN, TX US station, 2.6 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

53%
47%
Male
32,976
Female
29,055

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White50.2%
Hispanic26.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander14.8%
Other5.9%
Black2.6%
Native American<1%

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Arkansas vs. Texas A&M: frequently asked questions

Texas A&M is more selective: it admits about 51.7% of applicants, compared with 73.9% at Arkansas. Both are competitive, and your odds depend on far more than the overall rate.

The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1020–1210 at Arkansas and 1160–1390 at Texas A&M on the SAT. Treat the ranges as a benchmark — a score inside or above a school's range keeps you competitive there.

Arkansas has the lower published price for out-of-state students — $33,184 in tuition and fees versus $40,847 at Texas A&M, a gap of about $7,663 a year before financial aid.

Texas A&M graduates a higher share of its students within six years — 85% versus 71% at Arkansas.

Texas A&M. Its Common Data Set rates the application essay important, against considered at Arkansas, so the same draft carries more weight at Texas A&M. Both still read essays as part of a full application review.

Source: University of Arkansas Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-10. % of Full-Time First-Years Awarded Need-Based Grant Aid, Average Aid Package, Students With Need Who Received Aid, and Average % of Need Met, Students With Need Who Received Aid are from the 2024-2025 edition. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Arkansas. Banner photo by Michael Barera, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Source: Texas A&M University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-07. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Texas A&M. Banner photo by Donnie Ray Jones, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).