Southern Arkansas University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Southern Arkansas University is a public university in Arkansas that admits most qualified applicants (around 75%), which puts it in the moderately selective range. A rate like this means it admits more applicants than it rejects; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Southern Arkansas University weighs, where it ranks among Arkansas schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1120, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Southern Arkansas University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Southern Arkansas University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Southern Arkansas University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Southern Arkansas University?
At Southern Arkansas University, your real chance depends on far more than the published 75% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Southern Arkansas University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Southern Arkansas University hard to get into?
Southern Arkansas University is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 75% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Southern Arkansas University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Southern Arkansas University, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Southern Arkansas University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Southern Arkansas University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Southern Arkansas University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Southern Arkansas University with a 3.1 GPA and a 990 SAT?
About 88% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 990 SAT, the middle of Southern Arkansas University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1110 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/southern-arkansas-university.
How to get into Southern Arkansas University
Built from Southern Arkansas University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Southern Arkansas University comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Southern Arkansas University carries about a 3.18 core GPA and a 1055 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 875 to 1105 SAT (17 to 24 ACT). Scores are required, so schedule a retake if you are below the midpoint.
Southern Arkansas University rates academic GPA, rigor of secondary school record, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by Southern Arkansas University's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.saumag.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to Southern Arkansas University, and how many get in?
2,936 students applied to Southern Arkansas University for fall 2023; 1,955 were admitted (66.6%). 797 enrolled. Roughly 41% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. Southern Arkansas University enrolls about 2,708 undergraduates in total, 58% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Southern Arkansas University?
Admitted students at Southern Arkansas University post SAT scores of 875 to 1105 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1047. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 17 to 24. A score above 1105 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 875 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Southern Arkansas University requires test scores, so plan a test date that leaves time for one retake.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Southern Arkansas University looks for
What Southern Arkansas University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Southern Arkansas University signals that it values academic GPA, rigor of secondary school record, and standardized test scores above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Southern Arkansas University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Southern Arkansas University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Southern Arkansas University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Southern Arkansas University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $24,951 a year. Tuition and fees are $9,960 for AR residents and $15,690 for out-of-state students, a $5,730 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $14,027 a year, and it ranges from $13,187 for families earning under $30,000 to $19,244 for families earning over $110,000. 48% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Southern Arkansas University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Southern Arkansas University students ten years after entry are $42,386 ($37,008 at the six-year mark). 49% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 66% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $18,750; 63% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Southern Arkansas University compares in Arkansas
Southern Arkansas University ranks #11 most selective of 18 schools in Arkansas in our database.
Among the 18 Arkansas schools we track, Southern Arkansas University ranks #11 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (41%) and Philander Smith University (50%) sit nearby, which makes Arkansas a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to Southern Arkansas University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Southern Arkansas University is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Coastal Carolina University, Miami University (Ohio), and Oklahoma State University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Southern Arkansas University's acceptance rate?
Southern Arkansas University admitted 1,955 of 2,936 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 66.6% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 41% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Southern Arkansas University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 875 to 1105 on the SAT and 17 to 24 on the ACT. A score above 1105 is in the top quarter of admits.
Is Southern Arkansas University test-optional?
No. Southern Arkansas University reports that test scores are required for admission.
How much does Southern Arkansas University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Southern Arkansas University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $14,027 a year against a sticker price of about $24,951. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $13,187 on average.
What do Southern Arkansas University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Southern Arkansas University are $42,386 a year among students who received federal aid, and 49% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Southern Arkansas University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Southern Arkansas University weighs academic GPA, rigor of secondary school record, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Southern Arkansas University favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, Southern Arkansas University generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at Southern Arkansas University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Southern Arkansas University specifically.
How does residency affect admission to Southern Arkansas University?
As a public university, Southern Arkansas University typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.