Public
Accredited · Higher Learning Commission
Fort Smith, Arkansas
81.5% Acceptance Rate
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
81.5%Acceptance Rate
3.39Avg GPA
1050Avg SAT
21Avg ACT
$18,052Annual Cost
$41,102Grad Salary
39.1%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
81.5%
Avg GPA
3.39
Avg SAT
1050
Avg ACT
21
Selectivity
Inclusive
Institution Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Higher Learning Commission
SAT Middle 50%
1010–1080
ACT Middle 50%
18–23
Avg Net Price
$10,097
Need-Based Aid
39.1% receive Pell
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith serves western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma as a regional comprehensive university. Established in 1928 as a junior college, UAFS has grown into a four-year institution offering 70+ bachelor's and associate degrees to over 6,000 students. The 170-acre campus features modern facilities including the Boreham Business Building with trading room, the Windgate Art & Design Building with professional studios, and the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center.
UAFS excels in career-focused programs like cybersecurity, graphic design, and industrial technology that boast strong regional employment outcomes. The university's 'Western Arkansas Technical Center' provides customized workforce training for employers like ArcBest and Mercy Hospital. UAFS maintains unique partnerships through its 'Renaissance Institute' for adult learners and 'YES College Prep' for first-generation students. The campus's River Valley location supports outdoor learning opportunities in environmental science and recreation. UAFS's commitment to affordability includes the 'Lion Pride Scholarship' covering full tuition for qualifying students.
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Acceptance Rate
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) runs an open-access admission policy — with a 81.5% acceptance rate, the focus is on getting qualified students in, not filtering them out.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in — worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Selectivity scale: Inclusive — 81.5% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.39 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.19 – 3.38
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 2.94
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
The application deadline for University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is July 31 for Priority applicants, with additional plans listed below.
Key Admission Dates
⏳ 4 days left — Priority
Priority
July 31
Priority
January 5
Priority
May 8
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
UAFS GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at UAFS is 3.39. That makes admissions here competitive, but not extremely selective. Most admitted students carry a mix of A's and B's.
In the 3.09–3.39 range, a high SAT or ACT score still carries real weight.
Most schools report GPA on a weighted or unweighted 4.0 scale differently — for an unweighted profile like this, students with AP/IB coursework typically carry a weighted GPA of 3.59–3.79.UAFS GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Holistic review is critical for admission.
Recommended Strategy: Requires Contextual Factors (Leadership, hardship, or talent).
Where your GPA falls in this range shapes what the rest of your application needs to do:
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.39 – 4.00
Strategic Reach
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.19 – 3.38
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
2.99 – 3.18
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 2.98
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Evaluation Metrics That Matter Here
- General undergraduate admission fee is $0 - UAFS is free to apply to, and transfer students with a 2.0+ cumulative GPA are automatically admitted to the university itself.
- Nursing program tracks have different deadlines: ADN (Traditional/LPN-ADN) - April 29 (fall) / Oct. 29 (spring); BSN (Accelerated/Traditional) - March 1 (fall) / Oct. 1 (spring). These are internal program deadlines distinct from general university admission.
- UAFS caps nursing cohorts at approximately 30 new students per semester; selection ranks applicants competitively by GPA and TEAS score even above the stated minimums.
- UAFS offers in-state tuition reciprocity to residents of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, and Oklahoma - a meaningful cost lever for regional out-of-state applicants that most peer institutions don't extend this broadly.
- Rigor Over Raw Number: A slightly lower GPA (say 3.8) paired with multiple AP or IB courses often outweighs a flat 4.0 from a standard curriculum.
- Trajectory Matters: A lower start in 9th or 10th grade, followed by a clear upward trend senior year, reads as academic resilience rather than a weakness.
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at UAFS
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on University of Arkansas-Fort Smith's verified institutional data
--%
Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if UAFS is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into UAFS Without SAT or ACT?
UAFS requires SAT or ACT scores — applications without them won't be reviewed. Plan test dates early, and if your first score lands below the average shown below, sit for it again.
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Average SAT Score: 1050
The average SAT score of admitted students at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is 1050 on the 1600-point scale.
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1050 — Accessible
This average is on the lower end nationally, making a strong score here a genuine advantage.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1080 SAT or 23 ACT) to stand out. Below average? University of Arkansas-Fort Smith allows Score Choice for the SAT, so a retake only helps — a low sitting never has to be sent.
If your score is below 1010, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at UAFS. Retaking multiple times is completely normal — most competitive applicants sit for it two or three times. There's no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | - | - | - |
| SAT Reading | - | - | - |
| SAT Composite | 1050 | 1010 | 1080 |
Below 1010, you're behind most admitted students; at 1080 or above, you're ahead of 75% of them. (25th/75th percentile = the score below which that share of admitted students fall.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1050
Can I get into University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) with a 1100 SAT?
A 1100 SAT puts you ahead of most of UAFS's admitted class — but admissions still weighs GPA, course rigor, and essays alongside it. A strong score opens the door; the rest of your profile decides what happens next.
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) ACT Requirements
The average ACT score at UAFS is 21.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 21 — Less Competitive
This average is slightly below the national ACT mean.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 21 | 17 | 24 |
| ACT English | 21 | 18 | 24 |
| ACT Composite | 21 | 18 | 23 |
Can I get into University of Arkansas-Fort Smith with a 23 ACT?
A 23 ACT puts you ahead of 75% of UAFS's admitted students — a strong position, though the ACT is only one benchmark among several admissions weighs.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT scores four separate sections — English, Math, Reading, and Science — each on a 1–36 scale. A noticeably weak section (Science, especially, at STEM-focused schools) stands out to reviewers, so it's worth checking your section breakdown for outliers before applying.
Your ACT score clears the first filter, but GPA, course rigor, extracurricular depth, recommendations, and essays are what carry an application the rest of the way at UAFS.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for UAFS
Accessible Strategy: Academic Foundation
UAFS takes a broad view of applicants. Your energy is best spent proving readiness for coursework and maximizing your financial aid package.
Understand the two-tier system: university admission is inclusive, but your target program may not be
UAFS admits transfer students automatically with a 2.00 cumulative GPA and welcomes non-traditional, first-generation, and "second-chance" students explicitly in its own messaging - this is not a gatekept front door. But if your goal is the Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing, dental hygiene, or another Health Sciences program, treat the university application as step one of two. Apply to UAFS with plenty of runway before your target program's internal deadline, since program seats are capped and ranked competitively regardless of how open general admission is.
Hit the TEAS score threshold that actually matches your specific nursing track, not a generic "pass" number
UAFS uses different TEAS cutoffs across tracks: the general ADN pathway requires a 60% TEAS minimum with a 2.5 cumulative GPA, while the dental hygiene and PN/health-sciences tracks reference a 58.6% or 200-scaled-score threshold with a 2.0 GPA floor. These numbers are not interchangeable across programs - confirm the exact figure for your specific track (ADN vs. BSN vs. LPN-to-ADN) on the current program page before you schedule your one-per-year TEAS attempt, since a retake requires waiting 30 days and re-clearing the deadline.
Protect your "two-attempt" ceiling on math and science courses from day one
UAFS nursing admission criteria explicitly disqualify applicants who have attempted any required math or science course more than twice - this includes courses taken years before you apply to the program. If you're aiming for nursing, take Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, or Statistics only when you're fully prepared (tutoring, review, whatever it takes) rather than testing the waters with a withdrawal-prone first attempt, because a withdrawal or repeat still counts against your two-try limit.
Use UAFS's built-in financial pipeline as leverage in your application narrative for nursing
UAFS's ADN program was built in direct partnership with Mercy and Baptist Hospitals, which offer tuition reimbursement designed to let "nearly all students" enroll with no out-of-pocket cost, and the school reports one of Arkansas' highest NCLEX-RN pass rates. If you're applying to nursing, reference your intent to stay in the Fort Smith regional healthcare workforce in any interview or advising conversation - the program's entire design is a regional workforce pipeline, and admissions staff respond to applicants who understand that framing rather than treat UAFS as a generic stepping-stone.
Expert Insight:
Because UAFS markets itself as open and welcoming to "all kinds of students," some applicants assume the nursing and allied-health programs use the same philosophy - they don't. These programs cap admission at roughly 30 students per cohort per semester (fall and spring), rank purely by GPA and TEAS score even after minimums are met, and explicitly state that meeting minimum criteria "does not guarantee admission." A qualified applicant can still be placed on an alternate list with zero guarantee of a future seat, so treat the nursing application on its own competitive timeline - separate application deadlines exist for ADN (April 29 / Oct. 29) versus BSN (March 1 / Oct. 1) tracks, and missing the earlier BSN deadline while aiming for that track is a common, avoidable mistake.
UAFS Profile
Full Name
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS)
City
Fort Smith
State
Arkansas
ZIP Code
72913-3649
Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Higher Learning Commission (NCACHE)
Is a UAFS Degree Worth It?
UAFS offers a rigorous academic environment, but 'worth it' is a personal calculation of cost, program fit, and outcomes — the figures below are a starting point.
The average household income among admitted students is $45,300, with a graduate unemployment rate of 3.24%.
How much does a degree from UAFS Cost?
The sticker price is $18,052/year, but the average net price students actually pay — after Pell and federal grants — is closer to $10,097.
39.1% of students receive a Pell Grant and 28.2% take federal loans at UAFS — file your FAFSA early and list UAFS as a choice to be considered for both.
How much does a UAFS Graduate earn?
Median earnings 10 years after enrollment (roughly 4–6 years post-graduation) are $41,102 — about 1% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faulkner University | Montgomery, AL | 1016 | 20 |
| University of West Alabama | Livingston, AL | 1015 | 20 |
| Central Baptist College | Conway, AR | 1022 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton | Morrilton, AR | 1020 | 20 |
| Williams Baptist University | Walnut Ridge, AR | 1018 | 19 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Denver, CO | 1014 | 20 |
| Colorado State University Pueblo | Pueblo, CO | 1005 | 22 |
| Trinity Baptist College | Jacksonville, FL | 1007 | 20 |
| College of Coastal Georgia | Brunswick, GA | 1001 | 18 |
| Thomas University | Thomasville, GA | 1037 | 21 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, AL | 1055 | 21 |
| Marion Military Institute | Marion, AL | 1043 | 20 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR | 1049 | 21 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Russellville, AR | 1050 | 21 |
| Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia, AR | 1050 | 20 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery, AL | 1090 | 21 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL | 1119 | 23 |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile, AL | 1090 | 22 |
| Troy University | Troy, AL | 1086 | 22 |
| Tuskegee University | Tuskegee, AL | 1121 | 22 |
Degree Programs at UAFS
Bachelor Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About UAFS Admissions
Median earnings for University of Arkansas-Fort Smith graduates sit around $41,102 a year.
At about $18,052 a year, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is on the more affordable end.
About 39.1% receive a Pell Grant at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith — moderate odds, largely income-dependent, but an early FAFSA filing still helps.
At 81.5%, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith's acceptance rate is on the more attainable end compared to top-tier selective schools.
Admitted students at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith average a 3.39 GPA.
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith doesn't publish a hard GPA floor — but landing at or above 3.09 keeps you in the typical applicant range; below it, lean on essays and recommendations.
Below 2.99, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith becomes a harder reach — though a strong test score, meaningful activities, and AP/IB coursework can still make a real case.
A strong SAT score matters at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith — aim above 1050, ideally within the 1010–1080 range admitted students typically fall in.
The application deadline for University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is July 31 for Priority applicants.
Yes — transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most — along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.
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