Quad

Head-to-head

U. Arkansas
U. Idaho

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Idaho's grants cover 39% of its full price on average, vs. 12% at U. Arkansas

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    U. Idaho costs about $16K less per year on average than U. Arkansas ($19,240 vs. $35,289, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    U. Arkansas has 3.7× as many undergrads as U. Idaho

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    U. Arkansas's yield is 9 pts higher than U. Idaho's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    U. Idaho has 6 pts more first-gen students than U. Arkansas (32% vs. 26%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    U. Idaho has 6 pts more Pell recipients than U. Arkansas (23% vs. 18%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Arkansas admits 74%, U. Idaho 76%; U. Arkansas's yield is higher, at 29%.

Acceptance rate
U. Arkansas74%
U. Idaho76%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. ArkansasAccessible
  • U. IdahoAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
U. Arkansas
1020–1210
U. Idaho
990–1230
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. ArkansasRigor, GPA, rank, and tests very important62%
  • U. IdahoGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

U. Arkansas has 3.7× as many undergrads as U. Idaho; U. Idaho has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Arkansas28.7K
U. Idaho7.7K
Pell Grant share
U. Arkansas18%
U. Idaho23%

Majors and faculty

Marketing/Marketing Management leads at U. Arkansas, and Psychology at U. Idaho; U. Idaho has 18 students per faculty member to U. Arkansas's 20.

Students per faculty member
U. Arkansas20 to 1
U. Idaho18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. ArkansasMarketing/Marketing Management, General8%
  • U. IdahoPsychology, General7%

What each costs

U. Idaho costs about $16K less a year than U. Arkansas on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Arkansas$35.3K
U. Idaho$19.2K
Aid generosity
U. Arkansas12%
U. Idaho39%

What each pays off

U. Arkansas's former students earn more, a median $58.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Arkansas$58.2K
U. Idaho$54.7K
Graduation rate
U. Arkansas68%
U. Idaho62%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. ArkansasGrowing+61%
  • U. IdahoGrowing+58%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:University of Arkansas (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Arkansas Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why