Quad

Head-to-head

Tarleton State
U. Central Arkansas

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Central Arkansas's yield is 10 pts higher than Tarleton State's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Tarleton State graduates 9 pts more of its students than U. Central Arkansas (59% vs. 51%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Tarleton State has 8 pts more first-gen students than U. Central Arkansas (42% vs. 35%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    Tarleton State grads earn $7.1K more ten years out than U. Central Arkansas's ($53,040 vs. $45,938)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Tarleton State has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. Central Arkansas

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    U. Central Arkansas has 4 pts more Pell recipients than Tarleton State (38% vs. 34%)

    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. Central Arkansas admits 89%, Tarleton State 90%; U. Central Arkansas's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
Tarleton State90%
U. Central Arkansas89%
Quad's selectivity
  • Tarleton StateOpen
  • U. Central ArkansasOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Tarleton State
980–1160
U. Central Arkansas
910–1170
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Tarleton StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • U. Central ArkansasGPA required

Who's on each campus

Tarleton State has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. Central Arkansas; U. Central Arkansas has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Tarleton State12.7K
U. Central Arkansas7.8K
Pell Grant share
Tarleton State34%
U. Central Arkansas38%

Majors and faculty

Exercise Science and Kinesiology leads at Tarleton State, and Psychology at U. Central Arkansas.

Students per faculty member
Tarleton State20 to 1
U. Central Arkansas15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Tarleton StateExercise Science and Kinesiology8%
  • U. Central ArkansasPsychology, General9%

What each costs

Tarleton State and U. Central Arkansas cost about the same a year on average; U. Central Arkansas's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Tarleton State$17K
U. Central Arkansas$17.8K
Aid generosity
Tarleton State30%
U. Central Arkansas32%

What each pays off

Tarleton State's former students earn more, a median $53K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Tarleton State$53K
U. Central Arkansas$45.9K
Graduation rate
Tarleton State59%
U. Central Arkansas51%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Central Arkansas got more selective while Tarleton State got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Tarleton StateGrowing+43%
  • U. Central ArkansasGrowing+36%
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:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;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 2018About 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