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College Ledger

Statement · Little Rock, AR

Philander Smith University

Private nonprofit4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $13,393 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $28,136.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $38,427 ten years after entering, the 15th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years.

  3. 30% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Enrollment, 2023
1,167

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $28,136 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $12,847 and $16,686 a year depending on income at Philander Smith University.

Statement of cost · Philander Smith University

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$28,136
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$13,393
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$14,224
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$13,014

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $13,393; $30–48k: $14,606; $48–75k: $16,686; $75–110k: $12,847; over $110k: $15,800. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, from $17,360 to $28,210; dotted line at the median, $22,313.
  • Shaded: the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years (all incomes), $17,360 to $28,210. Dotted line: the median, $22,313.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$13,393
$30k–$48k$14,606
$48k–$75k$16,686
$75k–$110k$12,847
Over $110k$15,800

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $38,427; the median graduate who borrowed owes $24,736.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$25,254
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$31,824
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
15th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$38,427
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
52nd percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$24,736
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$14,750

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years: $43,845 to $62,830.

6 yrs after entry: $25,254; 8 yrs after entry: $31,824; 10 yrs after entry: $38,427. Median graduate debt: $24,736. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years, from $43,845 to $62,830; dotted line at the median, $52,889.
  • Shaded: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, 10 years out ($43,845 to $62,830); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $24,736.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$25,254
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$31,824
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$38,427
Median graduate debt$24,736

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at Philander Smith University
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree37$41,548$27,622
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree20not reportednot reported
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree18not reportednot reported
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree11not reportednot reported
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree11not reportednot reported
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree8not reportednot reported
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree8not reportednot reported
Social WorkBachelor's Degree6not reportednot reported
MathematicsBachelor's Degree5not reportednot reported
English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree4not reportednot reported
SociologyBachelor's Degree3not reportednot reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree2not reportednot reported
Show all 17 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree2not reportednot reported
Philosophy and Religious Studies, GeneralBachelor's Degree2not reportednot reported
ChemistryBachelor's Degree1not reportednot reported
Biological and Physical SciencesBachelor's Degree0not reportednot reported
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, OtherBachelor's Degreenot reported$40,783$49,638

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

Philander Smith University: 751 undergraduates; 68% of students receive Pell grants.

Admission rate

not reported

Undergraduates

751

41st percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Pell share

68%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

92nd percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Completion

30%

finish within 150% of normal time

12th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

First-generation

43%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$18,743

12th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k64%
  • $30k–$48knot reported
  • $48k–$75knot reported
  • $75k–$110knot reported
  • Over $110knot reported
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k64%
$30k–$48knot reported
$48k–$75knot reported
$75k–$110knot reported
Over $110knot reported

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.