The higher level of academic quality in Arkansas’ independent colleges and universities is well known beyond the state’s borders. Six of the 11 independent schools have been listed in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” issue. Several have been listed on the Templeton Honor Roll for Character Building Colleges, a list that recently included only 134 schools nationwide, public and private.

Each year, up to 48 percent of the Arkansas Governor’s Scholars – the state’s brightest high school students – choose to attend one of Arkansas’ independent schools. Additionally, these schools boast a number of Arkansas’ most respected citizens and influential leaders either as distinguished alumni or serving on their boards of trustees.

Arkansas’ independent colleges and universities fill an important public need. Even though they enroll just 10 percent of the state’s college students, they award 20 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and 34 percent of all natural science degrees. The average on-time graduation rate at the independent schools is two-and-a-half times that of Arkansas’ publicly supported schools.

A big reason for this higher graduation rate is the smaller class sizes in Arkansas’ independent colleges and universities. The one-on-one relationships between faculty and students help foster a stronger learning environment that encourages accelerated academic achievement.