COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · JONESBORO, AR

Is Arkansas State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Arkansas State University degree clears +$1.04M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Jonesboro, Arkansas, priced as a Arkansas resident — earnings rolled up from 39 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Arkansas State University · Jonesboro, AR

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.04M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$832K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$47,309
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Arkansas resident
$7,754
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$13,826
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$75,416
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$99,704
FREOPP program coverage
39 programs

The out-of-state tax in Arkansas, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Arkansas State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Arkansas’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 39 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Arkansas State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Arkansas State University clears +$1.04M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $75,416 and median earnings of $47,309 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Arkansas State University?
Arkansas State University's annual sticker tuition is $7,754 for Arkansas residents and $13,826 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $75,416 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Arkansas State University?
Over 4 years, Arkansas State University's sticker cost of attendance is $75,416 at resident pricing, or $99,704 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Arkansas prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $47,309.
What is out-of-state tuition at Arkansas State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Arkansas State University is $13,826, versus $7,754 for Arkansas residents — a premium of $6,072 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Arkansas State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Arkansas State University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$1.04M ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for Arkansas State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Arkansas State University as a Arkansas resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$832K, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Arkansas). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Arkansas State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/arkansas-state-university