COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · RUSSELLVILLE, AR

Is Arkansas Tech University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Arkansas Tech University degree clears +$1.06M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Russellville, Arkansas, priced as a Arkansas resident — earnings rolled up from 29 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 Tech University · Russellville, AR

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.06M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$858K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$47,370
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Arkansas resident
$8,508
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$14,502
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$73,440
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$97,416
FREOPP program coverage
29 programs

The out-of-state tax in Arkansas, ranked

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

Arkansas Tech 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 29 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 Tech University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Arkansas Tech University clears +$1.06M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $73,440 and median earnings of $47,370 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 Tech University?
Arkansas Tech University's annual sticker tuition is $8,508 for Arkansas residents and $14,502 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $73,440 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Arkansas Tech University?
Over 4 years, Arkansas Tech University's sticker cost of attendance is $73,440 at resident pricing, or $97,416 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Arkansas prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $47,370.
What is out-of-state tuition at Arkansas Tech University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Arkansas Tech University is $14,502, versus $8,508 for Arkansas residents — a premium of $5,994 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Arkansas Tech University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Arkansas Tech University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$1.06M 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 Tech University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Arkansas Tech University as a Arkansas resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$858K, 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 Tech University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/arkansas-tech-university