UAFS touts it is the most affordable four-year university in Arkansas

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is the most affordable four-year university in the state, according to UAFS officials.

Out of the more than 20 brick-and-mortar universities offering baccalaureate degrees in Arkansas, UAFS ranks lowest in tuition and fees at $3,467.50 per semester for the 2017-18 school year, which is $640 lower than the average tuition and fees at public universities in the state.

UAFS Chancellor Dr. Paul Beran said the university’s low tuition and fee structure establishes UAFS as a “true value.”

“We are pleased to have the designation as the most affordable campus in the state, as it reflects our mission to provide a quality, accessible education to residents of the greater Fort Smith region and Arkansas as a whole,” Beran said. “With the job and graduate school placement rates of our graduates consistently above 85 percent, UAFS is a true value for anyone who wishes to pursue an education that will change their lives for the better at a reasonable cost.”

Raneisha Lewis of Fort Smith, attended UAFS in part due to its affordability and graduated this spring with no student loan debt through a combination of scholarships and working part-time jobs during her college career, noted a UAFS statement. She landed a job as talent management specialist at Fort Smith-based ArcBest Corp. at graduation. She said graduating without student loan debt was a relief.

“It’s a big load off my shoulders. I know that the money I’m making now, I get to save towards whatever I’m doing in the future,” Lewis said. “Everyone wants to see you succeed at UAFS. It’s a smaller campus, where you can create so many relationships with your professors and advisers. At bigger schools, you can’t know everybody. Here, it’s so much easier to know people.”

UAFS had the second-lowest annual tuition and fees in the state last year but became the lowest after tuition increases for the 2017-18 school year.