Barbara A. Douglas, Chief Executive Officer | Velvatex College of Beauty Culture
Barbara A. Douglas, Chief Executive Officer | Velvatex College of Beauty Culture
Data shows that students paid $8,994 on average to attend higher education courses at the time, $47 more than the previous school year.
Among the 14 institutions providing full disclosure in the county, Arkansas Beauty School-Little Rock stood out with the highest tuition fees, reaching an average of $19,455. Paul Mitchell the School-Little Rock followed with an average of $17,070 per year. The University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College students were offered the lowest annual tuition fees at $5,820.
At the time, at least $13.7 million in grants or scholarships were awarded to full-time undergraduates who started at the Pulaski County universities in the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, federal student loans reached more than $5.7 million.
Currently there are 15 higher education institutions in Pulaski County, including Arthur's Beauty College, Washington Barber College Inc, and Baptist Health College Little Rock.
Undergraduate education costs have seen a significant increase over the past few decades. Data shows a 169% rise in the average total cost, including tuition, fees, room, and board, between 1980 and 2020.
According to a 2023 College Board report, in-state students at public universities paid an average of $11,260, while out-of-state students paid $29,150 in the 2023-24 academic year.
Meanwhile, student loan debt has steadily increased over the last 30 years, reaching $1.75 trillion in 2024, averaging a total of $28,950 per borrower. Federal loans make up 92% of the debt, with over half of students at both public and private four-year colleges graduating with student loans.
Of the 15 institutions in Pulaski County, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences did not provide detailed data on tuition fees.
Available data sometimes exceeds 100% due to rounding and administrative calculations.
| Institution | Number of Students Receiving Grants | Total Amount of Grants Received | Average Amount of Grant Per Student | Number of Students Receiving Loans | Total Amount of Loans Received | Average Amount of Loans Per Student |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Mitchell the School-Little Rock | 41 | $261,094 | $6,368 | 45 | $356,531 | $7,923 |
| Velvatex College of Beauty Culture | 8 | $48,632 | $6,079 | 8 | $56,494 | $7,062 |
| GoodFellas Barber College | 22 | $102,499 | $4,659 | 18 | $135,640 | $7,536 |
| Baptist Health College Little Rock | 0 | $0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | $0 |
| Washington Barber College Inc | 59 | $274,731 | $4,656 | 59 | $285,148 | $4,833 |
| Philander Smith University | 193 | $2,275,138 | $11,788 | 116 | $721,601 | $6,221 |
| Arkansas Welding Academy | 70 | $356,949 | $5,099 | 76 | $866,515 | $11,402 |
| University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College | 504 | $3,020,012 | $5,992 | 206 | $786,934 | $3,820 |
| Arkansas Beauty School-Little Rock | 18 | $99,494 | $5,527 | 18 | $115,496 | $6,416 |
| Arkansas Baptist College | 134 | $1,578,993 | $11,784 | 76 | $437,104 | $5,751 |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Shorter College | 112 | $648,710 | $5,792 | 85 | $763,045 | $8,977 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 500 | $4,984,121 | $9,968 | 202 | $1,080,369 | $5,348 |
| Strayer University-Arkansas | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Arthur's Beauty College | 9 | $55,508 | $6,168 | 8 | $59,811 | $7,476 |
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