Arkansas State University
73%
Acceptance rate
~8%
Intl. students
$27,312
Tuition/yr
11,900
Enrollment
16:1
Student:Faculty
About Arkansas State University
Public research university in Jonesboro, AR. Strong agriculture, engineering, and business school with growing international programs.
Arkansas State University (A-State) is a public doctoral research university located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, founded in 1909 as the First District Agricultural School. Designated a Carnegie R2 research institution, it now offers more than 170 degree programs across 11 colleges and achieved a record Fall 2025 enrollment of 17,926 students.
A-State's most popular and well-resourced programs include Nursing and Health Professions, Agriculture, Business Administration, Engineering and Technology, and Communication. The College of Nursing and Health Professions holds ACEN accreditation, and the university's agricultural programs reflect its founding mission as a land-grant-style regional institution. A student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1 supports relatively accessible instruction.
The main campus is in Jonesboro, the largest city in northeast Arkansas, about 130 km from Memphis, Tennessee. The university is ranked No. 352 among National Universities and No. 191 among Top Public Schools by U.S. News and World Report (2026 edition). It does not appear in QS or Times Higher Education global rankings, reflecting its regional rather than research-intensive profile.
World University Rankings
Campus & Location
AR
Suburban
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
All graduates qualify for 12-month OPT. STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total work authorisation.
For Nepali students
- A-State charges approximately $27,000–$31,000 per year in tuition and mandatory fees for international undergraduates (at $600/credit hour), placing it in the lower-mid cost tier among U.S. universities and making it more accessible than flagship state schools for Nepali families.
- International freshman and transfer students with a 3.25 GPA or higher are automatically considered for a $3,000/year scholarship at admission, with no separate application required, meaningfully reducing out-of-pocket costs from the first year.
- Graduates on F-1 visas are eligible for 12 months of OPT, and those in STEM-designated programs such as Engineering or Computer Science qualify for a 24-month OPT extension, providing up to three years of U.S. work authorization post-graduation.
- The university hosts over 1,200 international students from 70+ countries, and Jonesboro's low cost of living relative to major U.S. cities stretches student budgets further than coastal or metropolitan-area institutions.
Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents
A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:
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