“Arkansas's oldest university — a Presbyterian liberal arts home where one in five students arrives from abroad.”
Tucked into the Ozark Mountain foothills of Clarksville, Arkansas, the University of the Ozarks is the oldest institution of higher education in Arkansas — founded in 1834 by Cumberland Presbyterians as Cane Hill School and now affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The 30-acre hillside campus sits at the top of College Hill on the north edge of town, with about 20 buildings, classically styled architecture, the historic 1933 Munger-Wilson Memorial Chapel, and a central mall that anchors a small, residential community of roughly 870 students. With a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of 17, Ozarks delivers a deeply personal liberal-arts education through its signature LENS curriculum, which pairs every major with two minors so students 'synthesize and connect' across business, sciences, humanities, and the arts. What sets Ozarks apart from any other small Arkansas LAC is the breadth of its global student body. Roughly one in five undergraduates is international — drawn from more than 25 countries on six continents — a share unheard of at most rural Southern liberal-arts colleges. That presence is largely the legacy of Sam and Helen Walton, whose family foundation has endowed the Walton International Scholarship Program (WISP) since 1985, fully funding ~60 students per cohort from Mexico and Central America at Ozarks alone. A landmark $39.5 million Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation gift in 1998 (and subsequent additions, including a $10 million capacity grant) cemented the relationship and built much of the modern campus. Ozarks is also a national pioneer in supporting students with learning differences: the Jones Learning Center, founded in 1971, was the country's first comprehensive college program for students with documented learning disabilities, ADHD, or autism spectrum disorder, and remains a flagship of the institution. The university competes in NCAA Division III (Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, joined 2025 from the ASC) as the Eagles, and combines small-town affordability — a sticker tuition under $27K — with one of the most internationally diverse classrooms you will find anywhere in the American South.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Regional Colleges South
US News Best Colleges 2024
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission
Ozarks uses rolling admission with no fixed deadline; international applicants are encouraged to apply 6+ months before their intended start to allow I-20 issuance and visa processing.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$26,700
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Houses the university's most-enrolled major — Business Administration — alongside Communication, Digital Media, and Accounting. Small cohorts and a faculty mentorship model give business students direct access to internships through the Walton-connected northwest Arkansas corporate network.
Pre-health pipeline for the university — Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, Mathematics, and Health Sciences. Students engage in faculty-led undergraduate research and the program feeds medical, dental, and PA schools across the region.
Encompasses English, History, Modern Languages (Spanish), Religion & Philosophy, Music, and Visual Arts. The Walton Fine Arts Center anchors performance and exhibition life on campus.
Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Criminal Justice, and the Teacher Education program (PreK-12 licensure pathways). Education majors complete extensive supervised classroom hours in regional schools.
Not a traditional academic division, but a signature comprehensive support program (founded 1971) for students with documented learning differences, ADHD, or autism spectrum disorder. Students enroll in the regular Ozarks curriculum with intensive individualized academic coaching, tutoring, and assistive technology.
4 years
Every Ozarks undergraduate completes a major paired with TWO minors under the LENS curriculum — a deliberately interdisciplinary structure that pushes students to synthesize across fields (e.g., Biology major + Spanish minor + Public Health minor for a pre-med student). Distinctive for a school of its size.
4 years
The first comprehensive college-level program in the United States designed for students with documented learning disabilities, ADHD, or autism spectrum disorder. JLC students earn the same Ozarks degree alongside intensive 1:1 academic coaching, content tutors, and assistive technology — a model later replicated nationwide.
4 years
About 60 fully-funded scholars from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and Belize join each Ozarks cohort under WISP. Scholars complete any Ozarks major (most popular: Business, Biology, Education) with the expectation of returning home post-graduation to drive economic and civic development.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $25,950
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
