Arkansas Tech University remains the undisputed champion of social mobility among institutions of higher learning in the Natural State.
CollegeNET’s 2018 Social Mobility Index (SMI) ranks ATU No. 1 among all Arkansas colleges and universities with an SMI score of 41.1. Every other institution in the state has a 2018 score below 30.
It marks the fifth consecutive year that Arkansas Tech has led the state in the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index, a standard that evaluates inputs such as tuition rate and the economic status of incoming students and compares them to outputs such as graduation rates and early career salaries for graduates.
“Arkansas Tech University is the statewide leader in social mobility because our faculty and staff have carefully cultivated, maintained and enhanced a culture focused on academic excellence and caring for all students,” said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, ATU president. “By providing access to higher education for 12,101 students this fall, 93.3 percent of whom are Arkansans, ATU remains true to its institutional heritage as a place of opportunity while maintaining an environment of academic excellence, innovation and achievement.”
CollegeNET ranks Arkansas Tech among the top 10.5 percent of all U.S. colleges and universities in social mobility in its 2018 listing.