Philander Smith University

Private · AR

Photo: Unknown (published in a book edited by W. N. Hartshorn and George W. Penniman) (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationAR · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads751

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate20.5%

6-yr grad rate30.4%

Drop-out rate34.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$13k

Out-of-state tuition$13k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity93.3%

Gender diversity51.3%

International8.4%

IdentityHBCU · United Methodist

Overview

Philander Smith University is a private historically Black university in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It has a long record of educating Black civic, professional, and religious leadership in Arkansas and carries an explicit social-justice mission in its stated identity.

Academics

Teacher education and STEM pathway programs are established strengths, with the university positioning STEM access as part of its broader mission of expanding opportunity for its students.

Campus & student life

The downtown Little Rock location puts students close to the state capital's institutions, employers, and civic and historical sites, giving an HBCU experience with an urban, civic-engagement backdrop rather than a rural or suburban one.

Getting in

Admissions are holistic and mission-aligned, consistent with the university's identity as an access-oriented HBCU.

Worth knowing

The social-justice framing is not incidental branding - it runs through campus programming and the university's public identity in Little Rock and Arkansas more broadly.

philander.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate—

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot reported

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying