Study in Arkansas
Studying in Arkansas: low cost, safe campus, and not on everyone’s list
Arkansas sits in the American South, on the Mississippi River. For international students the appeal is not prestige but arithmetic: the same US degree costs considerably less over four years — in exchange for a small city and a smaller international community.
~80,650
Population of Jonesboro, A-State’s city
86.9
Cost-of-living index (US = 100)
1 hour
Drive to Memphis, the nearest international airport
70+
Nationalities in the international student body
Where Arkansas is, and how you get there
Arkansas is a south-central US state bordered on the east by the Mississippi River, next to Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. The capital is Little Rock. Its official nickname is “The Natural State”, after the forests, lakes and the Ozark mountains that cover much of the north-west.
The practical question is how you fly there. The usual route is into Memphis (MEM airport, Tennessee), then about an hour and a half by road to Jonesboro, the city where Arkansas State University sits. A-State runs a shuttle that collects international students from Memphis at the start of each semester.
Little Rock (LIT) is further, about 131 miles. Jonesboro has a small airport but only a couple of domestic connections, and it is rarely the sensible choice on a long-haul itinerary.
Why studying in Arkansas costs less — and how much less
The cost of studying in the US is not set by “America”; it is three things added together: whether the university is public or private, the rate that university charges international students, and the price of living where it sits. Arkansas is favourable on all three.
Arkansas State University is a public university. Jonesboro’s cost-of-living index is 86.9 against a US average of 100 — meaning rent, food and everything else run roughly an eighth below the national average, and considerably below the large metropolitan areas most international students look at first.
An honest comparison needs the numbers from the universities you are actually weighing, not a national average. Every US university is required to publish its own Cost of Attendance — take the international-student line from each and set them side by side. We publish A-State’s here, with its source, so you can do exactly that.
Work out a year’s total costOne year at A-State, international student
| Item | Per year (USD) |
|---|---|
| Tuition (12 credits/term) | $15,024 |
| University fees | $1,302 |
| Housing + meal plan | $12,220 |
| Mandatory health insurance | $1,100 |
| Total per year | $29,646 |
These figures are for 12 credits per term — the minimum full-time load an F-1 visa requires. Taking 15 credits per term to finish in four years raises the annual total. The cost-of-attendance page breaks it down by the load you actually plan to take.
The cheapest hall is a double room at $2,730 per semester; other options cost more.
Source: astate.edu — Tuition & Fees (International) · astate.edu — University Housing Rates 2026–27 (PDF) · US Census — Jonesboro city, Arkansas · Updated Sep 2026
Safety: figures rather than reassurance
This is the first question families ask and the easiest one to answer with sentiment. US federal law — the Clery Act — requires every university to publish annual campus crime statistics: not a self-assessment but audited, mandatory reporting. Our safety page carries A-State’s last three years alongside a frank comparison between the campus and the city of Jonesboro, because the two are not the same thing.
Who Arkansas does not suit
- If you want a large metropolitan area with an established diaspora, plentiful part-time work within that community and easy flights home, California, Texas or Washington will serve you better — and you should choose accordingly. Jonesboro has around 80,000 people; the rhythm is a college town, not a city.
- If you are aiming at the highest-ranked universities in the country for the name, A-State is not in that group and we will not pretend otherwise.
- If you need to leave the city often, budget for a used car and a US driving licence after your first year. GOJO covers life within Jonesboro but will not take you far.
- Arkansas suits the student who weighs the four-year arithmetic: a lower total cost, a safe campus, small classes, and a degree from a fully accredited public university. If that is what you need, this is a very good option.
What living in Arkansas is actually like
Four real seasons
Summers are hot and humid, around 32°C in July. Winters are properly cold: about 8°C by day in January, below freezing at night, with occasional snow. Rain falls year-round — bring a real winter coat, not a windbreaker.
Asian groceries you can reach
Jonesboro has an Asian Food Market on Caraway Road, and A-State runs a weekly shopping shuttle for international students that stops there — so rice, noodles, sauces and Asian vegetables are available without owning a car.
Getting around without a car
The GOJO city bus is free with an A-State student ID and stops on campus. That is a genuine difference from most US college towns, where no car means going nowhere.
Memphis an hour away
When you want a real city — an international airport, Vietnamese restaurants and groceries, blues, NBA basketball — Memphis is an hour’s drive.
Source: NOAA / NWS Memphis — climate normals · Updated Sep 2026
Where you would study
Arkansas State University in Jonesboro is the state’s second-largest public university, continuously accredited by the HLC since 1928, Carnegie-classified R2 for research activity, with more than 170 programmes across 9 colleges. Its international admissions office handles applications, scholarships, I-20s and visa guidance.
Source: astate.edu — Accreditations · astate.edu — About A-State · Updated Sep 2026
Questions about studying in Arkansas
Is Arkansas safe for international students?
A-State’s campus has a 24/7 state-certified police force, more than 1,100 cameras, blue-light emergency boxes and a free evening escort service. Campus crime figures are published annually under the Clery Act and reproduced on our safety page. Campus and city are different things: that page carries both so you can judge for yourself.
What does a year in Arkansas cost?
The official estimate for an international student taking 12 credits a term is about $29646 a year, including tuition, university fees, housing, a meal plan and the mandatory health insurance. The cost-of-attendance page splits every line and recalculates for the credit load you plan to take.
How do you get around without a car?
The GOJO city bus is free with an A-State student ID and stops on campus. The university also runs a weekly shopping shuttle for international students, including a stop at the Asian Food Market. You will not need a car in your first year; many students buy a used one later for longer trips.
Is there a Vietnamese community in Arkansas?
There are Vietnamese students at A-State, but the community is much smaller than in California or Texas. That is worth knowing before you go rather than discovering afterwards. The other side of it is that small classes and few compatriots force you into English every day, which many students count as an advantage.
Is the weather difficult?
Not extreme, but genuinely four-season. Summers are hot and humid, about 32°C in July. Winters are properly cold: around 8°C by day in January, below freezing at night, with occasional snow. Pack a real winter coat before you fly.
What about part-time work and internships?
An F-1 visa permits up to 20 hours a week of on-campus work during term. Off-campus work is lawful only through CPT or OPT and must be authorised in advance. This is federal law and identical in every state — it is not something particular to Arkansas.
Want the arithmetic for your own case?
Free one-to-one advice from our admissions team: choosing a major, a cost estimate against your own grades, the scholarships you could receive, and the timeline from application to departure.