Arkansas Tech University Agricultural Business (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Agricultural Business and Management
  • Public university
  • Russellville, AR
  • About 50 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Arkansas Tech University agricultural business graduates earn about what agricultural business graduates earn nationally, $44,810 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,620 in federal loans, less than at 81% of agricultural business programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying agricultural business degrees in Arkansas.

First-year earnings$44,81027th percentile of 73 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$50,24112% more than year one
Median federal debt$15,6202nd lowest of 5 Arkansas programs
Debt-to-earnings35%Arkansas median 35%, national 40%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Arkansas and national columns are the medians across all agricultural business bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, Arkansas Tech University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,405 less than the Arkansas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas agricultural business program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Arkansas medians.

Arkansas Tech UniversityOther Arkansas programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 12% between the first and fifth year.

Arkansas Tech University grads, year 1$44,810
Arkansas Tech University grads, year 5$50,241
All Arkansas agricultural business grads, year 5$54,646

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $19,250 against $12,180.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$48,029Median debt $19,250
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$43,160Median debt $12,180

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $166 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (58 of 63) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas are about 17% below the national average, so a $44,810 salary here buys what about $54,019 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to agricultural business, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$58,100

Median pay in Arkansas. 13,630 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 127,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $38,600Top 10%: $86,580

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

$55,120

Median pay in Arkansas. 12,740 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 99,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $29,630Top 10%: $132,200

Computer User Support Specialists

$46,360

Median pay in Arkansas. 4,390 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 39,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: some college, no degree.

Bottom 10%: $34,950Top 10%: $74,680

Buyers and Purchasing Agents

$75,870

Median pay in Arkansas. 4,510 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 47,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $42,710Top 10%: $135,830

About Arkansas Tech University

Agricultural Business ranks 5th of 23 bachelor's programs at Arkansas Tech University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($71,878), Nursing ($68,794), and Mechanical Engineering ($68,765).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $44,810 one year after graduating and $50,241 five years after. The median across agricultural business bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $42,565.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
  • Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Arkansas comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
  • Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
  • School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the agricultural business program.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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