University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became a private four-year university under the name Little Rock University in 1957. [ 9 ] It returned to public status in 1969 when it merged with the University of Arkansas System under its present name. [ 10 ] As of 2025, the former campus of Little Rock Junior College is used by Philander Smith University . [ 11 ] In 1975, UA Little Rock's William H. Bowen School of Law was established. The university also began offering graduate and professional work in 1975, and the Graduate School was created in 1977. [ 9 ] In 1986, the UA Little Rock public radio station KUAR went on the air. [ 12 ] In 2000, UA Little Rock was classified as a doctoral university/research intensive in the National Carnegie categories of institutions of higher education. [ 9 ] In 2002, the university celebrated its 75th anniversary. In 2005, UA Little Rock opened its on-campus intercollegiate athletic arena , a gift from Jackson T. Stephens . [ 13 ] On May 2, 2012, the university dedicated its $15 million Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences. The center facilitates collaboration among researchers at UA Little Rock, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , the University of Arkansas, and the Food and Drug Administration ’s National Center for Toxicological Research . In 2013, UA Little Rock opened the George W. Donaghey Emerging Analytics Center to provide visual data services for regional institutions. [ 14 ] In January 2018, the Windgate Center of Art + Design opened. Funded by a $20.3 million gift from the Windgate Charitable Foundation, the center includes 64,000 square feet of classrooms, studios, and art galleries. [ 15 ] In October 2022, UA Little Rock announced the largest fundraising effort in university history ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2027. The Centennial Campaign aims to raise $250 million. As of September 2025, the university had raised $233 million.

[ 16 ] In November 2023, UA Little Rock announced its new Trojan Guarantee scholarship that provides a tuition-free bachelor's degree to eligible first-time freshmen by covering any remaining tuition and mandatory fees after other financial aid, such as the Pell Grant and Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, has been applied. [ 17 ] In October 2024, the university completed the multi-year Trojan Way Project [ 18 ] that revitalized the heart of campus. Funded by an $8.5 million grant from the George W. Donaghey Foundation, the project features new lighting and landscaping, a scenic new north–south promenade, and a revitalized plaza near Ottenheimer Library. On August 1, 2025, UA Little Rock received a $4.2 million gift from the Trinity Foundation to strengthen early childhood education in Arkansas. [ 19 ] During the fall 2025 semester, UA Little Rock marked the largest undergraduate enrollment increase since 2001. In fall 2025, the university enrolled 7,011 undergraduate and graduate students, up from 6,913 in fall 2024, representing a 1.4 percent increase. With the addition of students at the William H. Bowen School of Law and concurrent enrollment high school students, a total fall 2025 enrollment of about 8,000 is anticipated. [ 20 ]

Quick facts Academic rankings, National ... Academic rankings National U.S. News & World Report [ 21 ] 384 Washington Monthly [ 22 ] 716 Global ARWU [ 23 ] 901–1000 Close UA Little Rock Student Services Center The university offers more than 100 undergraduate degrees [ 24 ] and 60 graduate degrees, [ 25 ] including graduate certificates, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees, through both traditional and online courses. [ 26 ] Students attend classes in one of the university's three new colleges and a law school: [ 27 ] College of Business, Health, and Human Services [ 28 ] College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education [ 29 ] Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics [ 30 ] William H. Bowen School of Law [ 31 ]

UA Little Rock homecoming boat regatta More information Race and ethnicity, Total ... Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2025 Race and ethnicity [ 32 ] Total White 44.9% Black 23.6% Two or more races 8.3% Hispanic 8.3% International student 7.9% Asian 2.0% American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4% Unknown 3.5% Economic diversity Low-income [ a ] 48% Affluent [ b ] 52% Close The student life at UA Little Rock is typical of public universities in the United States. It is characterized by student-run organizations and affiliation groups that support social, academic, athletic, and religious activities and interests. Some of the services offered by the UA Little Rock Office of Campus Life are intramural sports and fitness programs, leadership development, peer tutoring, student government association, student support programs including groups for non-traditional and first-generation students, a student-run newspaper, and fraternity and sorority life. The proximity of the UA Little Rock campus to downtown Little Rock enables students to take advantage of a wide array of recreational, entertainment, educational, internship, and employment opportunities that are not available anywhere else in Arkansas. [ 33 ] Campus living UA Little Rock Trojan Grill UA Little Rock provides a variety of on-campus living options for students, including traditional resident rooms and multiple-bedroom apartments. The university has four residence halls on the eastern side of the campus and the University Village Apartment Complex [ 34 ] on the southern side of campus. On-campus housing options include private rooms, suites, apartments, and pod-style living. Some accommodations include full kitchens, laundry facilities, WiFi, a theatre, study rooms, reserved parking, and an outdoor pool. The university also features a variety of on-campus dining options: Trojan Cafe, Hissho Sushi, Tres Habaneros, Starbucks, WOW American Eats, Common’s Market, SubConnection, and Business Brew.