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Best Trade Programs in Arkansas (2026)

Top 100 of 135 programs in Arkansas · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in Arkansas, ranked by overall value. We scored 135 programs across Arkansas trade schools on earnings, AI resilience, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $44,746/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in AR

135

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$44,746/yr

Avg TSW Score

68/100

#1 Program

Ground Transportation

Arkansas State University-Newport

Top Trade Programs in Arkansas

Top 100 programs by TSW Score. Click any row for full analysis.

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	AI-Proof	ROI
1	Ground Transportation Arkansas State University-Newport · Newport, AR	88 87–89	$45,980/yr	AI-Proof	160.0x
2	Ground Transportation North Arkansas College · Harrison, AR	84 83–84	$39,576/yr	AI-Proof	124.1x
3	Practical Nursing Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas · De Queen, AR	81 80–82	$62,501/yr	AI-Proof	59.9x
4	Business Administration Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	80 76–82	$47,708/yr	Moderate	55.1x
5	Nursing Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas · Helena, AR	88 83–89	$78,213/yr	Moderate	120.1x
6	Electrical Installation Arkansas State University-Newport · Newport, AR	86 83–87	$71,039/yr	AI-Proof	283.4x
7	Nursing Arkansas State University-Newport · Newport, AR	89 83–89	$74,682/yr	Moderate	117.8x
8	Nursing Black River Technical College · Pocahontas, AR	82 77–83	$65,660/yr	Moderate	75.2x
9	Nursing East Arkansas Community College · Forrest City, AR	84 78–84	$64,932/yr	Moderate	87.8x
10	Nursing National Park College · Hot Springs, AR	81 76–81	$67,783/yr	Moderate	56.6x
11	Nursing Arkansas Northeastern College · Blytheville, AR	88 83–89	$70,131/yr	Moderate	104.4x
12	Nursing University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton · Morrilton, AR	85 80–86	$67,748/yr	Moderate	97.2x
13	Nursing NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	87 81–87	$67,192/yr	Moderate	108.0x
14	Nursing Arkansas State University · Jonesboro, AR	78 73–78	$70,358/yr	Moderate	43.8x
15	Nursing University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville · Batesville, AR	86 79–86	$64,187/yr	Moderate	106.0x
16	Practical Nursing Northwest Technical Institute · Springdale, AR	79 78–80	$47,715/yr	AI-Proof	91.0x
17	Nursing Ozarka College · Melbourne, AR	83 77–84	$60,148/yr	Moderate	88.0x
18	Nursing South Arkansas College · El Dorado, AR	84 78–85	$59,370/yr	Moderate	101.3x
19	Nursing Arkansas State University-Mountain Home · Mountain Home, AR	86 79–86	$62,518/yr	Moderate	117.8x
20	Nursing University of Arkansas at Little Rock · Little Rock, AR	76 71–76	$66,420/yr	Moderate	43.2x
21	Practical Nursing Arkansas State University-Beebe · Beebe, AR	81 79–82	$44,546/yr	AI-Proof	137.5x
22	Nursing North Arkansas College · Harrison, AR	84 78–85	$58,258/yr	Moderate	104.7x
23	Nursing Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	75 71–76	$67,063/yr	Moderate	41.0x
24	Criminal Justice Black River Technical College · Pocahontas, AR	79 76–81	$40,468/yr	Resilient	87.3x
25	Practical Nursing National Park College · Hot Springs, AR	77 74–78	$42,364/yr	AI-Proof	92.1x
26	Ground Transportation Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas · Helena, AR	76 75–76	$30,221/yr	AI-Proof	92.6x
27	Practical Nursing Baptist Health College Little Rock · Little Rock, AR	69 68–70	$48,332/yr	AI-Proof	38.7x
28	Precision Metalworking Arkansas Northeastern College · Blytheville, AR	73 72–74	$47,110/yr	AI-Proof	182.3x
29	Medical Assisting NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	78 75–78	$52,397/yr	Resilient	86.9x
30	Practical Nursing Arkansas State University-Newport · Newport, AR	80 77–81	$39,979/yr	AI-Proof	176.7x
31	Practical Nursing North Arkansas College · Harrison, AR	78 76–79	$38,783/yr	AI-Proof	136.2x
32	Practical Nursing Arkansas State University-Mountain Home · Mountain Home, AR	77 75–77	$37,769/yr	AI-Proof	118.2x
33	Business Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas · De Queen, AR	73 69–74	$36,808/yr	Moderate	46.1x
34	Nursing Jefferson Regional School of Nursing · Pine Bluff, AR	73 66–73	$67,010/yr	Moderate	—
35	Practical Nursing University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain · Mena, AR	77 73–77	$36,179/yr	AI-Proof	137.2x
36	Culinary Arts NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	74 72–74	$25,996/yr	AI-Proof	86.2x
37	Practical Nursing Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	67 66–67	$47,902/yr	AI-Proof	29.8x
38	Nursing Baptist Health College Little Rock · Little Rock, AR	71 67–72	$68,834/yr	Moderate	24.3x
39	Practical Nursing Ozarka College · Melbourne, AR	74 73–75	$36,085/yr	AI-Proof	80.4x
40	Vehicle Repair Technology Northwest Technical Institute · Springdale, AR	68 66–69	$37,388/yr	AI-Proof	81.9x
41	Culinary Arts NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	66 65–66	$26,025/yr	AI-Proof	42.6x
42	Business NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	77 67–79	$31,888/yr	Moderate	91.2x
43	Industrial Production Technology Arkansas Northeastern College · Blytheville, AR	77 74–78	$97,406/yr	Resilient	188.5x
44	Business North Arkansas College · Harrison, AR	69 65–71	$30,627/yr	Moderate	47.2x
45	Allied Health Professions University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College · North Little Rock, AR	69 67–70	$62,098/yr	Resilient	63.0x
46	Allied Health Professions NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	73 70–74	$59,189/yr	Resilient	81.0x
47	Business Strayer University-Arkansas · Little Rock, AR	69 62–71	$44,154/yr	Moderate	19.1x
48	Practical Nursing Black River Technical College · Pocahontas, AR	72 66–72	$30,491/yr	AI-Proof	114.2x
49	Business University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College · North Little Rock, AR	68 63–70	$32,780/yr	Moderate	38.8x
50	Allied Health Professions Southeast Arkansas College · Pine Bluff, AR	73 68–73	$48,660/yr	Resilient	123.5x
51	Criminal Justice University of Arkansas Grantham · LIttle Rock, AR	65 61–66	$39,043/yr	Resilient	22.3x
52	IT Management Strayer University-Arkansas · Little Rock, AR	68 61–71	$61,810/yr	Exposed	20.1x
53	Criminal Justice Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	63 59–65	$36,076/yr	Resilient	25.9x
54	Allied Health Professions Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	63 61–64	$64,185/yr	Resilient	36.7x
55	Criminal Justice National Park College · Hot Springs, AR	64 62–66	$34,904/yr	Resilient	29.7x
56	Vehicle Repair Technology National Park College · Hot Springs, AR	60 59–60	$30,913/yr	AI-Proof	55.5x
57	Allied Health Professions National Park College · Hot Springs, AR	65 59–66	$48,020/yr	Resilient	57.0x
58	Culinary Arts University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College · North Little Rock, AR	62 59–62	$25,597/yr	AI-Proof	31.2x
59	Medical Assisting Arkansas State University · Jonesboro, AR	62 58–63	$41,060/yr	Resilient	32.3x
60	Allied Health Professions National Park College · Hot Springs, AR	67 64–68	$44,165/yr	Resilient	77.9x
61	Allied Health Professions North Arkansas College · Harrison, AR	67 64–68	$44,879/yr	Resilient	75.6x
62	Computer Science University of Arkansas Grantham · LIttle Rock, AR	67 60–70	$47,904/yr	Exposed	27.9x
63	Business Arkansas State University-Beebe · Beebe, AR	66 57–68	$23,663/yr	Moderate	64.5x
64	Business Administration University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College · North Little Rock, AR	64 60–66	$30,429/yr	Moderate	30.4x
65	Business Administration University of Arkansas Grantham · LIttle Rock, AR	65 60–67	$35,151/yr	Moderate	20.7x
66	Heavy Equipment Technology University of Arkansas at Monticello · Monticello, AR	55 55–55	$49,589/yr	AI-Proof	27.0x
67	Allied Health Professions Black River Technical College · Pocahontas, AR	62 56–62	$40,193/yr	Resilient	56.3x
68	Practical Nursing Arkansas Northeastern College · Blytheville, AR	68 64–69	$24,580/yr	AI-Proof	132.1x
69	Nuclear Engineering Technology Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	58 56–59	$74,249/yr	Resilient	42.6x
70	Allied Health Professions Baptist Health College Little Rock · Little Rock, AR	59 56–60	$44,984/yr	Resilient	38.9x
71	Precision Metalworking University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College · North Little Rock, AR	52 51–53	$26,579/yr	AI-Proof	53.8x
72	Allied Health Professions Arkansas State University-Newport · Newport, AR	69 66–70	$39,080/yr	Resilient	144.4x
73	Allied Health Professions University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences · Little Rock, AR	58 54–59	$49,833/yr	Resilient	—
74	Precision Metalworking University of Arkansas at Monticello · Monticello, AR	50 50–51	$31,083/yr	AI-Proof	34.1x
75	Teacher Education Arkansas Northeastern College · Blytheville, AR	59 57–60	$23,575/yr	Moderate	44.9x
76	Precision Metalworking Southern Arkansas University Tech · Camden, AR	52 51–52	$26,001/yr	AI-Proof	54.5x
77	Precision Metalworking Arkansas Welding Academy · Jacksonville, AR	50 48–50	$33,187/yr	AI-Proof	—
78	Computer Engineering Technology Arkansas State University-Beebe · Beebe, AR	62 55–64	$37,876/yr	Exposed	57.9x
79	Medical Assisting Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	57 53–58	$35,961/yr	Resilient	24.4x
80	Electromechanical Technology University of Arkansas at Monticello · Monticello, AR	62 55–64	$45,652/yr	Resilient	93.9x
81	Teacher Education Arkansas State University-Beebe · Beebe, AR	56 49–58	$18,025/yr	Moderate	45.5x
82	Precision Metalworking Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas · De Queen, AR	53 49–55	$22,341/yr	AI-Proof	112.4x
83	Health Sciences East Arkansas Community College · Forrest City, AR	68 63–70	$51,751/yr	Moderate	89.2x
84	Computer Science University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College · North Little Rock, AR	61 54–63	$32,267/yr	Exposed	32.3x
85	Health Sciences NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	70 64–71	$52,580/yr	Moderate	175.3x
86	Allied Health Professions University of Arkansas-Fort Smith · Fort Smith, AR	58 56–58	$45,967/yr	Resilient	24.2x
87	Health Administration University of Arkansas Grantham · LIttle Rock, AR	59 53–61	$31,895/yr	Moderate	16.4x
88	Vehicle Repair Technology University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College · North Little Rock, AR	50 50–50	$21,483/yr	AI-Proof	43.3x
89	Business Operations Support Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR	53 48–57	$29,476/yr	Exposed	18.4x
90	Practical Nursing Southeast Arkansas College · Pine Bluff, AR	52 52–52	$18,605/yr	AI-Proof	36.5x
91	Electrical Engineering Technology University of Arkansas Grantham · LIttle Rock, AR	54 51–56	$55,260/yr	Moderate	32.4x
92	Veterinary Technology Arkansas State University-Beebe · Beebe, AR	54 50–54	$32,886/yr	Resilient	50.1x
93	Health Sciences Black River Technical College · Pocahontas, AR	61 56–62	$39,602/yr	Moderate	85.4x
94	Liberal Arts & Humanities NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	58 58–58	$31,922/yr	AI-Proof	106.0x
95	Liberal Arts & Humanities NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	52 50–52	$30,703/yr	AI-Proof	66.2x
96	Dental Assisting NorthWest Arkansas Community College · Bentonville, AR	59 56–59	$28,819/yr	Resilient	95.6x
97	Liberal Arts & Humanities Arkansas State University-Mountain Home · Mountain Home, AR	49 48–49	$28,907/yr	AI-Proof	56.5x
98	Liberal Arts & Humanities Black River Technical College · Pocahontas, AR	47 49–47	$33,747/yr	AI-Proof	34.4x
99	Liberal Arts & Humanities Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas · De Queen, AR	45 46–45	$29,547/yr	AI-Proof	42.5x
100	Liberal Arts & Humanities East Arkansas Community College · Forrest City, AR	54 52–54	$27,952/yr	AI-Proof	95.4x

Methodology

This ranking includes the top 100 trade programs at Arkansas schools, drawn from 135 total programs with earnings data. Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), which combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and tuition ROI.

Only in-state tuition is used for ROI calculations. Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best trade program in Arkansas?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Ground Transportation at Arkansas State University-Newport ranks #1 in Arkansas with a score of 88/100 and graduate earnings of $45,980/yr.

How many trade programs are in Arkansas?

Our database includes 135 trade programs across Arkansas schools with reported earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.