SouthArk named one of the best community colleges

South Arkansas Community College has been named the fourth best online community college in the state by the SR Education group.

Dr. Barbara Jones said the college always appreciates being recognized for the work they do.

The SR Education group has been releasing college rankings since 2009, looking at topics such as most affordable online college, best online school for students with disabilities and most LGBT-friendly online college. The best online community college ranking is a new ranking that started this year, with the list broken down by state.

SouthArk ranked number four on the list with Arkansas Northwest College, NorthWest Arkansas Community College and Pulaski Technical College as the top three.

The decision was made by looking at elements of the college such as tuition cost, which for SouthArk is $2,520 for a year, details about the program’s coursework and what degrees are available fully online.

SR Education did accept programs that require some on-campus coursework as long as it could be completed in two weeks or less. The ranking itself required at least five or more eligible schools.

SouthArk offers one fully online program, which is an associate of arts.

SR Education also noted SouthArk as one of the most affordable colleges, regional accreditation and as a non-profit college. SouthArk is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and regional is one of the most prestigious forms of accreditation because it makes it easier for students to transfer credits between colleges.The distinction specifically looked at online programs due to concerns about students being able to retain employment and personal responsibilities outside of school.

“It is an honor for South Arkansas Community College to be recognized as one of the best online community colleges in Arkansas,” Jones said. “We always appreciate being recognized for the hard work that our team of instructors, staff members and administrators put in every day to assure that our students’ academic goals are achieved. Our online courses and programs are a priority, as many of our students are time- or place-bound. Our faculty and staff work to ensure that both face-to-face and online students are engaged, retained and successful.”

Michael Shine may be reached at 870-862-6611 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook @MichaelAZShine for updates on Union County school news.