Best Entrepreneurship Schools Near Van Buren, AR (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Van Buren, Arkansas has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs, with tuition ranging from $7,810 to $29,966 per year for indexed programs. Van Buren has a population of about 23,545. Median household income is $59,420 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, the top-earning entrepreneurship-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $93,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Entrepreneurship Schools to Van Buren

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer entrepreneurship programs near Van Buren, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Van Buren city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Van Buren. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, AR 4.6 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,102
Avg net price $10,574/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR 46.0 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
70.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 74%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,191
Avg net price $18,209/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,104
Out‑of‑state$29,966
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR 52.5 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
64.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,907
Avg net price $20,397/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR 69.4 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
58.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 96%
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,766
Avg net price $12,970/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,674
Out‑of‑state$14,668
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of Central Arkansas

Conway, AR 109.9 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
45.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,938
Avg net price $16,511/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR 116.9 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
29.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,459
Avg net price $23,405/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Ouachita Baptist University

Arkadelphia, AR 117.1 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
58.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,673
Avg net price $22,409/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Little Rock, AR 124.4 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
42.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 59%
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,265
Avg net price $17,248/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,748
Out‑of‑state$22,158
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Arkansas schools on the Arkansas entrepreneurship page.

Entrepreneurship Wages Near Van Buren

Van Buren is part of the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area (BLS area code 22900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$70,330Fort Smith, AR-OK$81,874
Management Analyst$65,170Fort Smith, AR-OK$75,867
Marketing Manager$93,990Fort Smith, AR-OK$109,418
Market Research Analyst$58,970Fort Smith, AR-OK$68,650

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Van Buren at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population23,545Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,420Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+19.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)85.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Van Buren-Area Cities With Entrepreneurship Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited entrepreneurship schools are near Van Buren, AR?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs near Van Buren. The closest is University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in Fort Smith, AR (4.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is John Brown University (52.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying entrepreneurship roles near Van Buren?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying entrepreneurship-related roles near Van Buren are: Marketing Manager ($93,990), General and Operations Manager ($70,330), Management Analyst ($65,170). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Fort Smith instead of Van Buren?

Fort Smith, AR is 6.9 miles from Van Buren and has its own set of local entrepreneurship programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Van Buren an affordable place to study entrepreneurship?

Van Buren’s median household income of $59,420 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Van Buren while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Entrepreneurship Programs

Other Programs Available in Van Buren

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Van Buren:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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