Best Professional Writing Schools Near Benton, AR (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Benton, Arkansas has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs, with tuition ranging from $9,748 to $22,519 per year for indexed programs. Benton has a population of about 35,954. Median household income is $69,638 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area, the top-earning professional writing-related role is Technical Writer at a median $61,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Professional Writing Schools to Benton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer professional writing programs near Benton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Benton 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 Benton. 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 at Little Rock

Little Rock, AR 16.6 miles from Benton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • 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: 84

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Central Arkansas

Conway, AR 35.2 miles from Benton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
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: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Ouachita Baptist University

Arkadelphia, AR 41.5 miles from Benton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
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: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Harding University

Searcy, AR 66.6 miles from Benton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,876
Avg net price $22,130/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, AR 116.3 miles from Benton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
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: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR 137.2 miles from Benton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • 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: 142

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Professional Writing Wages Near Benton

Benton is part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area (BLS area code 30780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Writer and Author$47,210Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$52,808
Technical Writer$61,860Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$69,195
Editor$50,180Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR$56,130

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.

Benton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population35,954Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$69,638Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+28.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)89.4 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Benton-Area Cities With Professional Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited professional writing schools are near Benton, AR?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs near Benton. The closest is University of Arkansas at Little Rock in Little Rock, AR (16.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Harding University (66.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying professional writing roles near Benton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying professional writing-related roles near Benton are: Technical Writer ($61,860), Editor ($50,180), Writer and Author ($47,210). 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 Bryant instead of Benton?

Bryant, AR is 5.3 miles from Benton and has its own set of local professional writing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Benton an affordable place to study professional writing?

Benton’s median household income of $69,638 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Benton 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 Professional Writing Programs

Other Programs Available in Benton

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

Data verified: August 31, 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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