Niche names Ouachita No. 1 private university in Arkansas
September 09, 2026
- James TaylorOuachita Baptist University was recently named the top private university in the state by Niche in its 2027 rankings. The university was also ranked first for its education program and named the best small college in Arkansas. In addition to the No. 1 rankings, Ouachita’s programs for accounting & finance, business, psychology and communications each earned the No. 2 spot in the state for their disciplines.
Niche is a national organization that researches schools and ranks universities based on public data and reviews from students and parents.
“Our faculty and staff pride themselves in providing a top-tier education in a faith-building environment,” said Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita president. “I regularly hear from recent alumni about how well prepared they are for graduate school or their first jobs. Rankings like these are a result of the real-life impact families find at Ouachita.”
The news comes as Ouachita reports fall enrollment this year of 1,837 students, which includes undergraduate residential students, graduate students and high school students taking Ouachita courses for concurrent credit.
Ouachita has seen significant growth in traditional and new programs, including a recently accredited engineering degree, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and graduate programs in nutrition & dietetics, counseling, education, applied behavior analysis and exercise science. Graduate enrollment now stands at 177, the university’s highest total in 40 years.
The incoming undergraduate cohort averaged an ACT score of 24.9 and a 3.8 grade-point average as a class. With students coming from 15 states and nine countries outside the U.S., the group includes 36 Governor’s Distinguished Scholars and 191 students who matriculated with a 4.0 GPA.
“At the heart of our mission is the desire to foster a love of God and a love of learning in our students,” Sells said. “That’s not an abstract idea. It drives our commitment to train leaders by stewarding long-standing programs as well as establishing new ones to meet the needs of the future.”
Ouachita is in its 141st year as a Christ-centered learning community in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Learn more about the university's highly relational approach to education at www.obu.edu.
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