Southern Arkansas University Main Campus

Southern Arkansas University’s nursing options (ADN, BSN, and an LPN-to-ADN pathway) are housed at its main campus in Magnolia, a small south Arkansas city near the Louisiana line. The campus sits just off U.S. Highway 79, so most commuting students come in by car from Magnolia and nearby towns in Columbia and Union counties; for students traveling from El Dorado, Camden, or Texarkana, expect a longer rural highway drive rather than city traffic.

As a public university, tuition and fees are generally lower than private colleges, with the biggest price difference typically between in-state and out-of-state rates. Program costs can also vary by track because nursing courses often include added expenses such as background checks, immunizations, drug screens, uniforms, clinical supplies, and exam or skills software. Prospective students should plan for these line-item costs in addition to university tuition and should confirm the most current per-credit-hour rates and nursing-specific fees through SAU’s bursar and nursing department pages.

Students looking at outcomes will notice strong NCLEX-RN performance: the program’s average weighted RN pass rate is 95.8%, which is above the 2024 Arkansas state RN average of 91.1%.