The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is the sixth largest university in Arkansas, with a fall 2008 credit enrollment of approximately 6,800. The University campus occupies 169 acres of an award-winning, nationally recognized arboretum that boasts 1,182 GPS-inventoried trees representing 81 species. In 2003 the campus was named the "Best Maintained Landscape in the Nation," in the university category and received two America in Bloom national awards in 2009.

Founded in 1928 as Fort Smith Junior College, the institution became the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in 2002.

Economically speaking, UA Fort Smith stands at the center of the region's financial development. The University has joined the Greater Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce and the City of Fort Smith in the establishment of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. The IEC's mission is to develop initiatives that will promote and stimulate entrepreneurialism and thus a robust economy. Through internships and other hands-on programs, students gain familiarity with area businesses and corporations, accumulating wisdom and making contacts that serve them throughout their careers.

UA Fort Smith enriches the region not only academically and economically, but also culturally. The Season of Entertainment has featured national tours of Broadway musicals such as Chicago, Rent, and The Producers, as well as the internationally renowned St. Petersburg Ballet and the Boston Pops. The Chancellor's Coalition for the Arts has founded three public art galleries, representing the University's determination to influence positively the area's quality of place.

Above all, the University is dedicated to its students. By concentrating on students as individuals, UA Fort Smith inspires in them not only an appreciation for knowledge, but a belief that they can transform that knowledge into success.