Harding University is a Christian liberal arts university with its main campus in Searcy, Arkansas. Established in 1924, Harding was named after James A. Harding, a minister and educator. With more than 6,000 students, Harding is the largest private university in the state of Arkansas. The university also comprises the Harding School of Theology located in Memphis, Tennessee, which was formerly known as the Harding Graduate School of Religion.
Harding University is one of several institutions of higher learning affiliated with the Churches of Christ. Committed to pursuing academic excellence and establishing strong spiritual foundations, the university attracts students representing all 50 states and 60 nations / territories. Harding also offers study-abroad programs at international extension campuses in locations such as Australia, Chile, Greece, Italy, England, and Zambia.
Graduates of Harding University have become prominent celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. Harding alumni include Christian fiction author Tamera Alexander (Fountain Creek Chronicles); Ken Starr, a member of President Trump’s legal team; Willie and Korie Howard Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame; and Botham Jean, the innocent young man who was shot in his own apartment by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in 2018.
Campus Location
Harding’s main campus has 57 buildings on 350 acres located approximately 50 miles northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas and 105 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee. The campus has an impressive number of sports facilities including The Huckeba Field House, which is the largest indoor practice facility in NCAA Division II and one of the largest in the country for any level. This historic city of Searcy takes its name from Richard Searcy, a judge for the Superior Court of the Arkansas Territory. The community of over 23,000 is definitely a college town, as it is the home of both Harding University and ASU-Searcy.
Academic Selection
Harding University employs 340 faculty members, 69 percent of whom hold a doctoral or other terminal degree. Academics are housed in ten colleges: Allied Health, Arts and Humanities, Bible and Ministry, Business Administration, Education, Nursing, Pharmacy, Sciences, Honors, and University College. The institution offers over 100 undergraduate majors, 50 graduate majors, and 14 pre-professional programs in business, counseling, speech pathology, ministry, education, and more, as well as doctoral degrees in education, pharmacy, and physical therapy.
Patriotic Tradition
Since its founding, Harding has sponsored programs, publications, and presentations designed to foster patriotism and conservative values. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Harding joined the anti-Communist movement at the start of the Cold War with some short media productions extolling the virtues of free-market capitalism, including “Make Mine Freedom.” By 1953, the American Studies Institute (ASI) was formed, placing Harding officially on the map as a declared advocate of American free enterprise. The list of ASI speakers reads like a Who’s Who of international and conservative politics. Past speakers have included David Barton, Eric Metaxas, Alex Kendrick, Dr. Ben Carson, Douglas Gresham, and Temple Grandin.
Christian Mission
Harding is not only conservative, it is very Christian, with daily morning chapels required for all students. The code of conduct is more austere than most colleges, with rules against smoking, drinking, a prohibition on viewing or displaying pornography, and restrictions on male-female visitation to family and approved guests. Harding has no sororities or fraternities, but they do have social clubs. Harding students are known for supplying a regular stream of volunteers to the Chimala Mission Hospital in Tanzania.
College Application
Students can get all of the above for only about $25,677 a year! Even better, nearly 95% of students receive some financial assistance. Harding University is ranked as the No. 1 Best Value College in Arkansas by SmartAsset (2021). Students are encouraged to apply during their junior year of high school, and applications will still be accepted in your senior year. But you may want to get an earlier start. Dual Enrollment students are permitted to take one course each semester at no cost (limit 4 semesters). This includes online courses. So what are you waiting for? APPLY for free!