Ouachita Baptist University

Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private, Baptist liberal arts college in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-Utah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

Ouachita Baptist University focuses on undergraduate programs in the liberal arts. It offers 64 degree programs in eight academic schools: School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Frank D. Hickingbotham School of Business, Chesley and Elizabeth Pruet School of Christian Studies, Michael D. Huckabee School of Education, School of Fine Arts, W. H. Sutton School of Social Sciences, J. D. Patterson School of Natural Sciences, and School of Humanities.

Most students earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree, but the school also offers Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Music (B.M.), Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) and Associate of Arts (A.A.) degrees. Study abroad programs are offered through the Grant Center for International Studies. Two classes in religion are part of the core curriculum and graduation requires seven credits of the chapel (earned by regular chapel attendance during a semester).

OBU operates on the traditional credit hour system. The student-to-faculty ratio is approximately 12:1.

The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission with specific programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), National Association for Schools of Music, the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education Programs (CAATE), and the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association. There is a joint Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program with neighbouring Henderson State University. The OBU ROTC program dates back to 1886.

OBU fields intercollegiate men's teams in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, swimming, tennis, and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball. The school mascot is the Tiger, and the colours are purple and gold. As of Fall 2011, Ouachita began competition in the Great American Conference, after previously being a member of the Gulf South Conference.

The Great American Conference consists of six schools from Arkansas and 6 schools from Oklahoma. The football Tigers were the conference champions of the inaugural 2011 season as well as the 2014 and 2017 conference champions.