Arkansas: school, college and career rules
Arkansas requires 22 credits plus a passed civics exam, CPR, personal finance and (from 2026 graduates) computer science, tests with ATLAS and gives every junior the chance to take the ACT, gives in-state tuition at University of Arkansas campuses after six months of bona fide domicile, and funds the lottery-backed Academic Challenge Scholarship.
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
Students graduating from an Arkansas public or public charter school must meet or exceed the 22 graduation credits adopted by the State Board of Education; each student's Student Success Plan (grades 8 to 12) tracks them. Linked from dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/learning-services/curriculum-support/arkansas-graduation-requirements, which lists the same 22 credits.Arkansas DESE
| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| English language arts | 4 credits (English 9, 10, 11 and 12) |
| Mathematics | 4 credits: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II or Quantitative Reasoning, and a math or computer science flex credit |
| Science | 3 credits: Biology, a physical science (physical science, chemistry or physics) and a third science or computer science flex credit |
| Social studies | 3 credits: World History, U.S. History, Civics (0.5) and Economics with Personal Finance (0.5) |
| Physical education | 0.5 credit |
| Fine arts | 0.5 credit |
| Oral communication | 0.5 credit |
| Health and safety | 0.5 credit |
| Career focus or content electives | 6 credits |
22 credits.
State tests for the diploma
Every graduate must pass the Arkansas Civics Exam with 60 percent (A.C.A. § 6-16-149); the exam is also required for a high school equivalency diploma. Linked from dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/learning-services/curriculum-support/arkansas-graduation-requirements, which lists the same 22 credits.Arkansas DESE
Also good to know
- Graduates must also complete CPR training, earn credit in a course with the Personal and Family Finance standards, and (from 2026 graduates) earn one credit of computer science or a computer science-related CTE course.
Arkansas DESE
Arkansas Graduation Requirements (handout, last updated 2024-04-04, and the Arkansas Graduation Requirements page)Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Linked from dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/learning-services/curriculum-support/arkansas-graduation-requirements, which lists the same 22 credits.
View source - From 2027 graduates, every student must complete at least 75 clock hours of documented community service in grades 9 to 12 (A.C.A. § 6-16-1901).
Arkansas DESE
Arkansas Graduation Requirements (handout, last updated 2024-04-04, and the Arkansas Graduation Requirements page)Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Linked from dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/learning-services/curriculum-support/arkansas-graduation-requirements, which lists the same 22 credits.
View source
State test: ATLAS and the grade 11 ACT
Arkansas Teaching, Learning & Assessment System (ATLAS) summative assessment and the ACT. ATLAS is Arkansas's end-of-year summative test from grade 3 through high school; every grade 11 student must be offered the ACT, and every student must pass the Arkansas Civics Exam. Latest testing calendar memo found; no 2026-2027 calendar memo was located.ADE
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| ATLAS | English language arts, mathematics and science | Grades 3–high school |
| ATLAS end of course | Algebra I, Geometry and Biology | High school |
| ACT | College entrance exam | Grade 11 (every student must be offered it) |
| ACT WorkKeys | Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents | Grades 10–12 (one free attempt each) |
| Arkansas Civics Exam | American government and history | Required to graduate |
Source: Latest testing calendar memo found; no 2026-2027 calendar memo was located.ADE
What the scores are used for
- WorkKeys can lead to a National Career Readiness Certificate, which measures workplace skills and is recognized by employers.
ADE
Commissioner's Memo COM-25-054, Preliminary Testing Calendar 2025-2026Arkansas Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Latest testing calendar memo found; no 2026-2027 calendar memo was located.
View source - Qualifying students with the most significant cognitive disabilities take Dynamic Learning Maps instead of ATLAS in grades 3 to 10.
ADE
Commissioner's Memo COM-25-054, Preliminary Testing Calendar 2025-2026Arkansas Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Latest testing calendar memo found; no 2026-2027 calendar memo was located.
View source
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- University of Arkansas SystemUniversity system · The state's largest higher education system, with 22 campuses, divisions and units under one Board of Trustees, including the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
- University of Arkansas System community collegesCommunity colleges · The UA System's two-year colleges include UA Pulaski Technical College, UA Community Colleges at Batesville, Hope-Texarkana, Morrilton and Rich Mountain, Phillips Community College, Cossatot Community College, UA East Arkansas Community College and North Arkansas College.
Sources: UA System
View sourceUA System
View source
Every school in Arkansas, public and private, with cost and completion: 81 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 8 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- University of Arkansas System policy: to be in-state at admission, a student must have a bona fide domicile in Arkansas and have lived in the state in that status for at least six consecutive months before applying.
University of Arkansas
Resident Status (University of Arkansas System policy on in-state and out-of-state classification), Undergraduate CatalogUniversity of Arkansas- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- A bona fide domicile is a true, fixed and permanent home, not a temporary stay as a student; the student must show a permanent connection to Arkansas and expect to remain after graduation, and carries the burden of proof under oath.
University of Arkansas
Resident Status (University of Arkansas System policy on in-state and out-of-state classification), Undergraduate CatalogUniversity of Arkansas- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- Dependents under 24 take the domicile of the parent who has supported them for six months; the six-month wait is waived for families who move to Arkansas mainly to set up a home there. Members of tribes that once lived in Arkansas (such as the Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw and Quapaw) are classed as in-state.
University of Arkansas
Resident Status (University of Arkansas System policy on in-state and out-of-state classification), Undergraduate CatalogUniversity of Arkansas- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE). Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship
Lottery-funded scholarship for Arkansas residents of at least 12 months who file the FAFSA. Recent graduates qualify with a Diploma of Merit, a 3.00 GPA with any test score on record, or a qualifying score (ACT 19, SAT 990). At a four-year college it pays $2,000 in year 1, $4,000 in years 2 and 3 and $5,000 in year 4; recipients take 27 hours in the first year and 30 after with a 2.5 GPA. ADHE
View source
Academic Challenge PLUS
Since 2024-25, recipients with a FAFSA Student Aid Index below 8,000 get $500 to $1,500 more a semester, up to $2,500 a semester in total. ADHE
View source
Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Arkansas license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | Arkansas board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners | Uniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE and MPT). MPRE required (passing score 85). NCBEArkansas: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | Arkansas State Medical Board | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.) FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | Arkansas State Board of Nursing | NCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since Jan. 19, 2018 NCSBNContact Arkansas State Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
ARCareers
Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services
- Search open positions and apply directly on ARCareers; job seekers can also join the talent community for email alerts.
- Arkansas Department of Transportation and UA Pulaski Technical College jobs are posted on their own sites, linked from ARCareers.
Source: ARCareers
View source
Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
Arkansas has no State Apprenticeship Agency: the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers programs here. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- Arkansas Apprenticeship Office (U.S. Department of Labor)Arkansas has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency: the U.S. Department of Labor's Arkansas Apprenticeship Office registers and oversees programs.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: Apprenticeship.gov
View source
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- Arkansas: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Arkansas State Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- Arkansas Graduation Requirements (handout, last updated 2024-04-04, and the Arkansas Graduation Requirements page) · Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education checked 2026-10-22
- Commissioner's Memo COM-25-054, Preliminary Testing Calendar 2025-2026 · Arkansas Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- University of Arkansas System (home page) · University of Arkansas System checked 2026-10-22
- Campuses & Units · University of Arkansas System checked 2026-10-22
- Resident Status (University of Arkansas System policy on in-state and out-of-state classification), Undergraduate Catalog · University of Arkansas checked 2026-10-22
- Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship (ACST) · Arkansas Division of Higher Education checked 2026-10-22
- Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship: Traditional Recipient Information Sheet · Arkansas Division of Higher Education checked 2026-10-22
- Jobs at the State of Arkansas (ARCareers) · State of Arkansas (ARCareers, run by the Department of Shared Administrative Services) checked 2026-10-22
- State Offices: Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agency contacts by state · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21