Welcome to Arkansas Real Estate School!
Please take a moment to read the information below to get an understanding of the steps to start your real estate career. At the bottom, there are links to courses we offer to receive your license.
Steps to Licensing
- Complete appropriate 60 hour required Pre Licensing course.
- Complete application and Criminal Background Check Identity Verification Form for examination and applicable fees of $86.25.
- Pass exam, Testing fee is $75
- Secure a Broker firm to hang and activate your license. The fee for license activation is $75.00 and must be completed within 90 days of passing exam.
- Complete 18 hours post licensing education within 6 months.
Application Information
Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) requires all applicants for original licensure as a real estate salesperson or broker to complete a state and federal criminal background check. This requirement applies to both resident and nonresident applicants.
Applications must be submitted to AREC BEFORE the applicant is fingerprinted.
Please review the updated application procedure for Arkansas residents.
Arkansas Residents ONLY:
1. Applicant will apply with the AREC, submitting the following:
a. Completed application form
b. Proof of age of majority (ID, Driver License, Birth Certificate)
c. $86.25 application fee (must be a money order or cashier’s check)
d. Criminal Background Check Identity Verification Form
e. Proof of completion of 60 hours pre-license education *
2. AREC will notify the Applicant when the application has been processed. The notification will include information regarding completing the fingerprint process.
3. Applicant will contact a certified fingerprint harvester for collection of fingerprints.
4. The fingerprint harvester will collect the applicant’s fingerprints and submit them electronically to the Arkansas State Police for the background check.
It is very important that candidates provide accurate and legible email addresses on their applications to ensure timely communication with the AREC.
*Applications can be submitted prior to completion of pre-license education. Please note that Certificates of Exam Eligibility will not be issued until 1) AREC receives proof of completion of pre-license education AND 2) the Applicant’s fingerprints are electronically submitted to Arkansas State Police.
Lists of certified harvester locations can be found at:
https://www.dps.arkansas.gov/law-enforcement/arkansas-state-police/services-
programs/fingerprinting/
Arkansas Real Estate License Requirements
Salesperson applicants must:
- Have reached the age of eighteen (18);
- Successfully complete sixty (60) classroom hours of real estate education from an accredited post-secondary school or a school or organization licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Private Career Education. Thirty (30) of those classroom hours must be in the basic principles of real estate;
- Pass the license examination;
- Send the proper forms and fees to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission to pay for license no later than ninety (90) days after passing the examination.
- Complete 18 hours of Post-license education within 6 months after the initial license is issued.
Broker applicants must:
- Have reached the age of majority, eighteen (18).
- Successfully complete sixty (60) classroom hours of real estate education of instruction in real estate principles, license law, and commission regulations from an accredited post-secondary school or a school or organization licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Private Career Education within thirty-six (36) months immediately preceding the date of the application;
- Have been licensed as an active real estate salesperson or broker for a period of not less than twenty four (24) months within the previous forty-eight (48) month period immediately preceding the date of application. However, upon written request such experience requirement may be waived for a real estate broker applicant who has held an active real estate broker license for a period of not less than eighteen (18) months; (if experience requirement was met in another jurisdiction, please furnish an official license history from that jurisdiction) or has experience acceptable to the commission in a field considered real estate related for a period of not less than twenty-four (24) months within the previous forty-eight month period immediately preceding the date of application (must submit a written history of experience for review by the commission);
- Pass the license examination; and
- Send the proper forms and fees to the Arkansas Real Estate Commission to pay for your license no later than ninety (90) days after passing the examination.
- Complete 30 hours of Post-license education within 6 months after the initial license is issued.
Applicants currently licensed in another state:
An applicant currently licensed in another state and seeking licensure in Arkansas at the same level, may request a waiver of the GENERAL portion of the examination. An applicant meeting all three (3) of the following requirements MAY be required to take only the Arkansas Law Portion of the Examination.
- Has passed a uniform, general, or multi-state part of an examination for a real estate license in another state in which the examination is determined by the Commission to meet generally acceptable standards of real estate testing, and
- The other state requires a minimum passing grade no lower than that required for the general part of the Arkansas examination (70), and
- The applicant is licensed in the other state at the time of taking the Arkansas examination.
Please call the Arkansas Real Estate Commission to determine requirements specific to your situation. 501-683-8010
Background check information:
Effective January 1, 2020
New Rules Regarding Real Estate License Applicants With Prior Criminal Convictions
Arkansas Real Estate Commission is charged with the duty of protecting the public’s health, safety and welfare. Prior to January 1, 2020, Arkansas law has prohibited AREC from issuing a license to anyone convicted of a felony or other certain crimes considered a danger to the public. A waiver process has been available to those persons believing their past criminal history posed no threat to the public health safety or welfare.
Those laws and rules have been clarified to allow persons with prior criminal records involving certain non-violent offenses to become licensed as a real estate agent in Arkansas with a formal waiver, or in some cases without a formal waiver.
The information below is a summary of the new rules and laws. Any applicant having questions about whether they are eligible for a waiver or exempt from the waiver process, should contact the Arkansas Real Estate Commission for guidance. The contact information is below.
Andrea S. Alford Deputy Executive Director 501-683-8032 Email andrea.alford@arkansas.gov
Heather Garrett AREC Supervisor 501-683-8017 Email heather.garrett@arkansas.gov






Now that you know the steps to getting your license..
It’s time to register for class! See our Class and Zoom virtual learning schedule here:
https://arkrealestateschool.com/pre-licensed-class-registration/
or our self-paced learning options here:
https://arkrealestateschool.com/online-pre-licensing-and-exam-prep/
Arkansas Real Estate School 501.223.2737
Arkansas Real Estate School
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