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How do I get a real estate license in Arkansas?

If you've never held a real estate license, here is what an Arkansas salesperson license needs. You must be 18, finish 60 hours of classes, pass an exam and clear a state and federal background check. The Arkansas Real Estate Commission issues it. A broker license has its own steps. So does a license from another state.

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The rule, fact by fact

Agency
The Arkansas Real Estate Commission reviews applications and issues real estate licensesThis is the office you apply to. It also keeps the licensing records.
Verified. Arkansas Real Estate Commission · Licensing Frequently Asked Questions (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Minimum age
Salesperson applicants must be 18, the age of majorityThe Commission asks for proof of age with your application.
Verified. Arkansas Real Estate Commission · Real Estate Applicants (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Course hours
60 classroom hours, 30 of them on the basic principles of real estateThe school must be an accredited postsecondary school, or a school or organization licensed by the Commission.
Same source and date as above
Cost
$50.00 application fee for Arkansas residentsThat is only the first fee. The exam fee is in the next row; the license and recovery fund fees come after you pass the exam.
Same source and date as above
Exam fee
The exam fee is $75, paid to the testing servicePearson VUE gives the exam. You register after the Commission approves you.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Pick a course from the Commission's approved course list. Schools set their own offerings, so ask the school what it has open.

  2. Step 2. Take 60 classroom hours, 30 of them on the basic principles of real estate. You pay your school.

  3. Step 3. You can apply before the course ends. The Commission issues your exam approval only after it has proof of the course and your Background Check Acknowledgment form. A non-resident also needs the Commission to receive a fingerprint card.

  4. Step 4. Send the application with the $50.00 fee for Arkansas residents. The Commission accepts no personal or business checks.

  5. Step 5. Every original applicant gets a state and federal criminal background check. Residents wait for the Commission's email before getting fingerprints made. The Commission issues the license only after it receives and approves your background reports.

  6. Step 6. Register with Pearson VUE once the approval email arrives, and pass the exam. Then send all pages of the score report with the $50.00 license fee, the $25.00 recovery fund fee and a signed post-license requirement notice.

  7. Step 7. All of it must reach the Commission within 90 days of the exam date. If it doesn't, your exam is null and void and you apply again as an original applicant.

Before you pay

The Commission keeps a list of the courses it currently approves. Before you pay a school, check that your course is on it.

The providers page is a different list. It names schools that attended the Commission's workshops, so a school on it does not prove a course is approved.

The approved list marks each course as Classroom or Distance. We haven't confirmed that Distance means online or what a class costs. Ask the school what you are buying.

The Commission may change its list and its fees. Check them yourself on the day you sign up.

Questions

What does the exam cost, and how long is my application good for?

If you register and pay for both parts in one transaction, you pay one $75 fee, and you don't have to take them on the same day. Registered separately, each part costs $75. The Commission lists one year after the date of application.

I live outside Arkansas. What changes?

If you must take the exam, the application fee is $85.00. You also send license histories from all states where you have or had a real estate license.

I'm licensed in another state. Do I start over?

If you're applying for a salesperson license, you may take only the Arkansas Law part of the exam if you meet all three conditions. The other state's general exam must meet standards the Commission accepts. Its passing grade must be no lower than Arkansas's 70. You must be licensed there when you take the Arkansas exam. The Commission has reciprocal agreements with the states on its list.

What do I owe after I get the license?

A new salesperson takes the 18-hour post-license course within 6 months of first being licensed. A licensee may be paid for licensed work only by the Principal Broker they are licensed under. Continuing education is seven hours a year, first required at your second active renewal. A new broker takes a 30-hour post-license course in the same window. If you want Executive or Principal Broker status, finish it before you ask for that status.

How do I become a broker?

A broker applicant needs 24 months as an active salesperson or broker in the last 48. You can ask in writing to waive this with at least 18 months as an active broker, or 24 months of real estate related experience acceptable to the commission in the last 48; you must submit a written history of experience for review. Brokers take 60 hours of education, 45 of them the Commission's Broker Pre-License course, within 36 months before applying.

Can I get the license fee waived?

The Commission waives the initial license fee for applicants who qualify under the Workforce Expansion Act of 2021. You may qualify if you currently get Arkansas Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, TANF or Lifeline help, were approved for unemployment in the last 12 months, or have income that does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.

What to do next

Start with the Commission's license requirements page. Then pick a course from its approved course list.

arec.arkansas.gov

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