Arkansas Real Estate School: Pre-Licensing Course Requirements and Providers

Arkansas requires 60 classroom hours of pre-licensing education from an Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC)-approved real estate school before you can sit for the salesperson licensing exam. Of those 60 hours, 30 must cover the basic principles of real estate, and the remaining hours address Arkansas-specific license law, commission regulations, and related practice topics. The course is available in both classroom and online formats from approximately 43 AREC-approved providers, and the salesperson certificate of completion has no expiration.

What the Arkansas real estate pre-licensing course covers

Arkansas law requires salesperson applicants to complete pre-licensing education from a commission-approved school before taking the state licensing exam. Under Arkansas Code §17-42-303^[1] and Commission Regulation 4.1^[1], AREC sets the education standards that all approved providers must follow.

The Arkansas Real Estate Commission does not impose prerequisites for enrolling in the pre-licensing course. According to the AREC FAQ page^[2], Arkansas license law does not establish prerequisites for completing the pre-licensing course, and any such restrictions are imposed by the course provider. This means any minimum age or background requirements apply to licensure, not to course enrollment. You can enroll in the course without first submitting a license application to AREC, and real estate classes can begin at any time.

Pre-licensing course content and exam alignment

AREC does not publish a detailed topic-by-topic syllabus for the pre-licensing course. Course providers design their curricula around the content domains that the Pearson VUE licensing exam tests, so students are prepared for both the national and state portions of the exam.

The Pearson VUE Candidate Handbook^[3] outlines the exam content domains that a pre-licensing course should address:

The national portion includes 80 scored items plus 5 pretest items, and the state portion includes 30 scored items plus 10 pretest items. A passing scaled score of 70 is required for both portions, as set by the commission in conjunction with Pearson VUE.

Fair housing appears as a subtopic within the Real Estate Practice domain on the national exam. The subtopic covers equal opportunity in housing, protected classes, fair housing laws, illegal practices, and prohibited advertising. AREC does not mandate specific sub-hour allocations for fair housing or implicit bias within the pre-licensing curriculum. These topics appear as electives in continuing education rather than as required pre-licensing modules.

Classroom vs. online distance course formats

Arkansas permits pre-licensing education through either in-person classroom instruction or online distance learning.

The AREC approved course list^[4] identifies which format each approved course uses. Most in-state providers offer classroom-format courses, while national providers tend to offer distance-format online real estate courses. Eight providers currently offer distance-format pre-licensing courses, and the full list is available on the AREC website.

Arkansas does not mandate a minimum number of live-instruction hours for the pre-licensing course. Classroom courses meet on schedules set by the provider, while online courses are typically self-paced. Some providers offer both in-person and virtual class options for students who want a structured schedule with remote attendance.

AREC-approved education providers in Arkansas

AREC lists approximately 43 education providers that have attended the commission's education workshops, as documented on the AREC approved education providers page^[5]. These providers may offer pre-license, post-license, continuing education, or distance learning courses depending on their specialty.

In-state providers span Arkansas cities including Little Rock, Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Benton, Sherwood, Bentonville, Springdale, and Hot Springs. Several national online providers also appear on the commission's approved list. Providers set their own schedules and offerings, so availability varies by school.

Vivid Real Estate Learning Center disciplinary action

Vivid Real Estate Learning Center, a North Little Rock-based provider, received a $200 civil penalty in May 2024 after an AREC disciplinary hearing^[6] found that the school and its principal instructor offered courses without valid course approvals. Despite this action, Vivid remains on the AREC approved education providers list, and its salesperson pre-license course (PR00000712) is approved through August 8, 2027. The school offers both in-person and virtual class options.

Does Arkansas require a school final exam for course completion?

AREC does not require a school-administered final exam for pre-licensing course completion. The AREC FAQ page^[2] confirms that any course-level exam requirements come from the provider, not from state law.

Individual providers may include their own final exams as part of their course completion requirements. Some online providers require a course final exam with a minimum passing score before issuing a certificate of completion. These are provider-level requirements, not state mandates. The only exam AREC requires is the Pearson VUE licensing exam, which is separate from any course-level assessment.

How long is the pre-licensing course certificate valid?

For salesperson applicants, the pre-licensing certificate has no expiration. The AREC FAQ page^[2] confirms that the salesperson pre-licensing certificate does not expire. This means you can complete the course and hold the certificate indefinitely before applying for the licensing exam.

Broker applicants face a different timeline. The AREC Education page^[1] outlines the broker pre-license education window, which is tighter than the salesperson certificate's open-ended validity.

Exam prep courses vs. pre-licensing education

Courses identified as "Exam Prep" generally do not fulfill the pre-licensing education requirement. The AREC Education page^[1] states: "Courses identified as 'Exam Prep' courses generally do not fulfill the pre-license requirement."

Commission Regulation 11.4 does not allow one course to be used for both continuing education and pre-licensing education, per the AREC Education page^[1]. A course that counts toward your annual CE requirement cannot also satisfy the pre-licensing requirement, even if the content overlaps.

The real estate pre-licensing course is the state-mandated education requirement; a real estate exam prep course is supplementary study material. Some providers bundle exam prep into their pre-licensing packages, while others sell it separately. Completing an exam prep course alone will not make you eligible to sit for the licensing exam.

How to choose an Arkansas real estate school

When selecting among AREC-approved schools for your real estate license course, consider course format, instructor support, and provider-level completion requirements alongside cost.

Course tuition varies widely by provider and format. Classroom courses at in-state schools may cost less than premium online packages that include exam prep tools, instructor Q&A, or career resources.

When comparing providers, ask about practice tests, pass guarantees, retake policies, and whether the course includes any real estate exam prep component. Some providers offer tiered packages, where the base tier covers only the required education and higher tiers add study aids, flashcards, or career coaching. Consider whether you need these add-ons or whether you can supplement the base course with free study resources from the Pearson VUE Candidate Handbook^[3].

If you are searching for a real estate school near you, the AREC approved education providers page^[5] lists providers by city, making it easy to find classroom options in your area or online courses that fit your schedule.

After completing the pre-licensing course

Once you finish the pre-licensing course, the next steps are to submit your license application to AREC, pass the Pearson VUE licensing exam, and affiliate with a sponsoring broker to activate your license. You can submit your application before completing the course, but AREC will not issue a Certificate of Exam Eligibility until it receives proof of course completion and your background check authorization, per the AREC new applicant page^[7].

The post-license curriculum builds on the pre-licensing foundation and is separate from the annual continuing education obligation that all active licensees must meet. If you have not yet enrolled, start by reviewing the AREC approved education providers list to find a school that fits your format and budget, then begin the coursework that forms the foundation of your Arkansas real estate career.