Career Resources / Nursing Licensure / Arkansas
Arkansas offers its residents a high quality of life combined with a low cost of living. Housing is affordable, and people who love the great outdoors will find plenty of activities and natural beauty to keep them busy. Add to those features the state’s laid-back, friendly attitude and you’ve got a great place to live and work.
In this article, we will cover:
- How to get your Arkansas nursing license by exam
- How to get your license by endorsement
- How to renew your Arkansas nursing license
- Licensing fees
- Continuing education requirements
- How to contact the Arkansas Board of Nursing
Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions
How to get your Arkansas nursing license by examination
Step 1: Education
Whether you pursue your nursing degree at one of Arkansas’s great educational institutions or you study out of state, your nursing program is the basis on which your career will be built. Your path to becoming a registered nurse may have started at a two-year program or you may have spent four years on a traditional college campus. Either way, you’re prepared for providing compassionate, competent care. You can start your career with any of the following degrees:
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing for those who have achieved a bachelor’s degree and who take the additional classes necessary to become a registered nurse.
Step 2: Apply
The first step in applying for licensure by examination in Arkansas is to create an account in the Arkansas Nurse Portal. Once your account has been established you can log on to complete and submit your application. You should submit your application approximately 60 days before you graduate from your nursing program.
The state’s application requires:
- A valid Social Security number
- Declaration and proof of your primary state of residence
- $100 fee paid via credit card
- An affidavit of graduation information
- Criminal background check information
Arkansas issues temporary permits to graduates of nursing programs between graduation and receipt of the results of the first examination for which they are eligible. The temporary permit fee is $30 and is good for 90 days or until notification of the results of your NCLEX exam.
Arkansas’s State Board of Nursing provides a dedicated application process specifically for active and reserve uniformed service members, uniformed service veterans, and their families. If you fall into one of those categories, you can access the application here.
Finally, register to take the NCLEX exam and pay the registration fee of $200. You can do this online at Pearson VUE or by phone at 1-866-496-2539. It is recommended that you take care of this step a few weeks before your graduation.
Step 3: Submit Transcripts
Your program director must confirm that you’ve completed your nursing education program by completing the Affidavit of Graduation.
If you graduated from an Arkansas nursing program, the Affidavit of Graduation will automatically be completed electronically by the program director after completion of all of your nursing education program requirements.
If you graduated from a nursing program outside of Arkansas, submit a paper copy of the Affidavit of Graduation form to your nursing education program director to complete and mail directly to the Arkansas Board of Nursing at:
Arkansas State Board of Nursing
1123 S.University Ave. #800
Little Rock, AR 72204
In addition, an official transcript must be submitted to the ASBN office prior to release of your examination results and issuance of a license. This must come directly from your nursing program and should detail the courses taken, your dates of admission and graduation, the diploma you received, and the signature of the program director, registrar, or an official electronic signature, as well as the seal of the school. It should be either an official electronic document or should be printed on security paper.
Step 4: Criminal Background Check (CBC)
Arkansas requires applicants for licensure by examination to submit to a state and federal criminal background check.
Arkansas residents are required to obtain fingerprints electronically via Live Scan. After submitting your application through the nurse portal account and paying the application fee, select the criminal background check Challenge and Privacy Notifications link. You will be provided a form that should be printed, completed, signed, dated, and uploaded to your nurse portal account. Once this is accomplished and while still in the portal, click on the blue Criminal Background Checks box, pay the $36.25 fee, and fill in the requested information. You will receive a payment summary/receipt that should be taken along with a government-issued photo ID to a Live Scan vendor for fingerprinting. You will be asked to pay a separate fee to the vendor. Once your fingerprints have been taken the technician will complete the form and give you a copy. They will then electronically submit your fingerprints.
If you are an out-of-state resident, your fingerprints will be submitted by the ink-based fingerprint card system. After submitting your application through the nurse portal account and paying the application fee, select the criminal background check Challenge and Privacy Notifications link. You will be provided a form that should be printed, completed, signed, dated, and uploaded to your nurse portal account. Once this is accomplished and while still in the portal, click on the blue Criminal Background Checks box, pay the $36.25 fee, and complete the requested information.
A pre-stamped ASBN fingerprint card will automatically be mailed to you. Once you’ve completed the information on the Fingerprint card, take it to local law enforcement for fingerprinting along with a 9×12 brown mailing envelope, a copy of your payment summary/receipt, your two-page fingerprint verification form, and a government-issued photo ID. The technician will obtain your fingerprints, complete the Fingerprint Verification Form, place your completed fingerprint card and Fingerprint Verification Form inside the 9×12 mailing envelope, write his/her name across the seal, and return the envelope to you. You should then mail the sealed envelope to:
Arkansas State Board of Nursing
1123 S. University #800
Little Rock, AR 72204
Step 5: Take the NCLEX
Once your application is complete and all required materials have been received, the Arkansas State Board of Nursing will contact Pearson VUE and notify them that you are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam. You will receive an Authorization to Test allowing you to schedule your exam.
The NCLEX tests your retention and understanding of the information you covered during your nursing program. Whether you attended a two-year Associate’s program or earned your Bachelor of Science in Nursing, your education aimed to prepare you for this test. It will cover topics including:
- Safe and Effective Care Environment
- Management of Care
- Safety and Infection Control
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity
- Physiological Integrity
- Basic Care and Comfort
- Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
- Physiological Adaptation
If you pass the NCLEX exam you will be issued your Arkansas nursing license. Those who fail the NCLEX must stop practicing on their temporary permit if they received one. You may retake the exam after 45 days have passed. To retake the NCLEX, submit the RN/LPN rewrite the application found on the nurse portal and submit all fees. You will also need to register again and pay the fees again through Pearson VUE.
Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions
Licensing by endorsement (already have RN licensure)
To obtain an Arkansas nursing license after having been licensed in another state, you must apply for licensure by endorsement. The first step is to establish an account on the Arkansas Nurse Portal. Once your account has been created you can sign in and submit an application.
You will need to provide:
- A valid Social Security number
- Declaration and proof of your primary state of residence
- $100 fee paid via credit card
- Verification of licensure from your original state of licensure
- Your criminal background check information
Arkansas issues temporary permits to applicants for licensure by endorsement for an additional fee of $30 if their current licensure in another state is verified through the NURSYS system.
To verify your license, visit www.nursys.com and obtain verification by submitting a verification request. If the state of your original licensure does not participate with NURSYS, download, print and complete the Arkansas State Board of Nursing’s License Verification form and ask the licensing agency to return it directly to:
Arkansas State Board of Nursing
1123 S. University #800
Little Rock, AR 72204
To meet the state’s criminal background check requirement, Arkansas residents are required to obtain fingerprints electronically via Live Scan. After submitting your application through the nurse portal account and paying the application fee, select the criminal background check Challenge and Privacy Notifications link. You will be provided a form that should be printed, completed, signed, dated, and uploaded to your nurse portal account.
Once this is accomplished and while still in the portal, click on the blue Criminal Background Checks box, pay the $36.25 fee, and fill in the requested information. You will receive a payment summary/receipt that should be taken along with a government-issued photo ID to a Live Scan vendor for fingerprinting. You will be asked to pay a separate fee to the vendor. Once your fingerprints have been taken the technician will complete the form and give you a copy. They will then electronically submit your fingerprints.
If you are an out-of-state resident, your fingerprints will be submitted by the ink-based fingerprint card system. After submitting your application through the nurse portal account and paying the application fee, select the criminal background check Challenge and Privacy Notifications link. You will be provided a form that should be printed, completed, signed, dated, and uploaded to your nurse portal account. Once this is accomplished and while still in the portal, click on the blue Criminal Background Checks box, pay the $36.25 fee, and complete the requested information.
A pre-stamped ASBN fingerprint card will automatically be mailed to you. Once you’ve completed the information on the Fingerprint card, take it to local law enforcement for fingerprinting along with a 9×12 brown mailing envelope, a copy of your payment summary/receipt, your two-page fingerprint verification form, and a government-issued photo ID. The technician will obtain your fingerprints, complete the Fingerprint Verification Form, place your completed fingerprint card and Fingerprint Verification Form inside the 9×12 mailing envelope, write his/her name across the seal, and return the envelope to you. You should then mail the sealed envelope to:
Arkansas State Board of Nursing
1123 S. University #800
Little Rock, AR 72204
How to renew your Arkansas nursing license
Step 1: When to submit your renewal application
Arkansas’s registered nurse licenses renew on a staggered biennial system based on the licensee’s birth date. Your expiration date will be your next birth date after your license is issued, unless your birthday is in less than three months. This means that your initial licensure period may be as short as three months and as long as 27 months. Renewal is available via the state’s nurse portal sixty days prior to license expiration. The license renewal fee is $100.
Step 2: Fulfill continuing competency requirements
Arkansas requires registered nurses to fulfill continuing education requirements during the 24 months preceding their renewal date. You can do any of the following:
- 15 practice-focused hours from a nationally recognized or state continuing education approval body recognized by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing
- Certification or re-certification during the renewal period by a national certifying body recognized by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing
- Completion of an academic course in nursing or a related field
Nurses taking continuing education contact hours are not required to list the courses that they took and do not have to upload their certificates of completion. If you are in your first renewal cycle and it has been less than 24 months, there is no continuing education requirement for that first renewal period.
Incredible Health offers free Arkansas continuing education units that are easy to access and provide immediate certificates of completion for your records.
Step 3: Submit your renewal application
Sixty days before your registered nurse license expires, you can access the renewal link at the nurse portal, complete the forms, and submit your $100 fee.
Arkansas nursing licensing fees
Below are the fees for becoming a nurse in Arkansas whether you are a first-time nurse or are moving to Alabama from another state. For more information visit the Arkansas licensing page.
Licensing fee by examination (first-time nurses):
- NCLEX fee: $200
- Application fee: $100 (RN/LPN)
- Fingerprint processing fee: $15
Licensing fee by endorsement (already have RN licensure):
- Application fee: $125 (RN/LPN); $125 (initial APRN license)
- Temporary license: $30
- License verification: $30
- Fingerprint processing fee: $15
License renewal fees:
- Application fee: $90 (LPN); $100 (RN); $65 (APRN)
Arkansas is a nursing compact state, which allows nurses to hold multi-state licenses.
*Fees are subject to change.
Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions
Continuing education requirements
RN/LPN/APRN: One of the following every 2 years:
(1) 15 contact hours of appropriately accredited practice-focused activities, OR
(2) Hold a current nationally recognized certification/recertification, OR
(3) Completed a minimum of one college credit hour course in nursing with a grade of C or better
Licensees with prescriptive authority are required to complete an additional 5 contact hours in pharmacotherapeutics related to their specialty.
Incredible Health offers ANCC-accredited continuing education courses for nurses in all 50 states, 100% free and online. The Arkansas Board of Nursing accepts courses that are ANCC accredited.
How to contact the Arkansas Board of Nursing
Arkansas Board of Nursing
Phone: (501) 686-2700
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/arkansas-board-of-nursing
1123 S. University Ave.
Ste. 800
Little Rock, AR 72204
