In Arkansas, there are no state residency requirements to obtain a CPA license. Their education requirements are more complicated than most and should be closely examined to ensure that you meet their requirements.
To be eligible to sit for the cpa exam students must first fulfill these qualifications and education requirements:
- No minimum age requirement
- US citizenship NOT required
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
Education Requirements
- Must complete 120 semester hours to sit for CPA exam. Must complete 30 additional units within 3 years of passing the CPA exam to get licensed (150 total semester hours).
- 30 semester units in accounting courses with a minimum grade of “C”
- 30 semester units in business courses
- Graduate degree holders have different requirements. Please visit the State Board website at the bottom of this page for details.
* 1 semester = 1.5 quarters
* semester hours = semester units
The cost to take all four sections of the CPA exam in Arkansas is $743 plus $125 – $170 in application fees depending on how many sections you sign up for. The re-examination application fee is $75 – $120 plus the exam fees.
Arkansas Exam Fees
| Auditing and Attestation (AUD) | $195.35 |
| Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) | $176.25 |
| Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) | $195.35 |
| Regulation (REG) | $176.25 |
| Application Fee: | $50 |
*Important Note: You should not apply and pay for exam sections that will not be taken within six months because your “Notice to Schedule” expires six months after issuance.
Application Fees (non-refundable and non-transferable)
| First-time application fee | $50 |
| Applying for 1 section | $75 |
| Applying for 2 sections | $90 |
| Applying for 3 sections | $105 |
| Applying for 4 sections | $120 |
Additional CPA Requirements
In addition to the above requirements, there are a few more in order to obtain a CPA license:
- Pass all 4 sections of the CPA exam with a score of 75 or higher
- Pay the $50 certification fee
- Submit all required paperwork
For more information please visit:
Contact:
Arkansas State Board of Accountancy
101 East Capitol, Suite 450
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-1520
Fax: 501-682-5538
What’s Next?
Now that you have started the CPA exam application process, your next step is to find the right CPA review course that best fits your budget, learning style and schedule.It can take several weeks for your application to be processed so don’t waste that valuable time waiting to hear back from your state board. If you start studying now you will get a nice jump start on the material and will be better prepared to pass your first CPA exam!
Bryce Welker is a regular contributor to Forbes, Inc.com, YEC and Business Insider. After graduating from San Diego State University he went on to earn his Certified Public Accountant license and created CrushTheCPAexam.com to share his knowledge and experience to help other accountants become CPAs too. Bryce was named one of Accounting Today’s “Accountants To Watch” among other accolades. As Seen On Forbes
