Arkansas Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements
Arkansas psychologists must complete 20 continuing education hours per year to renew their Psychologist license, including 3 hours of ethics.
20
total hours / year
3
ethics hours
Annual renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Arkansas Psychologist requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 20 hours per year. |
| Renewal | Annual cycle: CE due by June 30 each year. |
| Renewal fee | $300 board renewal fee per year; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $100 fee. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 10 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a $100 late fee. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 20 hours can come from.
- home study / self-studymax 10 hrs
- in-service trainingmax 10 hrs
- academic courseworkmax 10 hrs
- teachingmax 10 hrs
- publicationmax 10 hrs
- first time presentationmax 5 hrs
- board meeting attendancemax 5 hrs
Keeping the proof in order: what to keep for a CE audit, with every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.
Full board policy details
- Section 9.1.A(1) lists acceptable "professional activities relevant to the practice of psychology" with per-activity maximums: in-service training with demonstrable psychological content (10h; no cap if the employer is an APA-accredited doctoral/internship/post-doc program); formal academic coursework of >=3 credit hours at a regionally accredited institution (10h); developing and teaching a NEW course at a regionally accredited institution (10h); publishing a peer-reviewed journal article, scholarly book, or research monograph (10h); preparing and presenting a FIRST-TIME poster, workshop, or in-service (5h); attendance at Board meetings (5h, up to 1 ethics hour per meeting); home-study programs, APA/professional-org approved with exam and certificate (10h). APA-approved educational experiences and in-person/online training by a qualified professional from a state/nationally recognized professional organization (e.g. AMA, NASW, ACA) carry no stated cap. Volunteer hours under the Arkansas Volunteer Health Care Act are governed by that Act's provisions.
- FORMAT CONSTRAINTS: CE hours shall not be obtained exclusively by home study or online means (Rule 9.1.A). Home-study programs are capped at 10 CE hours. Board guidance references a one-hour in-person expectation (waived only for the 2020-21 accrual period during COVID). Live-interactive online / instructor-led training by a qualified professional is treated as live training (not self-study) and is uncapped.
- ACCEPTABILITY STANDARDS: The Board does NOT pre-approve providers or programs; all CE is evaluated on individual merits, typically at audit. The Board accepts courses from any APA-approved provider. Home-study programs must be APA/professional-org approved and include an exam plus completion certificate. Academic coursework must be at a regionally accredited institution and >=3 credit hours. NOT acceptable for CE credit (Rule 9.1.A(3)): supervision required for routine licensure purposes; reading books or journal articles; writing newsletters or non-peer-reviewed articles; and any experience the Board determines does not meet its standards.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: Teaching credit is allowed only for developing and teaching a NEW course (Rule 9.1.A(1)(e)); presentation credit only for preparing and presenting a FIRST-TIME poster, workshop, or in-service (Rule 9.1.A(1)(g)). Repeating the same course or presentation is not creditable. The Board reserves the right to determine whether any particular CE experience meets Board standards. The rule does not expressly prohibit a general attendee from taking the same course twice in a cycle.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: Persons with voluntarily inactive licenses are not required to accumulate CE during inactivity (Rules 9.2.B, 13.7). To reactivate, the licensee must provide evidence of having completed 20 CE hours during the previous license year, pay the inactive placement fee (one-half the current renewal fee), and the Board may require an oral examination if deemed necessary. Retirement is offered only if the licensee will not be reactivating and is treated as terminal for CE purposes; the rule sets no CE path back from retirement.
- WAIVERS/EXTENSIONS: First-year waiver (Rule 9.2.A) - CE is waived for licensees who have been licensed in Arkansas less than one calendar year on the June 30 due date; there is no proration. Good-cause time extension (Rule 9.1.D) - a licensee unable to meet CE for good cause (licensee illness, family illness, natural disaster, military service, or foreign residence >=12 months of the license period) may request an extension with written explanation and the renewal fee; maximum one year except in the case of extended military service. Military deployment (Rule 10.3.D-E) - full or partial CE exemption and 180-day extension of the license expiration for a deployed uniformed service member or spouse until 180 days after return from deployment. There is no conditional/provisional registration for a CE shortfall; a renewal will not be considered without the required CE.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Arkansas Psychologist record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Arkansas Psychologist CE free →Arkansas Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Arkansas Psychologist licensees need?
Arkansas requires 20 continuing education hours per year to renew a Psychologist license. Annual cycle: CE due by June 30 each year.
How many ethics hours are required for Arkansas Psychologist licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Arkansas Psychologist licensees renew?
Annual cycle: CE due by June 30 each year.
How much does Arkansas Psychologist license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $300 per year, per the Arkansas board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $100 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Can Arkansas Psychologist licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 10 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Is the first renewal different for new Arkansas Psychologist licensees?
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Arkansas board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the Arkansas board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is for guidance only, not legal or board advice. Always confirm requirements with your licensing board before renewing. See something wrong? Report it →
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What to keep for a CE audit
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