Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Education announced the launch of the Arkansas ACCESS Portal, which allows high school seniors to apply to up to five participating colleges without application fees.
“I signed Arkansas ACCESS last year to rebuild our higher education system so that every Arkansas high school student is prepared for the in-demand careers of the future – whether by enrolling, enlisting, or becoming employed,” said Gov. Sanders. “I’m proud to see the Arkansas Department of Education taking massive steps forward to make quality education more accessible and prioritizing a system geared towards students.”
The portal is part of the Arkansas ACCESS initiative, which calls for more uniform admissions policies among participating institutions. Students who meet an institution’s baseline admissions requirements can receive provisional admission.
“The Arkansas ACCESS Portal takes what used to be a confusing, repetitive college application process that would overwhelm students and families and streamlines it into a simple process,” said Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva. “With one application and one login, students can reach nearly every campus in Arkansas without fees or barriers. Now, every student in Arkansas can learn about different pathways and directly connect with the institution to help them reach their goals.”
The portal also connects with the Arkansas Department of Education’s Electronic Transcript System, allowing students’ coursework, grade-point averages and test data to automatically populate their applications. Students, therefore, do not have to repeatedly enter the same information for each college.
The Arkansas Department of Education developed the portal within 12 months of Arkansas ACCESS becoming law. All of Arkansas’ public four-year and two-year colleges are participating, along with about half of the state’s private institutions.
School counselors and career coaches will help introduce seniors to the portal through programs including senior advisories, FAFSA nights and college application days.
The ACCESS Portal is now live, and Arkansas seniors, parents, counselors and career coaches can get started through the state’s online system.
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