Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Unveils Arkansas ACCESS: A Comprehensive Higher Education Reform by a Unified Effort of Educators, Parents, and Students
The Arkansas ACCESS legislation includes key reforms aimed at improving education and workforce readiness. It focuses on accelerating student coursework, broadening access to AP and IB programs, and shortening compliance timelines for K-12 schools. Additionally, it tackles cost by funding non-degree credentials and concurrent credits, expanding scholarship opportunities, and standardizing admissions and course credit systems. The bill also ensures fairness in higher education, eliminating DEI as an accreditation metric, offering in-state tuition for military families, and enhancing scholarships for merit and workforce training. These changes aim to streamline education, improve access, and support Arkansas’ workforce needs.
“After months of work with stakeholders around the state, I’m proud to announce Arkansas ACCESS, a targeted overhaul of our higher education system that will help every Arkansan get the education they need and prepared for the in-demand careers of the future,” said Governor Sanders.
A breakdown of the legislation’s key components is below:
Acceleration: Ensure high school students have the necessary skills for higher education and careers.
- Broaden accelerated coursework in Arkansas high schools beyond AP to IB and other programs.
- Standardize weights for concurrent credit, AP, and IB courses to encourage student participation.
- Establish a process for issuing district grades as well as grades for individual schools.
- Shorten waiver timelines from 5 years to 1 year for K-12 schools that are out of compliance in teacher licensing, class size, and other areas.
- Stop using DEI as a metric in accreditation standards.
- Prohibit professors from indoctrinating students with forced statements in support of DEI.
- Prevent institutions from granting excused absences for protests and other disruptive behavior.
- Require students who vandalize school property to pay damages before they earn their degree.
- Allow institutions of higher education that support servicemembers and military families to earn “Purple Star Campus” designations.
- Consider professors’ work evaluations in tenure review to ensure they are educating students.
- Create a funding model for non-degree credentials to encourage schools to adopt these programs.
- Fund concurrent higher education credits for high school students using foundation funding.
- Consider return on investment in the productivity-based funding model.
- Expand eligible admission exams for applicants: ACT/SAT/CLT and other qualifying test scores.
- Grant provisional admission to students who meet Arkansas higher education institutions’ baseline admissions requirements.
- Create a simple, statewide universal college application to ease the admissions process.
- Offer in-state tuition for Arkansas military families.
- Establish scholarships for students who graduate with merit or distinction.
- Expand Workforce Challenge scholarship opportunities to serve more students.
- Establish the Arkansas Heroes Scholarship for Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipients.
- Double the first-year award under Arkansas Academic Challenge from $1,000 to $2,000.
- Establish Governor’s Higher Ed Transition Scholarship Program for disabled students.
- Standardize course numbering across all state-supported higher education institutions.
- Increase the number of Gen-ed and CTE courses in the Arkansas Course Transfer System.
What Educators Are Saying About the Power of a Unified Effort in Arkansas ACCESS Reform
Jacob Oliva, Arkansas Department of Education Secretary – “Now that the early childhood and K-12 education systems have been aligned, I am excited to focus our attention toward higher education reform. For far too long, Arkansas’ higher education system has not been standardized. Through ACCESS and a heavy focus on acceleration, the system will be standardized. Not only will higher education be held accountable, but the system also will be streamlined to focus on enrollment, enlistment, and employment to ensure students have high-quality affordable options to enhance their education and training.”
Dr. Ken Warden, Commissioner of the Arkansas Division of Higher Education – “Governor Sanders’ overhaul of the higher education system is a welcomed igniter of change. From streamlining the application process and making college credits more accessible for high school students, to expanding scholarship opportunities and standardizing the course code numbering system, the legislation makes our system more user friendly and places students at the center. I look forward to working with our higher education institutions to implement the changes approved by the legislature.”
Representative Matthew Shepherd – “Arkansas students should graduate with more than just a degree—they should have the education, skills, and training necessary to thrive in the real world. I thank the Governor for her leadership with the ACCESS initiative. It will help create stronger career pathways, grow our economy, and ensure a brighter future for the next generation.”
Senator Jonathan Dismang – “One of the things I am most excited about is the slashing of bureaucratic red tape and arbitrary roadblocks that have long hindered student achievement in our state’s higher education system. Much like the LEARNS Act, ACCESS is squarely focused on the student and prioritizes their individual success.”
Senator Breanne Davis -“ACCESS is the plan we need to take Arkansas’ higher education system to the next level. I’m confident this bill will benefit Arkansas Tech University and U of A-Community College Morrilton, as they’ve been meeting demands of the work force for years, adding value to our communities and making generational change for families. I look forward to working with the Governor on getting this bill over the finish line.”
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jay B. Silveria, President, University of Arkansas System – “We appreciate the Governor and General Assembly making a commitment to prioritize higher education in this legislative session, highlighting the key role our institutions play in the educational and economic advancement of our state and its citizens. We understand our obligation to provide the state with a strong return on its investment in our programs. Governor Sanders and her team have approached Arkansas ACCESS with a spirit of open dialogue, and we are looking forward to continuing that conversation as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.”
Dr. Charles F. Robinson, Chancellor, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville – “We greatly appreciate Governor Sanders and her team engaging us on ways to improve educational outcomes for both our state’s high school and college students. We all recognize that better educated students make for a stronger Arkansas, and we will continue to engage with the Governor on this legislation to help achieve that outcome.”
Dr. Brendan Kelly, Arkansas State University System President – “The Governor took time to personally engage with our system leadership about her vision for higher education. The Arkansas State University System is more interested in the future of higher education than in the way we’ve always done things. We look forward to advancing the conversation about deploying and implementing initiatives that result in positive outcomes and returns on investment for Arkansas.”
Dr. Russ Jones, Arkansas Tech University President – “Arkansas Tech University looks forward to working with the Governor and other institutions of higher learning on the Arkansas ACCESS plan. I commend the Governor for her strong commitment to strengthening higher education.”
Dr. Summer DeProw, Chancellor, University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College – “Governor Sanders is showing that she and her team clearly understand student success and the importance of postsecondary education. The Arkansas ACCESS bill provides structural encouragement for students to stretch themselves through weighted high school GPAs, opportunities for alternative funding models for workforce training and concurrent courses and calls for collaboration to streamline the process for applying to college. UA-PTC looks forward to learning more about the Arkansas ACCESS bill over the next few weeks.”
Chris Heigle, President, Arkansas Northeastern College – “The Arkansas Access bill is a big step forward for students in our state. It expands options for high-achieving students, makes the process of getting into college smoother, and strengthens scholarships for veterans and first responders. One of the most important aspects of the legislation is how it elevates career and technical education, recognizing these programs as both valuable and academically rigorous. A common application will help remove unnecessary hurdles, making it easier for students to access higher education. This legislation also provides the foundation to begin adjusting the productivity formula to better reflect the real impact of workforce-focused education, ensuring institutions are measured in a way that truly captures their value. Governor Sanders’ focus on workforce-aligned education will have a lasting effect, helping students succeed and strengthening Arkansas’ economy. This bill puts students and institutions in a better position to contribute to the state’s future.”
Dr. Bentley Wallace, Chancellor of Arkansas State University, Mountain Home – “We value the Governor’s focus on and interest in advancing effective higher education with meaningful results. Ultimately, we all have a common interest in doing what’s best for educating and training students who will contribute to the growing Arkansas economy.”
Dr. Jennifer Methvin, Chancellor Arkansas State University-Beebe – “We share the Governor’s focus on accessibility to higher education at every level. We look forward to seeing the proposed legislation to understand how the ideas develop into programs and solutions.”
Patricia Levesque, Executive Director of ExcelinEd in Action – “Following the passage of the LEARNS Act in 2023, leaders in Arkansas continue to make education a top priority. The Arkansas ACCESS Act is another seminal piece of legislation designed to transform the K-12 and higher education systems to better serve students as they look to enter the workforce. By raising expectations, creating accelerated pathways to college and career, expanding access to higher education and industry-valued credentials and aligning the K-12 and higher education systems to better serve students, Arkansas is poised to reap the benefits for generations to come.”
