What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in Arkansas
Arkansas Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Issued by Arkansas Securities Department
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
20 hrs
Arkansas-Specific
None
License Fee
$50
All 20 hours are the national SAFE Act topics and electives. Arkansas designates none of them to state law.
Arkansas designates none of the 20 hours to state law, so the federal SAFE course is the whole pre-licensing requirement here. That is not true in most states, and a course bought for Arkansas will not necessarily satisfy a neighboring one.
Arkansas puts the bond on the mortgage broker, banker or servicer, sized to the company's Arkansas loan volume in the preceding year. A loan officer is not separately bonded.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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Provider profiles
How to become a mortgage loan officer in Arkansas
Originating mortgage loans in Arkansas takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. Arkansas Securities Department issues the license and calls it the Arkansas Loan Officer License.
Watch the name. Arkansas calls it the Arkansas Loan Officer License rather than a mortgage loan originator license, which is the term NMLS and every course provider uses. It is the same license.
Arkansas Securities Department charges $50 to apply for the Arkansas Loan Officer License. NMLS charges its own processing fees on top of that and those are the same in every jurisdiction, so the license costs more than the state's own figure suggests. The cost breakdown adds up the whole stack.
4 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for Arkansas, priced from $249 to $599. The lowest price on a provider's site is sometimes an add-on rather than a full pre-licensing course, so the table marks which packages cover the national hours.
Arkansas mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in Arkansas? ▾
20 hours, none of which Arkansas designates to state law. The course has to come from an NMLS-approved provider.
What exam do I have to pass in Arkansas? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate Arkansas exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in Arkansas? ▾
$50 to Arkansas Securities Department, plus the fees NMLS charges to process the application. Course tuition is separate and varies by provider. The cost breakdown page has the full stack.
Do I need a surety bond in Arkansas? ▾
No. In Arkansas the bond obligation sits with the company sponsoring you, not with you personally.
What does an Arkansas mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.