Arkansas Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 20 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
The Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy requires licensed PTs to complete 20 contact hours (2 CEUs) of continuing education each biennium, with 10 contact hours (1 CEU) for Physical Therapist Assistants. One CEU equals 10 contact hours (60 minutes each). License fees are due annually by March 1, but CE is tracked on the two-year cycle and certified at the odd-numbered-year renewal.
Every renewing licensee must pass the Board's jurisprudence exam at 70% or higher, counted as a 1-hour online course within the total. No more than half the requirement may be online, though live interactive webinars count as in-person. Carry-over is not allowed between bienniums.
Since 2023, licensees self-attest under oath instead of submitting proof upfront. The Board audits a random 10% of licensees after each odd-year renewal, giving them 20 days to produce records.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Physical Therapy Jurisprudence Examination | 1 | Every renewal | A passing score (70%) on the Board-approved jurisprudence exam is required both for initial licensure and for every renewal falling in an odd-numbered year (i.e., every CE/biennium cycle). The exam itself is counted as a 1-hour online course and is included within, not additional to, the 20-hour (PT) / 10-hour (PTA) total. |
Renewal Pathways
Exemptions
- Military Deployment Exemption — A full exemption from continuing education requirements is allowed for a deployed uniformed service member or their spouse until 180 days following the date of the service member's return from deployment.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Arkansas CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Arkansas that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Arkansas PT/PTA licenses are renewed and a fee paid ANNUALLY (by March 1 every year, per Section VI.A), but the continuing education requirement itself accrues on a BIENNIUM (2-year) basis and is only certified/attested at the odd-numbered-year renewal. The CE cycle reflects the CE accounting period, not the annual license-fee cadence.
- 1 CEU = 10 contact hours; a contact hour equals 60 minutes of in-person attendance at a seminar or workshop (note: this differs from Alabama's 50-minute contact-hour definition).
- Online CE is capped at 50% of the total requirement (computed: max 10 of 20 hours for PT, max 5 of 10 hours for PTA). Webinars that are both live AND interactive count as in-person attendance and do not count against this online cap.
- The Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination (70% passing score) is required for initial licensure and again at every odd-numbered-year renewal; it is counted as a 1-hour online course that counts toward, not in addition to, the total CE requirement.
- No carry-over of CE hours between bienniums: the Board will not accept previously-submitted credit hours toward a new biennium's requirement.
- Up to one-half of the biennium CEU requirement may be satisfied by a published article or research submitted to the Board for approval.
- Since January 1, 2023, licensees no longer routinely submit CE proof; instead they self-attest under oath/penalty of perjury at the odd-numbered-year renewal that they completed and meet the CE criteria, and keep records for a minimum of 4 years. After each odd-numbered-year renewal, the Board randomly audits 10% of licensees, who then have 20 days to submit proof of CE for the previous biennium.
- A full exemption from CE requirements applies to a deployed uniformed service member or spouse, lasting until 180 days after the service member's return from deployment.
- Failure to comply: a $50/month penalty accrues until CE is completed; non-compliant licensees are not renewed and may not practice; continuing non-compliance (including with the audit process) may lead to disciplinary action.
Provider Requirements
Program content and CEU accreditation must be approved by the Board or a Board-approved entity; content must fall within clinical application, clinical management, behavioral science, or science/scientific research. College or university courses in those same areas are accepted at 1 CEU per satisfactorily completed credit hour (grade C or higher, with transcript/grade report). A licensee who has written a published article or research may submit it to the Board for consideration toward up to one-half of the biennium CEU requirement. Since January 1, 2023, licensees self-attest to meeting these criteria and only submit proof if selected for audit.
Tips for Arkansas PTs
- Track your hours toward December 31 of the second year of your biennium, not your annual renewal date — the license fee is due every March 1, but CE only needs to be complete by the biennium deadline.
- Keep at least half your hours in live or interactive-webinar format; the Board caps online/self-study credit at 50% of the total requirement.
- Retain certificates, transcripts, or grade reports for at least 4 years — you no longer submit proof automatically, but 10% of licensees are randomly audited after each odd-year renewal with only 20 days to respond.
- Don't bank extra hours expecting them to roll over — Arkansas explicitly disallows carrying previously submitted CEUs into the next biennium.
- If you're a PTA, confirm you only need 10 hours (1 CEU), not the 20-hour PT requirement, though the jurisprudence exam and 50% online cap apply to both license types equally.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy's official rules and continuing-education sources and recorded with the exact source excerpt. Last verified Jul 2026. Read how we compile and verify this data.