Dental Schools in Arkansas
Arkansas has 1 CODA-accredited predoctoral dental program, located in Little Rock.
It's listed below with its address, website and current accreditation status, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Graduating from a CODA-accredited dental school is what every U.S. jurisdiction, including Arkansas, requires as the education foundation for a dentist's license, though the exam and application steps that follow are set by the state board.
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At a glance
In Arkansas
Programs
1
With a program
Cities
1
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
0 of 1
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Arkansas
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the Accreditation Status
CODA uses a small set of status terms, and they mean specific things. "Approval (without reporting requirements)" means a program meets or exceeds CODA's standards outright. "Approval (with reporting requirements)" means CODA found specific deficiencies and the program must show it has corrected them within a set timeframe — it is not a warning to avoid the program. "Initial Accreditation" is granted to a program that is not yet fully operational, meaning it hasn't yet enrolled and graduated its first class of students.
The site-visit years shown are CODA's own accreditation-cycle dates, not anything set by the program.
For admissions details, cost, or anything not shown above, contact the program directly or search CODA's own directory.
Why Accreditation Matters for Licensure
CODA accreditation is the credential state dental boards look for when they evaluate a dentist applicant's education, and it's also required to sit for the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE).
Because CODA accreditation is a national standard rather than a state one, Arkansas residents aren't limited to Arkansas's one program — any CODA-accredited dental school elsewhere in the country satisfies the same education requirement.
Beyond that shared foundation, see our guides on dental school and how to become a dentist for the full path from application to practice, and our Arkansas dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires to hold an active license.
After Graduation in Arkansas
A CODA-accredited degree is the first step toward practicing dentistry, not the last one.
Arkansas's own dental board sets the exam, application and continuing-education requirements a graduate must clear before holding an active license, and those requirements can change over time — see our Arkansas dentist licensure page above for what's current.
For what dentists earn in Arkansas, see our Arkansas dentist salary guide.
Arkansas doesn't currently have its own dedicated jobs page on this site, so browse current dentist openings nationwide when you're ready to search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited dental schools are in Arkansas?
Arkansas has 1 CODA-accredited predoctoral dental program, located in Little Rock.
It's listed above with its current CODA accreditation status, address and website.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Does a school's CODA status affect my eligibility to practice?
It can.
If a program's accreditation is withdrawn, students who enroll after that point are not considered graduates of a Commission-accredited program and may be ineligible for licensure or certification exams. "Initial Accreditation," by contrast, is a normal early-stage status for a program that hasn't yet graduated its first class — it isn't a red flag on its own.
Check a program's current status directly with CODA before you enroll.
Do I have to attend an Arkansas dental school to practice in Arkansas?
No. CODA accreditation is a national credential, not a state one, so a program located anywhere in the U.S. satisfies the education requirement Arkansas and every other jurisdiction looks for.
What licensure in Arkansas itself requires beyond that is set by the state board — see our Arkansas dentist licensure page for those details.
What comes after graduating from a CODA-accredited dental school?
Graduates typically sit for the INBDE and then apply for licensure with the state board where they intend to practice, which sets its own exam and application requirements.
Our guide to becoming a dentist walks through that full sequence from dental school through licensure.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Arkansas & Dentist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.