UA Little Rock Launches Arkansas’ First Direct Admission Program for Transfer Students

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is launching Arkansas’ first direct admission program for transfer students, creating an innovative new pathway that simplifies the admission process for community college students to continue their education and earn a bachelor’s degree.

The initiative combines direct admission with traditional 2+2 transfer pathways, allowing students to complete their first two years at a community college before transferring to UA Little Rock to finish a four-year degree. The program is designed to remove transfer barriers and help hundreds of Arkansas students each year move more easily from an associate degree to a bachelor’s degree. 

“UA Little Rock is proud to lead the state in creating innovative pathways that make higher education more accessible for Arkansas students,” said Chancellor Christina S. Drale. “By strengthening partnerships with community colleges, we are helping more students see a clear and achievable path to completing their bachelor’s degree.”

The first institutions to join the initiative are the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain, and the University of Arkansas Cossatot Community College. Additional partner institutions are expected to join in the future. UA Little Rock enrolled over 1,300 transfer students for the current academic year.

Through the partnership, eligible transfer students will benefit from several features designed to simplify the transition to UA Little Rock, including:

• Waived undergraduate admission application fee
• Streamlined admissions processing, with UA Little Rock coordinating transcript collection to reduce administrative steps and transcript fees
• Access to the Trojan Transfer Hub, a web-based platform that allows students to evaluate how their coursework applies to UA Little Rock degree programs and guides them through the transfer process

“Transfer students are a vital part of our campus community, and we are committed to making their pathway to a four-year degree as clear and accessible as possible,” said Cody Decker, vice chancellor for student affairs and chief data officer at UA Little Rock. “By working closely with our community college partners, we are creating new opportunities for students across Arkansas to continue their education and achieve their goals.”

Strengthening partnerships with community colleges is central to UA Little Rock’s mission to expand access to higher education across Arkansas.

“As Little Rock’s university, we are committed to meeting students where they are and building partnerships that help them succeed,” Decker said.

The direct admission transfer partnerships will begin in Fall 2026. To learn more about enrolling at UA Little Rock, visit ualr.edu/admissions.