AR HB1696

Establishes the "Arkansas Requisite Core Curriculum" requiring 15 semester credit hours for all undergraduate students at state-supported institutions of higher education, beginning with the fall 2027 entering class

Mandates specific coursework including two 3-credit hour communication courses, one 3-credit hour critical thinking/logical reasoning course, and required courses in both American History and American Government covering the U.S. Constitution and American institutions

Creates a fully transferable general education core curriculum among all state-supported colleges and universities in Arkansas

Repeals existing statutes (§ 6-61-105 and § 6-61-218) and removes exemptions from the Building Better Futures Program that previously allowed students to bypass core curriculum requirements

Grants the Division of Higher Education authority to establish reporting requirements, exempt Applied Science degrees, allow credit equivalency for competency-based programs, and permit advanced coursework substitutions except for the mandatory American Government and American History courses