Remediation rates are an indicator of the extent to which students are prepared with the basic academic skills to succeed in their college coursework. Enrolling in remedial coursework in college delays participation in credit-bearing, college-level courses and degree completion.

In 2017, 31% of first-year students enrolled in a remedial course, down 4 percentage points from 2016. Racial and ethnic disparities were large, with 61% of black students taking a remedial course compared to 33% of Hispanic students, 24% of white students and 23% of Asian students. However, there was no meaningful difference between female and male students. The highest remediation rates were among students from Bradley, Dallas and Monroe counties (71%, 68% and 67%). The lowest were those from Stone and Randolph counties (17% and 19%).

In past years, assignment to remedial coursework was based on whether students met a cut-off score of 19 on the ACT exam (or the equivalent on the ASSET, SAT, or COMPASS tests) in English, mathematics and reading. However, due to the July 2017 revision of the AHECB placement policy, assignment to remedial coursework is now determined by a student's academic institution's placement policy. Thus, beginning in 2017, remedial reporting is based on a student's actual enrollment in a remedial course and not just on test scores. Due to this reporting change, comparable data is not available prior to 2016.

Data is reported by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education based on students' performance in the fall of their first year. Therefore 2017 data is for students who entered college or university in the fall of 2017. The rate reported is for all first-year students across all institution types.

Due to a lack of national standardized data on remedial education enrollment, no state or national comparison is possible.