English Composition 1
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →ArkansasHomeschool
Approved EFA vendors for high school: what to look for
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
An Arkansas EFA vendor has applied to the Department of Education and been approved as a service provider, so families can pay it through ClassWallet. Check the participating service providers list on the ADE EFA page first. For high school courses, also ask what the course leads to: a grade, a record and, for college-level courses, a route to a college transcript.
How a vendor gets approved
The department's EFA rule says ADE publishes a service provider application and reviews applications on a rolling basis through the year. Each provider applies for itself and attests to non-discrimination and, for student-facing providers, background checks; virtual instruction providers have their own rule on fingerprinting.
Once approved, a provider can be paid through ClassWallet. The ADE EFA page links to the participating service providers list and to the application for new service providers and vendors.
If your chosen provider is not on the list
The Family Handbook says you can ask a provider to apply. ADE can help approve new providers, and ClassWallet adds them as they are approved. If you pay a provider that is not approved, you must give ADE enough documentation to decide whether the cost qualifies, which takes longer and can be refused.
Five questions for any high school course vendor
Approval tells you the vendor can be paid. It does not tell you whether the course fits your student's plan. These questions help.
- Is the vendor on the ADE participating service providers list for this school year?
- What exactly does the price cover: one course, a month or every course?
- What record does the student get at the end: a grade, a certificate, a transcript?
- For college-level courses, does it carry an ACE or NCCRS recommendation?
- How would that credit reach a college: directly, or via a college transcript from a partner?
Where UPI Study fits
UPI Study is an approved vendor for the Arkansas EFA. It offers self-paced college-level courses with ACE or NCCRS recommendations, such as English Composition, College Algebra, US History and Introduction to Psychology. The homeschool lifetime plan is $250 once per family for every course.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. Credit reaches a college via a college transcript: TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Each college your student applies to makes its own decision, so ask it in writing first.
Watch for warning signs
Most providers are straightforward, but a few patterns are worth avoiding when you spend EFA money on high school courses.
Be careful with any provider that cannot show you it is on the current participating list, that asks you to pay outside ClassWallet and claim the money back, or that promises a college will count its courses. No provider can promise that; only the college decides.
Keep records as you go
Every EFA purchase can be reviewed. For each vendor keep the invoice, the course name, start and finish dates and the grade. Put college-level courses on the homeschool transcript you keep as the parent, with the recommendation noted. Those records help with an EFA review and later with college applications.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask the college your student plans to attend in writing whether it would consider each course via a partner college transcript, and ask ADE in writing if you are unsure whether a purchase qualifies.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Where is the list of approved Arkansas EFA vendors?
The Arkansas Department of Education's Education Freedom Accounts page links to the participating service providers list and to the ClassWallet marketplace. Check that a provider is listed for the current school year before you pay, since providers are added on a rolling basis as ADE approves them.
Can I pay a vendor that is not on the EFA list?
The handbook says you can ask the provider to apply, and ADE can help approve new ones. If you pay a provider that is not approved, you must send ADE enough documentation to decide whether the expense qualifies. It is simpler to use an approved provider.
What should a college-level course vendor give my student?
At least a grade and a clear record of the course, plus its ACE or NCCRS recommendation. Ask how that credit could reach a college. With UPI Study, a partner college such as TESU or UoPeople can place the credit on its transcript. Each college still decides what it counts.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Introduction to Psychology
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Principles of Statistics
Self-paced online Principles of Statistics course (Statistics 101). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
How to pay UPI Study through ClassWallet, step by step.
Sources
- DESE Rule Governing the Educational Freedom Account Program (effective 10 Aug 2024) (official)Programme established under Arkansas Code 6-18-2501 et seq.; 2.16.11 fees for courses and associated assessments for college credit are a qualifying expense; 5.06 award equals 90% of prior-year foundation funding; 7.04 service providers apply on a rolling basis. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Arkansas EFA Family Handbook 2026-2027 (Version 1.0, September 2026), linked from the ADE EFA page (official)About $7,200 per student in 2026-27; quarterly example $7,208 a year = $1,802 a quarter; deposits Aug 2026, Oct 2026, Feb 2027, Apr 2027; 1.85% ClassWallet fee reserved before funds show; unused funds roll over; dual-credit coursework during high school is a qualifying expense; homeschool families file a Notice of Intent and arrange annual testing. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Arkansas Department of Education: Education Freedom Accounts (official)The 2026-2027 programme, ClassWallet login, family handbook, participating service providers list and application for new EFA service providers and vendors. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.