The University of Arkansas has substantially expanded its deceased-donor kidney transplant program. Between 2017 and 2019, the number of deceased-donor kidney transplants more than doubled, increasing from 67 to 160 annually. The program has maintained this higher level of activity, performing 150 deceased-donor kidney transplants in 2025. Much of this expansion came from kidneys recovered beyond Arkansas's local organ procurement service area. In 2017, UAMS transplanted 22 kidneys recovered in other service areas; by 2019, that number had increased to 96. Today, this broader geographic reach remains an important strength. In 2025, 90 of the program's 150 deceased-donor kidney transplants (60%) involved kidneys recovered outside its local service area, including kidneys from Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, and other regions.

More people in the region are now coming to UAMS for kidney transplants. From 2014 to 2024, UAMS had about 200 patients on its kidney transplant waiting list. After 2024, the list grew fast and reached around 400 candidates by October 2026. OPTN data also show more people joining from nearby states such as Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Although the number of transplants is still high, transplant wait times increased in 2024 compared with 2021-2024.

UAMS stands out for keeping a high number of active kidney transplant candidates. As of October 2026, OPTN data show that 329 out of 408 patients on its waiting list (81%) are active and able to receive deceased-donor kidney offers. This matches the center's usual approach, with 94% of new candidates listed as active in 2025. These numbers show that most UAMS patients are eligible for transplant offers rather than temporarily inactive.

In 2025, UAMS received national recognition for reducing the time from referral to evaluation by 40 days and from evaluation to waiting-list placement by another 39 days.

Staying active on the transplant waiting list can open up chances that are not just based on how long you have been waiting. If a deceased-donor kidney is a perfect six-antigen HLA match, the national kidney allocation system gives it special priority. This means someone who just joined the waiting list might still get an unexpected chance at a transplant if a perfectly matched kidney becomes available. Patients who are temporarily inactive don't receive these offers, so it is especially important to keep your waiting-list status active. A perfect six-antigen HLA match is a particularly valuable opportunity in kidney transplantation. Because the donor and recipient share the same six traditionally measured tissue antigens, the recipient may have a lower risk of rejection and better kidney longevity.

The University of Arkansas performs mostly deceased-donor transplants, with fewer than 10 living-donor transplants each year from 2014 to 2024. After that, living donor transplants rose to 20 per year.