Arnold was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recognizing her outstanding contributions to science and technology.

Arnold was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), honoring her significant contributions to the advancement of science.

Arnold received the Charles Stark Draper Prize, one of the highest honors in engineering, for her pioneering work in directed evolution.

Arnold was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Barack Obama, recognizing her exceptional contributions to the nation's technological progress.

Arnold won the Millennium Technology Prize, a prestigious international award recognizing technological innovations that have a major impact on improving the quality of life for humankind. She was awarded for her work in directed evolution.

Arnold was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly with George Smith and Gregory Winter, for her work on the directed evolution of enzymes. She was the fifth woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) - the UK's national academy of sciences.

Frances Arnold received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Harvard University, acknowledging her extraordinary contributions to science and innovation.