Cosmetology / Barber License from Arkansas to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept an Arkansas cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Arkansas to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology, verify your Arkansas license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. Michigan does not re-examine licensure-by-endorsement applicants; instead you must show your licensing state's requirements were substantially equal — a theory and practical examination plus at least 1,500 hours of prelicensure training or a 2-year apprenticeship (training-hour shortfalls may be substituted with work experience at 100 hours of training per 6 months of work experience).
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Arkansas and Michigan require identical training hours (1,500), which removes the usual friction from a cosmetology transfer. What remains is Michigan's administrative checklist below.
What's different between Arkansas and Michigan
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Michigan. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Arkansas to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan to Arkansas (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Arkansas matter?
Coming from Arkansas does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Michigan.
- CLC membership
Neither Arkansas nor Michigan has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $63 for an out-of-state applicant and Arkansas lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Training hours
Michigan's first-time-applicant standard is 1,500 training hours for the standard license; Arkansas's is 1,500.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Arkansas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Michigan (this move): Michigan does not re-examine licensure-by-endorsement applicants; instead you must show your licensing state's requirements were substantially equal — a theory and practical examination plus at least 1,500 hours of prelicensure training or a 2-year apprenticeship (training-hour shortfalls may be substituted with work experience at 100 hours of training per 6 months of work experience)
- Arkansas (the reverse move): If licensed one year or more, only the Arkansas state law exam is required; if licensed under one year, the written exam must also be passed before a license is issued
What changes, Arkansas → Michigan
| Arkansas (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $50 (nonrefundable application fee (10.2024 application for automatic or out-of-state licensure); exam fees paid separately to the test vendor) | $63 (application fee plus 2-year license fee; same $63 total for licensure by examination or reciprocity) |
| Processing time | no processing timeline published by the Cosmetology Section | LARA does not publish a processing timeframe in the cosmetology licensing guide |
| Licensing authority | Arkansas Department of Health — Cosmetology Section | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active license or registration in good standing from another state authorizing you to perform cosmetology services.
- Establish education equivalent to completion of the ninth grade.
- Have license verification submitted directly to LARA by the licensing agency of every state where you hold or ever held a cosmetology-related license.
- Apply and pay fees through the MiPLUS online licensing portal.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Arkansas 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21.
- LARA — Cosmetology (profession page) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LARA — Michigan Cosmetology Licensing Guide (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan Admin Code R 338.2121b — Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- ADH Cosmetology — Application for Automatic Licensure or Out-of-State Licensure (10.2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- ADH Cosmetology — Reciprocity Requirements for Hours (1,500 hours for cosmetologist) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- ADH — Cosmetology Forms, Reciprocity, and Military ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- ADH — Cosmetology Fee Schedule (Reciprocity for a Practitioner $50 one-time fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Arkansas 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-07-21
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