Cosmetology / Barber License from Illinois to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)

What's different between Illinois and Mississippi

Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Mississippi. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.

Route, each way

Illinois to Mississippi (this page): Licensure by endorsement.

Mississippi to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Illinois matter?

Coming from Illinois matters here: only 23 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Mississippi.

The others get: reciprocity agreement (27).

Reciprocity agreements

Mississippi's reciprocity agreement list names 27 states, not including Illinois.

Illinois's row names no reciprocity agreement states.

CLC membership

Neither Illinois nor Mississippi has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.

Application fee

Mississippi lists $55 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $45 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Training hours

Mississippi's first-time-applicant standard is 1,500 training hours for the standard license; Illinois's is 1,500.

The two standards are the same.

Exam rules on record

Mississippi and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.

• Mississippi (this move): No practical exam for reciprocity applicants; the Mississippi written/theory exam is required unless you were licensed in 2025 or later by a state on the board's published reciprocity list, in which case the exam is waived and you proceed to the license form upon application approval
• Illinois (the reverse move): Exams are not retaken if your out-of-state license is the same as or substantially similar to the Illinois cosmetologist license; endorsement applicants who cannot satisfy all requirements may be required to submit additional information, take additional coursework, and/or pass the Illinois examination

What changes, Illinois → Mississippi

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

1. Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold a practitioner license from a state or U.S. territory with educational requirements similar to Mississippi (minimum hours and 10th-grade education).
5. Submit two 2x2-inch passport-style photographs taken within the last 90 days.
6. Submit two forms of identification, at least one government-issued with photograph.
7. Submit color copies of all licenses held plus a certified letter/verification of active practice and good standing from every state board where you hold a license.
8. New Mississippi residents may instead apply under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act (UROLA) and must pass the Mississippi Laws and Sanitation Examination within 1 year.
9. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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