Cosmetology / Barber License from Pennsylvania to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Mississippi accept a Pennsylvania cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Pennsylvania to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. 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.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The number that defines this move: Pennsylvania licensed you at 1,250 training hours, and Mississippi requires 1,500 — a 250-hour deficit on paper. That does not usually mean going back to school. It means proving the gap is covered another way: most boards in Mississippi's position accept documented licensed work experience, supplemental hours, or their own exams. The requirements below are the exact menu Mississippi offers.
What's different between Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania to Mississippi (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Mississippi to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Reciprocity agreement.
The two directions differ: Pennsylvania and Mississippi do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania's reciprocity agreement list names 41 states, including Mississippi.
- CLC membership
Pennsylvania has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact; Mississippi has not.
- Application fee
Mississippi lists $55 for an out-of-state applicant and Pennsylvania lists $89 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; Pennsylvania's is 1,250.
Mississippi's is 250 training hours higher than Pennsylvania's.
- Exam rules on record
Mississippi and Pennsylvania 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
- Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Exams are not retaken — an applicant who meets the criteria for licensure by reciprocity may obtain the license without examination (49 Pa. Code 7.31(b))
What changes, Pennsylvania → Mississippi
| Pennsylvania (current) | Mississippi (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | CLC enacted — not yet issuing | Reciprocity with 27 states |
| Training hours | 1,250 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) | $55 (non-refundable application fee under reciprocity or UROLA; practitioner license fee $50 per Rule 5.20) |
| Processing time | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations | board does not publish a processing timeframe; UROLA applicants receive a 365-day temporary practice permit upon complete application |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology | Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a practitioner license from a state or U.S. territory with educational requirements similar to Mississippi (minimum hours and 10th-grade education).
- Submit two 2x2-inch passport-style photographs taken within the last 90 days.
- Submit two forms of identification, at least one government-issued with photograph.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Pennsylvania required 1,250 hours but Mississippi wants 1,500 — do I need more school?
Not necessarily. The 250-hour gap can usually be bridged without re-enrolling: Mississippi's options are listed in the requirements on this page (experience substitution and examination are the common routes). Contact the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) with your license history before paying for school hours.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Pennsylvania 2026-10-29, Mississippi 2026-07-21.
- MSBCB — Rules and Regulations (Rules 5.2, 5.8, 5.10, 5.20) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MSBCB — Reciprocity with Mississippi state table (2025-present) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MSBCB — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetology Licensure Guide (reciprocity section) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetologist Licensure Snapshot ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7 — State Board of Cosmetology ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission — Pennsylvania becomes 13th state to enact (SB 331) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission — FAQ (compact not yet active) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Pennsylvania 2026-10-29, Mississippi 2026-07-21
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