Cosmetology / Barber License from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept a Rhode Island cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, verify your Rhode Island license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. 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)).
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The number that defines this move: Rhode Island licensed you at 1,000 training hours, and Pennsylvania requires 1,250 — 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 Pennsylvania's position accept documented licensed work experience, supplemental hours, or their own exams. The requirements below are the exact menu Pennsylvania offers.
What's different between Rhode Island and Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Rhode Island to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Pennsylvania to Rhode Island (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Rhode Island matter?
Coming from Rhode Island matters here: only 8 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Pennsylvania.
The others get: reciprocity agreement (30), compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, reciprocity agreement (11), and compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (1).
- Reciprocity agreements
Pennsylvania's reciprocity agreement list names 41 states, not including Rhode Island.
Rhode Island's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- CLC membership
Pennsylvania has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact; Rhode Island has not.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $89 for an out-of-state applicant and Rhode Island lists $25 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Training hours
Pennsylvania's first-time-applicant standard is 1,250 training hours for the standard license; Rhode Island's is 1,000.
Pennsylvania's is 250 training hours higher than Rhode Island's.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and Rhode Island carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (this 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))
- Rhode Island (the reverse move): Rhode Island does not re-examine out-of-state applicants — the license is granted on acceptance of credentials, with verification sent directly from the original licensing state that the applicant passed written and practical examinations acceptable to the Department
What changes, Rhode Island → Pennsylvania
| Rhode Island (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,000 | 1,250 |
| Application fee | $25 (application by verification (endorsement) fee, same as the examination application fee) | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) |
| Processing time | no published timeline; out-of-state licensees licensed by examination may practice for up to three months on a non-renewable temporary permit, provided they apply for and obtain the Rhode Island license within that period | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations |
| Licensing authority | Rhode Island Department of Health — Board of Hairdressing and Barbering | Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license with a minimum of two years of licensed work experience, documented by signed employer certifications.
- Provide criminal history records checks, dated within 180 days, from every state where you lived, worked, or trained during the past five years.
- Be licensed in a state with which Pennsylvania holds a reciprocal agreement; applicants from the eight non-reciprocal states apply by Act 41 endorsement instead.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Rhode Island required 1,000 hours but Pennsylvania wants 1,250 — do I need more school?
Not necessarily. The 250-hour gap can usually be bridged without re-enrolling: Pennsylvania's options are listed in the requirements on this page (experience substitution and examination are the common routes). Contact the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology with your license history before paying for school hours.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- 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)
- 216-RICR-40-05-4 — Barbers, Hairdressers/Cosmeticians, Manicurists, Estheticians, and Instructors ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 216-RICR-10-05-2 — RIDOH fee structure (hairdresser/cosmetologist fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- RIDOH — Barbering, Hairdressing and Cosmetology licensing page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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