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

What's different between South Carolina 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

South Carolina to Mississippi (this page): Reciprocity agreement.

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

The two directions differ: South Carolina and Mississippi do not give each other's licensees the same route.

Does coming from South Carolina matter?

South Carolina gets Mississippi's most common result: 27 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.

The others get: licensure by endorsement (23).

Reciprocity agreements

Mississippi's reciprocity agreement list names 27 states, including South Carolina.

South Carolina's row names no reciprocity agreement states.

CLC membership

Neither South Carolina nor Mississippi has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact.

Application fee

Mississippi lists $55 for an out-of-state applicant and South Carolina lists $60 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; South Carolina's is 1,500.

The two standards are the same.

Exam rules on record

Mississippi and South Carolina 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
• South Carolina (the reverse move): No South Carolina exam is required if you have passed the NIC theory and practical examinations; applicants actively licensed in another state for at least two years who complete 4 hours of board-approved continuing education are exempt from the examination requirement

What changes, South Carolina → 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 reciprocity 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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