Counseling License from Illinois to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Arkansas accept an Illinois counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Illinois to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), verify your Illinois license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: counselor applicants need a passing NCE or NCMHCE, and the Board may waive the NCE/NCMHCE when it finds another exam equivalent or the applicant meets the licensure-by-endorsement rule (17 CAR 75-901(b)(4)). The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam, administered through NBCC, IS required of all applicants except uniformed-service applicants under 17 CAR 75-904.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from Illinois to Arkansas by endorsement. Arkansas is operational in the Counseling Compact, but Illinois is not, so there is no home-state license here to anchor a privilege. Once you hold an Arkansas license and live in Arkansas, it can anchor privileges into the other operational states. You apply to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), which verifies your Illinois license and standing, matches it to Arkansas's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Arkansas jurisprudence and background requirements.
What's different between Illinois and Arkansas
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Arkansas. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Arkansas (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Arkansas to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Illinois gets Arkansas's most common result: 40 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: compact privilege — work there without a second license (10).
- Counseling Compact membership
Illinois is not in the Counseling Compact; Arkansas is a Counseling Compact member state.
Because they are not both active members, the Counseling Compact does not cover this move.
- Application fee
Arkansas lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Arkansas and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Arkansas (this move): National exam is not retaken: counselor applicants need a passing NCE or NCMHCE, and the Board may waive the NCE/NCMHCE when it finds another exam equivalent or the applicant meets the licensure-by-endorsement rule (17 CAR 75-901(b)(4)). The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam, administered through NBCC, IS required of all applicants except uniformed-service applicants under 17 CAR 75-904.
- Illinois (the reverse move): National exams are not retaken but must be complete. The Illinois LCPC requires either the CRCE (CRCC) or BOTH the NCE and the NCMHCE (NBCC). An endorsement applicant who passed only one of the NCE/NCMHCE must pass the other as part of the Illinois process. Official score reports must be sent directly to IDFPR. No state jurisprudence exam is required.
What changes, Illinois → Arkansas
| Illinois (current) | Arkansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact privilege (not a license) |
| Application fee | $150 (LCPC application fee (all methods, incl. endorsement) per 68 IAC 1375.205(a)(1) and the IDFPR LPC/LCPC instruction packet; nonrefundable. No separate license-issuance fee listed. Other-state certification fees are charged by those boards. Illinois is not a Counseling Compact state, so there is no privilege fee.) | $100 (initial LPC application fee per 17 CAR 75-1301(a)(1) (2026 Rule Revision). The Board must waive it (17 CAR 75-1301(b): 'shall waive') for applicants receiving Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, TANF or Lifeline assistance, approved for unemployment within the last 12 months, or with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Separate fees: $250 LPC license fee (75-1302, first fee prorated), jurisprudence exam fee paid to NBCC, and background-check fees. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arkansas charges $50 + $30 commission admin fee = $80 for a privilege, and requires the jurisprudence exam).) |
| Processing time | IDFPR publishes no processing timeframe. The instruction packet only says to allow 6 weeks from mailing before asking about status. Applications are valid for 3 years | the Board publishes no end-to-end timeframe. Its Licensed by Endorsement Instructions (10/16/2026) say the first-step Application for Examination by Endorsement 'can take several weeks to be approved', the file then goes on a Board meeting agenda, and after approval license processing 'usually takes about 10 business days, but it can take longer' |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arkansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a full LPC-equivalent license, continually maintained and currently in good standing, with a license verification form from each state where licensed.
- Complete the Board's two-step portal process: an Application for Examination by Endorsement (core curriculum summary, unofficial transcript, photo), then the LPC by Endorsement license application, followed by Board review at a meeting.
- Submit the standard application documentation: statement of intent, transcripts and references (faculty references are waived if licensed more than 3 years in another state).
- Pass the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam through NBCC.
- Complete the criminal background check required by Arkansas Code 17-27-313.
- Attend an oral interview if the Board requires one.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Will an Arkansas license get me into other compact states?
Yes, once Arkansas is your home state. Arkansas is operational, so an active, unencumbered Arkansas license held while you live there can anchor privileges into the other operational states through CompactConnect.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling: board page (Out-of-State Licensure link, compact go-live, applicant portal) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling: Licensed by Endorsement Instructions (10/16/2026; two-step portal process, ~10 business days license processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling 2026 Rule Revision (17 CAR 75-303, 75-602, 75-901, 75-905, 75-1301 to 75-1305) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Act 457 of 2023, Automatic Occupational Licensure for Out-of-State Licensure Act (Board's Out-of-State Licensure document) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling: Counseling Compact Go-Live FAQ (live 2026-07-30; $50 privilege fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- IDFPR: Professional Counselor (license types, CORE online applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- IDFPR: LPC/LCPC application instruction sheet (Examination, Acceptance of Examination, Endorsement; packet updated 8/1/24) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 68 IAC 1375.160 Licensure by Endorsement as a Clinical Professional Counselor (ILGA JCAR; Internet Archive capture 2025-03-30) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 68 IAC 1375.205 Fees (ILGA JCAR; Internet Archive capture 2025-03-26) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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