Counseling License from Illinois to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)

What's different between Illinois and Colorado

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

Route, each way

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

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

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Illinois matter?

Coming from Illinois does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Colorado.

Counseling Compact membership

Illinois is not in the Counseling Compact; Colorado has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing under it yet.

Because they are not both active members, the Counseling Compact does not cover this move.

Application fee

Illinois lists $150 for the reverse move; Colorado has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.

Exam rules on record

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

• Colorado (this move): National exam is not retaken or score-verified: an endorsement applicant attests to having passed an examination that tested competence to practice professional counseling, including psychotherapy (Rule 1.12). The NCE is the named exam only for Colorado's by-examination route. Every applicant must also pass the Colorado Mental Health Professions Jurisprudence Examination (online via Prometric), and results are valid for only one year before application.
• 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 → Colorado

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

Step by step

1. Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners, Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners, Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold a current, unrestricted license in good standing to practice professional counseling in another U.S. state or territory.
5. Either show a master's or doctoral degree in professional counseling (or equivalent) plus a passed competency exam and 2 years post-master's supervised practice or 2 years active practice, OR show at least 1 year of licensure in a jurisdiction with a substantially similar scope of practice.
6. Pass the Colorado Mental Health Professions Jurisprudence Examination within 12 months before applying.
7. Submit license verification from every jurisdiction ever licensed, showing original issue date, expiration and disciplinary history.
8. Be at least 21 years old and disclose any discipline, malpractice claims, injunctions and convictions.
9. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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