Counseling License from Illinois to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from Illinois to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your Illinois license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither Illinois nor Michigan is operational in the Counseling Compact, so it plays no part in this move. The route is endorsement through the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC): your Illinois license is verified, your NCE or NCMHCE score is credited under Michigan's own exam rule, and Michigan applies any jurisprudence and background checks it requires. Check which Michigan tier corresponds to your Illinois license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Illinois → Michigan
| Illinois (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| 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.) | $259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.) |
| 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 LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) | Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a full professional counselor license in another U.S. state (5+ years creates a presumption that degree and exam requirements are met).
- If licensed under 5 years, send official master's or doctoral counseling transcripts and exam scores; non-CACREP programs need a CCE or NACES equivalency evaluation.
- Have license verification sent by every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license, showing no pending discipline or sanctions.
- Submit a Professional Disclosure Statement.
- Complete the criminal background check (fingerprints) after the application is submitted.
- Complete one-time human trafficking identification training (R 338.1771) and 2 hours of implicit bias training within 5 years before licensure.
- Pay the fees ($259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)) and allow the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Michigan accept an Illinois counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Illinois to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Counseling (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your Illinois license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Illinois to Michigan?
National exam is not retaken. Michigan accepts one passing score from the NCE, the CRCC exam or the NCMHCE (R 338.1773). Applicants fully licensed in another state for 5+ years are presumed to meet the degree and exam requirements (R 338.1775(2)) and submit only a Professional Disclosure Statement beyond the common items. Applicants licensed under 5 years must have exam scores sent directly by the testing agency. No Michigan jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$259.05 ('Professional Counselor By Endorsement - $259.05' per the LARA licensing guide (rev. 4/17/25). This is a combined application fee plus 3-year license fee, paid by card. Fingerprint fees are paid separately under the instructions LARA sends after the application. Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact.)
How long will it take?
the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- LARA: Michigan Professional Counselor Licensing Guide, rev. 4/17/25 (endorsement requirements, $259.05 fee; Internet Archive capture 2026-03-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Michigan Admin. Code R 338.1751-R 338.1781, Counseling General Rules (R 338.1773 exams; R 338.1775 licensure by endorsement; Internet Archive capture 2026-02-11 of the official ARS compilation) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA: Counseling licensing page (Internet Archive capture 2026-01-16) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR: Professional Counselor (license types, CORE online applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- IDFPR: LPC/LCPC application instruction sheet (Examination, Acceptance of Examination, Endorsement; packet updated 8/1/24) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- 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 Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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