Transfer Your Counseling License to Mississippi: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗
Mississippi has enacted the Counseling Compact, but it was not yet issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so no privilege authorizes practice here. An out-of-state counselor needs a Mississippi license, normally by endorsement from the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC); how Mississippi treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. Fee: $100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).). Processing: the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.
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Verdict
Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Mississippi has passed the Counseling Compact into law, and its board may describe the state as having joined, but as of 2026-09-27 it was not issuing or accepting privileges. That makes Mississippi a non-compact state in practice: no privilege lets you see a client located here, in person or by telehealth, and a Mississippi license cannot yet anchor privileges elsewhere. Plan on a Mississippi license by endorsement, and check the commission's announcements, because states have been switching on every few weeks.
Mississippi's independent tier is the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); the P-LPC is the provisional, supervised tier, and the LPC-S is a supervisor designation. Board Rule 4.7 (Licensure by Comity; Miss. Code 73-30-7 and 73-30-15) licenses a counselor holding an equivalent independent license with 5+ years of continuous licensed work experience and no substantiated complaints or discipline. The applicant also needs a CV, three references, a certified licensure file, fingerprints and the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam, and the Board may reject for cause. This is endorsement, not full reciprocity. Rule 4.6 lets the Board enter reciprocity agreements, but none is published, so reciprocity_partners is empty. A second route, LPC by Universal Licensure (Rule 4.10; Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act, Miss. Code 73-50-2), is described on the Board's page as requiring Mississippi RESIDENCY and at least 1 year of licensure. That page timed out on 2026-09-27 re-check, so re-verify. Mississippi has ENACTED the Counseling Compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided.
Mississippi requirements at a glance
| Exam | National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I)). |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).) |
| Processing time | the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications |
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid LPC or equivalent independent counseling license in good standing in another state, with no substantiated complaints or disciplinary action ever.
- Show at least 5 years of professional counseling work experience since initial licensure, with the license maintained continuously.
- Have the other state send certified copies of your licensure file directly to the Board.
- Submit a curriculum vitae and three work references.
- Pass the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam.
- Complete a fingerprint-based Mississippi and FBI criminal history records check.
- Pay the fees ($100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).)) and allow the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Mississippi:
Nearby states
Counseling license transfer into the states bordering Mississippi:
Mississippi for other professions
- Nursing in Mississippi
- Cosmetology / Barber in Mississippi
- Real Estate in Mississippi
- Contractor in Mississippi
- Teaching in Mississippi
- CPA / Accounting in Mississippi
- Electrician in Mississippi
- Plumber in Mississippi
- Engineering in Mississippi
- Pharmacy in Mississippi
- Physical Therapy in Mississippi
- Psychology in Mississippi
- Social Work in Mississippi
- Occupational Therapy in Mississippi
Frequently asked questions
Does my counseling license transfer to Mississippi?
Mississippi has enacted the Counseling Compact, but it was not yet issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so no privilege authorizes practice here. An out-of-state counselor needs a Mississippi license, normally by endorsement from the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC); how Mississippi treats your NCE or NCMHCE score is in the exam question below. Fee: $100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).). Processing: the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.
Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Mississippi?
National exam is not retaken: NCE or NCMHCE scores come with the certified copy of the out-of-state licensure file. Applicants must ALSO submit a certificate of completion of the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (Board Rule 4.7(I)).
How much does a Mississippi counseling license cost by endorsement?
$100 (Board Rule 2.1 'Application for Full Licensure Fee' (effective 2023-01-01); no comity-specific fee is named in Rule 4.7. + $220 Initial LPC License Fee on licensure. Fingerprint card and jurisprudence exam costs are paid separately (amounts not published on the pages read).)
How long does Mississippi take to process the application?
the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.
Is Mississippi in the Counseling Compact?
Mississippi has enacted the compact but was not yet operational as of 2026-09-27, so it neither issues nor accepts privileges. For now you need Mississippi's own authorization, normally a Mississippi license, to practice with clients located in Mississippi.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- Mississippi LPC Board Rules and Regulations, Part 2201, effective 2023-01-01 (Rule 2.1 fees; Rule 4.6 reciprocity; Rule 4.7 comity; Rule 4.10 universal licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Mississippi LPC Board: LPC by Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Mississippi LPC Board: LPC by Universal (Miss. Code 73-50-2) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Mississippi LPC Board: Licensure overview (LPC by Comity: 5 years independent practice; Internet Archive capture 2025-05-27) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]