Counseling License from North Carolina to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) ↗
A counseling license transfers from North Carolina to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. 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))..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
A counseling license moves from North Carolina to Mississippi by endorsement. Both states have enacted the Counseling Compact, but neither was issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27. When both go operational, cross-border work between them could run on a privilege; a relocation would still need a Mississippi license. You apply to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), which verifies your North Carolina license and standing, matches it to Mississippi's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Mississippi jurisprudence and background requirements.
What changes, North Carolina → Mississippi
| North Carolina (current) | Mississippi (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $238 (Board-stated endorsement/reciprocity application fee of $238, which includes the $38 criminal background check fee; nonrefundable; jurisprudence exam provider fee not verified) | $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 | 4–6 weeks (Board-stated 'Application Processing Timeframe (provided there are no legal/special considerations) 4-6 weeks from completed application submission') | the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors (NCBLCMHC) (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LCMHC) | Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) (application linked below).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Mississippi accept a North Carolina counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from North Carolina to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. 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))..
Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from North Carolina to 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)).
What does the move cost?
$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 will it take?
the Board states no processing timeframe for comity applications.
Mississippi joined the Counseling Compact. Can I use a privilege there?
Not yet. Mississippi had enacted the compact but was not issuing or accepting privileges as of 2026-09-27, so counseling clients located in Mississippi takes Mississippi's own authorization, normally a Mississippi license.
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)
- NCBLCMHC: Licensure by Endorsement (requirements, $238 fee, 4-6 week processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NCBLCMHC: LCMHC License by Reciprocity (South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NC OAH: 21 NCAC 53 .0304 Applicants Licensed in Other States ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NC OAH: 21 NCAC 53 .0305 Examination (NCE/NCMHCE/CRC; jurisprudence exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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