Counseling License from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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
Michigan has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege anchored to your Ohio license reaches it. 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 Ohio 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 Ohio license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What changes, Ohio → Michigan
| Ohio (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Counseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (LPCC reciprocity application fee per OAC 4757-1-05 and the Board's out-of-state page ('$100 + $3.50 processing', re-read 2026-09-27); + $3.50 eLicense processing fee; BCI/FBI fingerprinting paid separately to the vendor; NBCC score-transfer fee separate. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Ohio charges $25 + $30 commission admin fee = $55 for a privilege, per the commission's fee table).) | $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 | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications; applicants track status in eLicense (Review Status checklist) | the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT) | 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 Ohio counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Out of State Applicants (counselor reciprocity steps and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counselors (LPC/LPCC application instructions, exam policy) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board Laws and Rules compilation (ORC 4757.18; OAC 4757-1-05, 4757-13-03, 4757-13-06) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Ohio CSWMFT Board: Counseling Compact Privileges (eligibility, $25 state fee, go-live 2026-01-05) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Counseling Compact: state privilege fees and jurisprudence requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
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