Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Counseling License from Pennsylvania to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) ↗

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: counselor applicants need a passing NCE or NCMHCE, and the Board may waive the NCE/NCMHCE when it finds another exam equivalent or the applicant meets the licensure-by-endorsement rule (17 CAR 75-901(b)(4)). The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam, administered through NBCC, IS required of all applicants except uniformed-service applicants under 17 CAR 75-904..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

A counseling license moves from Pennsylvania to Arkansas by endorsement. Arkansas is operational in the Counseling Compact, but Pennsylvania is not, so there is no home-state license here to anchor a privilege. Once you hold an Arkansas license and live in Arkansas, it can anchor privileges into the other operational states. You apply to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), which verifies your Pennsylvania license and standing, matches it to Arkansas's independent tier, and applies its own rule on crediting your national exam score, plus any Arkansas jurisprudence and background requirements.

What changes, Pennsylvania → Arkansas

Side-by-side: Pennsylvania vs Arkansas (Counseling (LPC / LMHC)), verified 2026-09-27
Pennsylvania (current)Arkansas (destination)
Counseling Compact statusCounseling Compact enacted — not yet issuingCounseling Compact member — compact privilege to practice
Application fee$100 (application fee for licensure and original license issuance as an LPC per 49 Pa. Code 47.4(6); no separate endorsement fee is listed. Pennsylvania is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.)$100 (initial LPC application fee per 17 CAR 75-1301(a)(1) (2026 Rule Revision). The Board may waive it for applicants on public assistance, recently approved for unemployment, or with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Separate fees: $250 LPC license fee (75-1302, first fee prorated), jurisprudence exam fee paid to NBCC, and background-check fees. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arkansas charges $50 + $30 commission admin fee = $80 for a privilege, and requires the jurisprudence exam).)
Processing timethe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications; an Act 41 applicant may be granted a provisional license at the Board's discretionthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications
Licensing authorityPennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional CounselorsArkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a full LPC-equivalent license, continually maintained and currently in good standing, with a license verification form from each state where licensed.
  5. Submit the standard application documentation: statement of intent, transcripts and references (faculty references are waived if licensed more than 3 years in another state).
  6. Pass the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam through NBCC.
  7. Complete the criminal background check required by Arkansas Code 17-27-313.
  8. Attend an oral interview if the Board requires one.
  9. Pay the fees ($100 (initial LPC application fee per 17 CAR 75-1301(a)(1) (2026 Rule Revision). The Board may waive it for applicants on public assistance, recently approved for unemployment, or with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Separate fees: $250 LPC license fee (75-1302, first fee prorated), jurisprudence exam fee paid to NBCC, and background-check fees. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arkansas charges $50 + $30 commission admin fee = $80 for a privilege, and requires the jurisprudence exam).)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Official links

Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) ↗Arkansas application ↗Counseling Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Arkansas → PennsylvaniaCounseling in PennsylvaniaCounseling in ArkansasAll counseling statesThe Counseling Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Arkansas accept a Pennsylvania counseling license?

A counseling license transfers from Pennsylvania to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling (Arkansas Department of Health), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. National exam is not retaken: counselor applicants need a passing NCE or NCMHCE, and the Board may waive the NCE/NCMHCE when it finds another exam equivalent or the applicant meets the licensure-by-endorsement rule (17 CAR 75-901(b)(4)). The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam, administered through NBCC, IS required of all applicants except uniformed-service applicants under 17 CAR 75-904..

Do I retake the NCE or NCMHCE moving from Pennsylvania to Arkansas?

National exam is not retaken: counselor applicants need a passing NCE or NCMHCE, and the Board may waive the NCE/NCMHCE when it finds another exam equivalent or the applicant meets the licensure-by-endorsement rule (17 CAR 75-901(b)(4)). The Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling Jurisprudence Exam, administered through NBCC, IS required of all applicants except uniformed-service applicants under 17 CAR 75-904.

What does the move cost?

$100 (initial LPC application fee per 17 CAR 75-1301(a)(1) (2026 Rule Revision). The Board may waive it for applicants on public assistance, recently approved for unemployment, or with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Separate fees: $250 LPC license fee (75-1302, first fee prorated), jurisprudence exam fee paid to NBCC, and background-check fees. NOT the Counseling Compact privilege fee (Arkansas charges $50 + $30 commission admin fee = $80 for a privilege, and requires the jurisprudence exam).)

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Will an Arkansas license get me into other compact states?

Yes, once Arkansas is your home state. Arkansas is operational, so an active, unencumbered Arkansas license held while you live there can anchor privileges into the other operational states through CompactConnect.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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]