Counseling License from Wisconsin to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept a Wisconsin counseling license?
A counseling license transfers from Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 state gives you a working compact route here: a state that has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not yet operational behaves like a non-member. 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin license before you file, because the titles do not map one to one.
What's different between Wisconsin and Michigan
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Michigan. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Wisconsin to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan to Wisconsin (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Wisconsin matter?
Coming from Wisconsin does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Michigan.
- Counseling Compact membership
Wisconsin has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing under it yet; Michigan is not in the Counseling Compact.
Because they are not both active members, the Counseling Compact does not cover this move.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $259.05 for an out-of-state applicant and Wisconsin lists $62 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Wisconsin carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Michigan (this move): 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.
- Wisconsin (the reverse move): DSPS's Licensure by Reciprocity page lists only third-party license verification and a passing Wisconsin Statutes and Rules Exam score (85% to pass); exam access is sent after the application is submitted and the fee paid. It asks for no new national-exam score.
What changes, Wisconsin → Michigan
| Wisconsin (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Compact status | Licensure by endorsement · Counseling Compact enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $62 (Licensed Professional Counselor initial credential fee per DSPS's Credential Fees and Renewal Dates table, which notes that additional fees may apply (the 2023 key-steps form #12503 listed a $60 reciprocal application fee; that form now returns 404). The Wisconsin Statutes and Rules Exam is paid separately after the application is submitted (the 2023 form listed $75; the DSPS pages read on 2026-10-29 do not state the amount). License-verification fees are charged by the other state. Wisconsin is a pending Counseling Compact state, so no privilege fee applies yet.) | $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 | no end-to-end timeframe; DSPS says submitted materials are reviewed by a credentialing team member within approximately 10 days (some licenses take longer) and posts current review dates by profession on its LicensE performance dashboard | the LARA licensing guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Wisconsin Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board (Professional Counselor Section), Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) | 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Wisconsin 2026-10-29, Michigan 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)
- DSPS: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) profession page (application methods incl. Licensure by Reciprocity and Bridge temporary credential) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DSPS: LPC Licensure by Reciprocity (eligibility, required documents, Statutes and Rules Exam, review timeline) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DSPS: Reciprocity and Endorsement, table of credentials not reciprocal ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DSPS: Credential Fees and Renewal Dates (Licensed Professional Counselor $62) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DSPS: Bridge Temporary Credential (2021 Act 10, 90 days) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Wisconsin 2026-10-29, Michigan 2026-09-27
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