Nursing License from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept a Massachusetts nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, verify your Massachusetts license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a silver lining. Massachusetts is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but Pennsylvania is a member. Endorse into Pennsylvania, establish it as your primary residence, meet the uniform licensure requirements, and the license you receive is multistate: one application turns into practice privileges across the whole compact.
What's different between Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Massachusetts to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Pennsylvania to Massachusetts (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Massachusetts matter?
Coming from Massachusetts matters here: only 11 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Pennsylvania.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Massachusetts has enacted the NLC but is not issuing under it yet; Pennsylvania is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by Pennsylvania does not cover practice in Massachusetts.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $120–$180 for an out-of-state applicant and Massachusetts lists $275 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania carry the same exam note for a licensee arriving from another state; any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
What changes, Massachusetts → Pennsylvania
| Massachusetts (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | NLC enacted — not yet issuing | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $275 (reciprocity application; + $30 Nursys license verification fee per license held) | $120–$180 ($120 single-state endorsement / $180 multistate endorsement (multistate requires PA primary residence); + fingerprinting costs; $105 to convert an existing PA license to multistate) |
| Processing time | board does not publish a timeline; no temporary licenses issued; expedited processing policies exist for critical public-health needs | board's licensure guide states no fixed timeframe; delays are reduced by having schools and boards send documents directly to the Board |
| Licensing authority | Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing | Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based FBI criminal background check for all new applicants.
- Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting continuing education (Act 31).
- Verification of licensure from each state or jurisdiction where you hold a license.
- Graduation from an approved professional nursing education program in the U.S. or Canada, or one deemed equivalent to the Pennsylvania program of study.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- PA Department of State — Nurse Licensure Compact (implementation and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- PA Department of State — Nursing Licensure Guide (background check, Act 31 CE, verifications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 49 Pa. Code § 21.5 — Fees (licensure by endorsement $120) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Mass.gov — Apply for a nursing license by reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Mass.gov — Check eligibility for a nursing license by reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Mass.gov BORN — The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Mass.gov BORN — Implementation of the Nursing Licensure Compact (memorandum, PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Mass.gov BORN — Licensure Policy 10-03, Expedited Processing of Reciprocal License Applications (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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