Nursing License from Michigan to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does South Carolina accept a Michigan nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from Michigan to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Nursing, verify your Michigan license, and meet South Carolina'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. Michigan is outside the compact, so you have been carrying a single-state license — but South Carolina is a member. Endorse into South Carolina, 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 Michigan and South Carolina
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into South Carolina. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Michigan to South Carolina (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
South Carolina to Michigan (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Michigan matter?
Coming from Michigan matters here: only 11 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into South Carolina.
The others get: compact multistate — already covered (39).
- NLC membership
Michigan is not in the NLC; South Carolina is an NLC member state.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by South Carolina does not cover practice in Michigan.
- Application fee
South Carolina lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Michigan lists $212.90 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and South Carolina 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, Michigan → South Carolina
| Michigan (current) | South Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | Licensure by endorsement | NLC member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $212.90 ($212.90 combined application fee + 2-year license fee; fingerprint background-check vendor fee paid separately) | $100 (endorsement application; $110 if adding a 60-day temporary license; fingerprint background check fee paid separately) |
| Processing time | board does not publish an endorsement processing timeline | board does not publish a timeframe; applications processed in order received and valid for one year; 60-day single-state temporary license available while pending |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Nursing | South Carolina Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check; fingerprint only after the board emails instructions.
- Request license verification through Nursys from your original state of licensure.
- Document continued competency within the past two years (30 contact hours, national certification, academic study, or employer certification of practice hours).
- Hold an active RN license in another US state, jurisdiction, or territory.
- Submit proof of legal name and a 2x2 passport-type color photo taken within 6 months.
- 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 Michigan to South Carolina?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Michigan 2026-07-21, South Carolina 2026-10-29.
- SC Board of Nursing — Fee Schedule (read via Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-07; llr.sc.gov refused connections on 2026-10-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- SC BON — RN/LPN Licensure by Endorsement requirements and application (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC BON — RN Applications and Forms (read via Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-10; llr.sc.gov refused connections on 2026-10-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- S.C. Code § 40-33-36 — temporary license for endorsement applicants (up to sixty days) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Michigan LARA/BPL — Michigan Nursing Licensing Guide ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Board of Nursing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Michigan 2026-07-21, South Carolina 2026-10-29
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