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LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Illinois to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy ↗

A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Illinois license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken; scores must be reported to the Board directly by FSBPT in the standard interstate reporting format (a criterion-referenced scaled score of 600 or higher for exams taken on or after 1 March 1994). Mississippi also requires its own open-book Jurisprudence Exam, taken inside the online application against the Board's law and regulations, with a minimum passing score of 70..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

This direction has a payoff. Illinois is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but Mississippi is an active member. Endorse into Mississippi with the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Mississippi becomes your springboard: from there you can buy compact privileges into every other active member state without another full license. Your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT; you do not re-sit the exam.

What changes, Illinois → Mississippi

Side-by-side: Illinois vs Mississippi (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Illinois (current)Mississippi (destination)
PT Compact statusLicensure by endorsementPT Compact member — multistate license honored
Application fee$100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340.57(a)(1) sets the application fee for a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license at $100. The separate examination-eligibility fee in that subsection applies only to examination applicants, not endorsement applicants. Renewal is calculated at $30 per year.)$275 ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)
Processing timeneither IDFPR nor 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1340 publishes a processing timeframe for endorsement applications~1 weeks (the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed.)
Licensing authorityIllinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Illinois Physical Therapy Board)Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Pass the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (open book, minimum score 70) inside the online application.
  5. Undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history background check; the Board mails the fingerprint card after the application and fees are submitted.
  6. Have every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a licence send verification directly to the Board.
  7. Have verification of your CAPTE-accredited degree, or an official transcript, sent directly from your institution.
  8. Submit a current colour head-and-shoulders photograph and a complete practice history with no time gaps.
  9. Pay the fees ($275 ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow ~1 weeks (the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed.).

Official links

Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy ↗Mississippi application ↗License verification ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Mississippi → IllinoisPhysical Therapy in IllinoisPhysical Therapy in MississippiAll physical therapy statesThe PT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Mississippi accept a Illinois physical therapy license?

A physical therapy license transfers from Illinois to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Illinois license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken; scores must be reported to the Board directly by FSBPT in the standard interstate reporting format (a criterion-referenced scaled score of 600 or higher for exams taken on or after 1 March 1994). Mississippi also requires its own open-book Jurisprudence Exam, taken inside the online application against the Board's law and regulations, with a minimum passing score of 70..

Do I retake the NPTE moving from Illinois to Mississippi?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. The NPTE is not retaken; scores must be reported to the Board directly by FSBPT in the standard interstate reporting format (a criterion-referenced scaled score of 600 or higher for exams taken on or after 1 March 1994). Mississippi also requires its own open-book Jurisprudence Exam, taken inside the online application against the Board's law and regulations, with a minimum passing score of 70..

What does the move cost?

$275 ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).

How long will it take?

~1 weeks (the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed.) — the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed..

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]