Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Alaska: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Alaska Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Alaska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alaska Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Alaska's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is transferred electronically to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Alaska also requires a completed PT Jurisprudence Questionnaire (form 08-4883) rather than a separate proctored law exam..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. Michigan is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but Alaska is an active member. Endorse into Alaska with the Alaska Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Alaska 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, Michigan → Alaska
| Michigan (current) | Alaska (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $319.75 (single combined charge labelled 'Application Fee + 3 year license fee', identical for a Physical Therapist license by examination OR by endorsement; payable only by Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover. LARA does not publish the application/license split anywhere on its live site, so the two components are not separately stated. The PSI jurisprudence exam fee and criminal background check costs are billed separately and are not published by LARA. Michigan licenses on a 3-year cycle; renewal is $297.75 and relicensure $339.75.) | $350 ($150 nonrefundable application fee + $200 initial biennial license fee (both required to obtain the license) per application 08-4916 and 12 AAC 02.320; a separate $75 fingerprint processing fee also applies ($425 total). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the Division states average processing time varies by program and publishes no set timeframe; a license issues only after all documents and the criminal background check are complete |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Alaska Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alaska sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Alaska's current requirements on the Alaska Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Alaska Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program; official transcript sent directly from the school.
- Complete the Alaska PT Jurisprudence Questionnaire (form 08-4883).
- Fingerprint-based state (Dept. of Public Safety) and federal (FBI) criminal background check.
- Submit verification of licensure from every jurisdiction where you hold or held a license.
- Document recent experience: 60 hours of PT employment in the past 24 months, OR passing the NPTE within the past 24 months, OR a board-approved 150-hour postgraduate internship.
- Submit a professional reference from a supervising PT, instructor, or physician.
- Pay the fees ($350 ($150 nonrefundable application fee + $200 initial biennial license fee (both required to obtain the license) per application 08-4916 and 12 AAC 02.320; a separate $75 fingerprint processing fee also applies ($425 total). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow the Division states average processing time varies by program and publishes no set timeframe; a license issues only after all documents and the criminal background check are complete.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Alaska accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Alaska by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alaska Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Alaska's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is transferred electronically to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Alaska also requires a completed PT Jurisprudence Questionnaire (form 08-4883) rather than a separate proctored law exam..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Alaska?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is transferred electronically to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Alaska also requires a completed PT Jurisprudence Questionnaire (form 08-4883) rather than a separate proctored law exam..
What does the move cost?
$350 ($150 nonrefundable application fee + $200 initial biennial license fee (both required to obtain the license) per application 08-4916 and 12 AAC 02.320; a separate $75 fingerprint processing fee also applies ($425 total). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) ($150 nonrefundable application fee + $200 initial biennial license fee (both required to obtain the license) per application 08-4916 and 12 AAC 02.320; a separate $75 fingerprint processing fee also applies ($425 total). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
the Division states average processing time varies by program and publishes no set timeframe; a license issues only after all documents and the criminal background check are complete — the Division states average processing time varies by program and publishes no set timeframe; a license issues only after all documents and the criminal background check are complete.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Alaska Board of PT/OT — Physical Therapist License by Credentials Application (08-4916, rev. 09/19/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 12 AAC 02.320 — Physical therapy fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PT Compact — member states map ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Physical Therapy Licensing Guide and FAQs, revision date 2026-01-26 (read live from michigan.gov; $319.75 exam-or-endorsement fee, 3-year cycle, human trafficking + implicit bias training) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Michigan LARA — Board of Physical Therapy, licensing information (guide link source) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Michigan LARA — Physical Therapy Examination (Michigan Jurisprudence Exam required of ALL applicants, delivered by PSI) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT — NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 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]