Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health), verify your Michigan license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; evidence of the passing score is provided to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Arkansas also requires passing its online jurisprudence exam (70% to pass; $10)..
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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 Arkansas is an active member. Endorse into Arkansas with the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Arkansas 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 → Arkansas
| Michigan (current) | Arkansas (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.) | $100 (PT Endorsement (Reciprocity) fee is $100 per the Board rules fee schedule (Section VII). A statutory 95% fee reduction cut this to $5 for applications from Jul 1, 2023-Jun 30, 2026; that window closed before this verification date, so the $100 standing fee applies. A $10 online jurisprudence-exam fee and the state/FBI background-check fee are separate. NOT the $50 PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | no overall timeframe published; the Board notes criminal background-check results take about 2-6 weeks and no license issues until they are received. A 90-day temporary/provisional license is available on request. |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arkansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a substantially similar, active PT license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction (not revoked, suspended, or on probation).
- Graduate of a nationally accredited (CAPTE) physical therapy program; official transcript required.
- Pass the Arkansas online jurisprudence exam (70% to pass).
- State and national (FBI) criminal background check through the Arkansas State Police.
- Official verification / letters of good standing from every state where you hold or held a license.
- Pay the fees ($100 (PT Endorsement (Reciprocity) fee is $100 per the Board rules fee schedule (Section VII). A statutory 95% fee reduction cut this to $5 for applications from Jul 1, 2023-Jun 30, 2026; that window closed before this verification date, so the $100 standing fee applies. A $10 online jurisprudence-exam fee and the state/FBI background-check fee are separate. NOT the $50 PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow no overall timeframe published; the Board notes criminal background-check results take about 2-6 weeks and no license issues until they are received. A 90-day temporary/provisional license is available on request..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Arkansas accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy (Arkansas Department of Health), verify your Michigan license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; evidence of the passing score is provided to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Arkansas also requires passing its online jurisprudence exam (70% to pass; $10)..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Arkansas?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; evidence of the passing score is provided to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Arkansas also requires passing its online jurisprudence exam (70% to pass; $10)..
What does the move cost?
$100 (PT Endorsement (Reciprocity) fee is $100 per the Board rules fee schedule (Section VII). A statutory 95% fee reduction cut this to $5 for applications from Jul 1, 2023-Jun 30, 2026; that window closed before this verification date, so the $100 standing fee applies. A $10 online jurisprudence-exam fee and the state/FBI background-check fee are separate. NOT the $50 PT Compact privilege fee.) (PT Endorsement (Reciprocity) fee is $100 per the Board rules fee schedule (Section VII). A statutory 95% fee reduction cut this to $5 for applications from Jul 1, 2023-Jun 30, 2026; that window closed before this verification date, so the $100 standing fee applies. A $10 online jurisprudence-exam fee and the state/FBI background-check fee are separate. NOT the $50 PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
no overall timeframe published; the Board notes criminal background-check results take about 2-6 weeks and no license issues until they are received. A 90-day temporary/provisional license is available on request. — no overall timeframe published; the Board notes criminal background-check results take about 2-6 weeks and no license issues until they are received. A 90-day temporary/provisional license is available on request..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Arkansas State Board of PT — Application Instructions for Licensure by Reciprocity (PT) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas State Board of PT — Rules (Sec. IV Methods of Licensure; Sec. VII 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]