Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure, verify your Michigan license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing the NPTE (administered by FSBPT), and the score is verified to the Department. Connecticut does not administer a separate state jurisprudence or law exam..
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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 Connecticut is an active member. Endorse into Connecticut with the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Connecticut 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 → Connecticut
| Michigan (current) | Connecticut (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.) | $285 ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications. |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a physical therapist license or registration in another U.S. state or territory, a Canadian province, or another country whose requirements the Department deems equivalent to or higher than Connecticut's.
- Successful completion of the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).
- Graduate of an approved physical therapy education program.
- Submit an official license-verification form directly from every jurisdiction where you hold or have ever held a license.
- Pay the fees ($285 ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Public Health — Physical Therapist Licensure, verify your Michigan license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing the NPTE (administered by FSBPT), and the score is verified to the Department. Connecticut does not administer a separate state jurisprudence or law exam..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Connecticut?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; Connecticut requires proof of passing the NPTE (administered by FSBPT), and the score is verified to the Department. Connecticut does not administer a separate state jurisprudence or law exam..
What does the move cost?
$285 ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.) ($285.00 online application fee stated on the DPH Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements page; this is the fee for a PT licensed elsewhere applying by endorsement (licensure without examination under C.G.S. Sec. 20-71). NOT a PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications. — DPH does not publish a processing timeframe for physical therapist applications..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- CT DPH — Physical Therapist Licensing Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 376, Sec. 20-71 — licensure without examination ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PT Compact — member state map (Connecticut listed as actively issuing/accepting privileges) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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]