Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Iowa: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is submitted to the Board directly by the FSBPT (Score Transfer Service). Iowa does not require a separate state jurisprudence/law exam for licensure..
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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 Iowa is an active member. Endorse into Iowa with the Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Iowa 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 → Iowa
| Michigan (current) | Iowa (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.) | $120 (physical therapist license application fee (non-refundable) charged to the out-of-state endorsement applicant; + $55 non-refundable fingerprint/criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Iowa sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Iowa's current requirements on the Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program (or an approved equivalent).
- Submit official verification of licensure for every U.S. jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license.
- Fingerprint-based criminal history background check by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the FBI.
- Demonstrate recent activity: 40 hours of board-approved CE in the prior two years, or 2,080 practice hours, or one year of full-time PT faculty teaching, or an NPTE passing score within the preceding two years.
- Pay the fees ($120 (physical therapist license application fee (non-refundable) charged to the out-of-state endorsement applicant; + $55 non-refundable fingerprint/criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Iowa accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy (Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing), verify your Michigan license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is submitted to the Board directly by the FSBPT (Score Transfer Service). Iowa does not require a separate state jurisprudence/law exam for licensure..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Iowa?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score is submitted to the Board directly by the FSBPT (Score Transfer Service). Iowa does not require a separate state jurisprudence/law exam for licensure..
What does the move cost?
$120 (physical therapist license application fee (non-refundable) charged to the out-of-state endorsement applicant; + $55 non-refundable fingerprint/criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) (physical therapist license application fee (non-refundable) charged to the out-of-state endorsement applicant; + $55 non-refundable fingerprint/criminal-background-check fee (in notes, not the range). NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications — the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Iowa DIAL — Apply for a Physical Therapist License ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Iowa Administrative Code 645 ch. 200 — Physical and Occupational Therapists ↗ (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)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (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]