Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)

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

A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Michigan license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant registers with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to have the passing score (criterion-referenced standard of 600) sent to Kentucky. Kentucky also requires completion of the state open-book jurisprudence examination for the current biennium..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

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 Kentucky is an active member. Endorse into Kentucky with the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Kentucky 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 → Kentucky

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Kentucky (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Michigan (current)Kentucky (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact enacted — not yet issuingPT 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.)$225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)
Processing timeLARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applicationsthe Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications
Licensing authorityMichigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs)Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program.
  5. Hold an active credential in another jurisdiction, verified as never revoked, suspended, on probation, or under disciplinary review.
  6. Register with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to submit the NPTE passing score.
  7. Complete the Kentucky jurisprudence examination for the current biennium.
  8. Nationwide (FBI) criminal background check completed within six months of the application.
  9. Pay the fees ($225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.

Official links

Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy ↗Kentucky application ↗Physical Therapy Licensure Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Kentucky → MichiganPhysical Therapy in MichiganPhysical Therapy in KentuckyAll physical therapy statesThe PT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Kentucky accept a Michigan physical therapy license?

A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Michigan license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant registers with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to have the passing score (criterion-referenced standard of 600) sent to Kentucky. Kentucky also requires completion of the state open-book jurisprudence examination for the current biennium..

Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Kentucky?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the applicant registers with the FSBPT Score Transfer Service to have the passing score (criterion-referenced standard of 600) sent to Kentucky. Kentucky also requires completion of the state open-book jurisprudence examination for the current biennium..

What does the move cost?

$225 (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) (initial credentialing fee per 201 KAR 22:135 §2; the fee schedule lists no separate 'by endorsement' fee, so endorsement applicants pay this initial credentialing fee. 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.

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

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