Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Louisiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), verify your Michigan license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score must be sent to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Louisiana also requires all applicants to pass the Board's free online jurisprudence exam (40 questions from the Practice Act and Rules, 75% to pass)..
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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 Louisiana is an active member. Endorse into Louisiana with the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Louisiana 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 → Louisiana
| Michigan (current) | Louisiana (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.) | $250 (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Louisiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program.
- Hold a current, unrestricted license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Have the NPTE score transferred to the Board via the FSBPT Score Transfer Service.
- Pass the Louisiana online jurisprudence exam (Practice Act and Rules) with at least 75%.
- Submit written verification of licensure for every jurisdiction where ever licensed.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check.
- Pay the fees ($250 (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Louisiana accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (Louisiana State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners), verify your Michigan license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score must be sent to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Louisiana also requires all applicants to pass the Board's free online jurisprudence exam (40 questions from the Practice Act and Rules, 75% to pass)..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Louisiana?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; the passing score must be sent to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service. Louisiana also requires all applicants to pass the Board's free online jurisprudence exam (40 questions from the Practice Act and Rules, 75% to pass)..
What does the move cost?
$250 (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.) (PT license application fee per LAC 46:LIV §501, paid by domestic cashier's check or money order only (personal checks are returned). The $95 'compact state fee' in the same rule is the PT Compact privilege fee, NOT the reciprocity application fee.).
How long will it take?
the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications — the Board publishes no processing timeframe for reciprocity applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- LAC 46:LIV §501 — Louisiana physical therapy fees (Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LAC 46:LIV §151 — Application (jurisprudence exam + background check) (Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Louisiana PT Board — Reciprocity for PTs and PTAs (Non-Foreign Educated) ↗ (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]