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LicenseReciprocity

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

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

A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Michigan license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Neither Michigan nor Minnesota is an active member of the PT Compact, so this is a straightforward endorsement move: the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy verifies your Michigan license, your NPTE score transfers through the FSBPT, and you complete Minnesota's jurisprudence exam and background check. Nothing about Michigan speeds up or slows down Minnesota's standard out-of-state process.

What changes, Michigan → Minnesota

Side-by-side: Michigan vs Minnesota (Physical Therapy (PT/PTA)), verified 2026-08-07
Michigan (current)Minnesota (destination)
PT Compact statusPT Compact enacted — not yet issuingLicensure by endorsement
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–$160 (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.)
Processing timeLARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applicationsthe Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered
Licensing authorityMichigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs)Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Complete a CAPTE-accredited physical therapist education program (Minn. Stat. 148.721, subd. 1).
  5. Complete 60 additional academic semester credits, beyond the accredited PT program, from a regionally accredited institution (Minn. Stat. 148.721, subd. 2).
  6. Complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check.
  7. Submit a certified transcript, a notarized recent full-face photograph, and recommendations from two licensed physical therapists attesting to your ethical and moral character.
  8. List every U.S. jurisdiction and country where you hold or have held a license, with license number, date and method of licensure.
  9. Pay the fees ($100–$160 (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.)) and allow the Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered.

Official links

Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy ↗Minnesota application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Minnesota → MichiganPhysical Therapy in MichiganPhysical Therapy in MinnesotaAll physical therapy statesThe PT Compact explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Minnesota accept a Michigan physical therapy license?

A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Michigan license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing..

Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Minnesota?

No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. The NPTE is not retaken. Minn. Stat. 148.723 requires a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by FSBPT (or a board-determined equivalent national examination); an already-licensed applicant moves that score to the Board through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service rather than re-testing..

What does the move cost?

$100–$160 (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.) (Minn. Stat. 148.715 fixes the board application fee at $100 and annual licensure at $60, so roughly $160 is due to become licensed in year one; a temporary permit is a further $25. The fingerprint-based criminal background check is billed separately by the vendor. The Board's own fee page could not be retrieved during research (mn.gov bot protection), so only the statutory amounts are stated. Minnesota is NOT a PT Compact state, so no compact privilege fee exists here.).

How long will it take?

the Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered — the Board publishes no processing timeframe; under Minn. Stat. 148.71, subd. 2(b) an applicant already licensed in good standing in another state may practise on a temporary permit WITHOUT supervision, but only until the board meeting at which the application is considered.

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

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