Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Michigan license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken; scores must be reported to the Board directly by FSBPT in the standard interstate reporting format (a criterion-referenced scaled score of 600 or higher for exams taken on or after 1 March 1994). Mississippi also requires its own open-book Jurisprudence Exam, taken inside the online application against the Board's law and regulations, with a minimum passing score of 70..
Verify this exact pair in the checker
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 Mississippi is an active member. Endorse into Mississippi with the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy, establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Mississippi 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 → Mississippi
| Michigan (current) | Mississippi (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.) | $275 ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | ~1 weeks (the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed.) |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Pass the Mississippi Jurisprudence Exam (open book, minimum score 70) inside the online application.
- Undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history background check; the Board mails the fingerprint card after the application and fees are submitted.
- Have every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a licence send verification directly to the Board.
- Have verification of your CAPTE-accredited degree, or an official transcript, sent directly from your institution.
- Submit a current colour head-and-shoulders photograph and a complete practice history with no time gaps.
- Pay the fees ($275 ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow ~1 weeks (the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Mississippi accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy, verify your Michigan license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken; scores must be reported to the Board directly by FSBPT in the standard interstate reporting format (a criterion-referenced scaled score of 600 or higher for exams taken on or after 1 March 1994). Mississippi also requires its own open-book Jurisprudence Exam, taken inside the online application against the Board's law and regulations, with a minimum passing score of 70..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Mississippi?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. The NPTE is not retaken; scores must be reported to the Board directly by FSBPT in the standard interstate reporting format (a criterion-referenced scaled score of 600 or higher for exams taken on or after 1 March 1994). Mississippi also requires its own open-book Jurisprudence Exam, taken inside the online application against the Board's law and regulations, with a minimum passing score of 70..
What does the move cost?
$275 ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) ($125.00 application fee + $150.00 initial Physical Therapist licence fee per Part 3103 Chapter 10 Rule 10.2; the Board's Steps to Licensure adds a $50.00 fingerprint/criminal-history processing fee, giving a stated PT total of $325.00 (PTA total $300.00). All fees are non-refundable. This is NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
~1 weeks (the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed.) — the Board states the review process 'is usually completed within one to two days' — but only once every licensure requirement is already on file, so this excludes the time needed to obtain verifications, transcripts, NPTE score reporting and background-check results. A 60-day temporary licence is available while the file is completed..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- MS State Board of Physical Therapy — Steps to Licensure by Endorsement/Reciprocity (application packet, fee breakdown, jurisprudence exam, NPTE scores, temporary permit) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- MS State Board of Physical Therapy — Applying for Licensure, Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Mississippi Administrative Code Part 3103 Chapter 10 — Fees (Rule 10.2 schedule of fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (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]