Physical Therapy License from Michigan to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists), verify your Michigan license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; OPR accepts the passing score through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (the OPR endorsement instructions link a 'Physical Therapists Score Transfer' step). Vermont imposes no state jurisprudence examination - neither the Physical Therapy Rule nor the PT Compact Commission's state requirements table lists one..
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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 Vermont is an active member. Endorse into Vermont with the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and Vermont 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 → Vermont
| Michigan (current) | Vermont (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 application fee (code 040) on OPR's Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates schedule updated 7/1/2025; the license then renews at $180 biennially on September 30 of even years. Fingerprint/background-check vendor costs are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications | OPR publishes no processing timeframe for PT endorsement applications; it states a 90-day provisional license can issue when everything except the licensure verification or background-check result is complete |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate of a physical therapy program accredited by CAPTE (or an accreditor approved by the OPR Director).
- Have FSBPT transfer your NPTE score directly to Vermont OPR.
- Have verification of licensure sent from every jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license.
- Complete a fingerprint-supported criminal background check (not repeated if you already completed one for a Vermont PT license with no lapse).
- Pass an approved English proficiency exam if your native language is not English.
- Pay the fees ($120 (physical therapist application fee (code 040) on OPR's Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates schedule updated 7/1/2025; the license then renews at $180 biennially on September 30 of even years. Fingerprint/background-check vendor costs are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow OPR publishes no processing timeframe for PT endorsement applications; it states a 90-day provisional license can issue when everything except the licensure verification or background-check result is complete.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vermont accept a Michigan physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Michigan to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State (Physical Therapists), verify your Michigan license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; OPR accepts the passing score through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (the OPR endorsement instructions link a 'Physical Therapists Score Transfer' step). Vermont imposes no state jurisprudence examination - neither the Physical Therapy Rule nor the PT Compact Commission's state requirements table lists one..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from Michigan to Vermont?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; OPR accepts the passing score through the FSBPT Score Transfer Service (the OPR endorsement instructions link a 'Physical Therapists Score Transfer' step). Vermont imposes no state jurisprudence examination - neither the Physical Therapy Rule nor the PT Compact Commission's state requirements table lists one..
What does the move cost?
$120 (physical therapist application fee (code 040) on OPR's Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates schedule updated 7/1/2025; the license then renews at $180 biennially on September 30 of even years. Fingerprint/background-check vendor costs are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) (physical therapist application fee (code 040) on OPR's Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates schedule updated 7/1/2025; the license then renews at $180 biennially on September 30 of even years. Fingerprint/background-check vendor costs are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
OPR publishes no processing timeframe for PT endorsement applications; it states a 90-day provisional license can issue when everything except the licensure verification or background-check result is complete — OPR publishes no processing timeframe for PT endorsement applications; it states a 90-day provisional license can issue when everything except the licensure verification or background-check result is complete.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Vermont OPR - Physical Therapist Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Vermont OPR - Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates (updated 7/1/2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Vermont OPR - Administrative Rules for Physical Therapists (eff. June 1, 2013) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - member state map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - how to get privileges (state fee and jurisprudence table) ↗ (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]