Transfer Your Physical Therapy License to Mississippi: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy ↗
Yes — Mississippi participates in the PT Compact as an active member. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member purchases a Mississippi compact privilege rather than a second license, keeping their home credential in place; relocating to Mississippi or coming from a non-member home state means licensure by endorsement through the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy ($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.)), NPTE score moved by FSBPT transfer, processing ~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.).
Moving to Mississippi from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
PT Compact member — multistate license honored
Whether Mississippi costs you a full license or just a privilege depends on what you are actually doing. Working in Mississippi while your license and residence stay in another member state — a travel assignment, a satellite clinic, telehealth across the line — means buying a Mississippi compact privilege and keeping your home license; Mississippi charges no full-license fee for that path, though it may require its jurisprudence exam first. Relocating to Mississippi is the other case: your residence changes, Mississippi becomes your home state, and that is licensure by endorsement with the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy, after which Mississippi can anchor privileges of its own.
Mississippi is an ACTIVE PT Compact member, so a PT whose home state is also an active member can work in Mississippi on a compact privilege — a practice authorisation, not a licence transfer — instead of endorsing; the Board explicitly states that compact privilege licensees are exempt from the reciprocity requirements. If you actually relocate to Mississippi you still need the endorsement licence. Two Mississippi specifics: the open-book state jurisprudence exam (minimum 70) is embedded in the online application and no applicant is considered until a passing score is on file, and the Board posts a notice that applications submitted after 1 July 2021 'cannot be verified as transferrable under MS Law' (Miss. Code Ann. §73-50-1 et seq., the universal-recognition statute). Total stated cost for a PT is $325 including the $50 fingerprint processing fee.
Mississippi requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| 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.) |
| Processing time | ~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.) |
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy (application linked on this page).
- 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
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Mississippi:
All 42 origin states
Frequently asked questions
Does my physical therapy license transfer to Mississippi?
Yes — Mississippi participates in the PT Compact as an active member. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member purchases a Mississippi compact privilege rather than a second license, keeping their home credential in place; relocating to Mississippi or coming from a non-member home state means licensure by endorsement through the Mississippi State Board of Physical Therapy ($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.)), NPTE score moved by FSBPT transfer, processing ~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.).
Do I have to retake the NPTE to get licensed in Mississippi?
No. 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.. No state requires a second NPTE.
How much does it cost to transfer a PT license to Mississippi by endorsement?
$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 does Mississippi take to process an endorsement application?
~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..
Is Mississippi in the PT Compact?
Yes — Mississippi is an active member as of 2026-08-07. A PT or PTA whose home state is also a member can buy a Mississippi compact privilege instead of a full license; relocating to Mississippi still requires licensure by endorsement.
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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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