Physical Therapy License from New York to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from New York to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your New York license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; official examination scores are transferred to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report) and the Board may license an out-of-state PT without examination on payment of the fee (S.C. Code 40-45-240). South Carolina requires no jurisprudence exam to obtain the license, but 3 contact hours of ethics, professionalism and/or South Carolina jurisprudence are required each biennium as continuing education..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff. New York is outside the active compact, so you have had no privileges to work with — but South Carolina is an active member. Endorse into South Carolina with the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), establish it as your home state and primary residence, and South Carolina 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, New York → South Carolina
| New York (current) | South Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | PT Compact member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $294 (combined fee for licensure and first registration as a physical therapist; the same $294 applies whether you qualify by endorsement or by the standard route (PTA is $103). An optional limited permit costs a further $70, is non-refundable, and is valid 6 months. New York is not a PT Compact state, so no privilege fee exists.) | $110 (Board application fee set by S.C. Code of Regulations 10-30(1); the same application fee applies to endorsement applicants (40-45-240 licenses 'on the payment of the applicable fee'). SLED/FBI fingerprint costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) |
| Processing time | the Office of the Professions publishes no processing timeframe for physical therapy applications | no processing timeframe appears in the Board's statute (S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 45) or regulations (Chapter 101); llr.sc.gov was unreachable from the research network on the access date, so the board site could not be checked |
| Licensing authority | New York State Board for Physical Therapy (NYSED Office of the Professions) | South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Graduate from a Board-approved physical therapy program; foreign-educated applicants need a Board-approved credentials evaluation using the FSBPT Course Work Tool.
- Undergo a fingerprint-based SLED state criminal record check and an FBI national criminal record check.
- Speak English as a native language or demonstrate Board-approved English proficiency.
- Submit proof of current licensure in the other jurisdiction plus official transcripts and examination scores.
- Document 1,000 supervised clinical practice hours if you did not graduate from a Board-approved school.
- Pay the fees ($110 (Board application fee set by S.C. Code of Regulations 10-30(1); the same application fee applies to endorsement applicants (40-45-240 licenses 'on the payment of the applicable fee'). SLED/FBI fingerprint costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.)) and allow no processing timeframe appears in the Board's statute (S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 45) or regulations (Chapter 101); llr.sc.gov was unreachable from the research network on the access date, so the board site could not be checked.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina accept a New York physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from New York to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your New York license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. NPTE is not retaken; official examination scores are transferred to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report) and the Board may license an out-of-state PT without examination on payment of the fee (S.C. Code 40-45-240). South Carolina requires no jurisprudence exam to obtain the license, but 3 contact hours of ethics, professionalism and/or South Carolina jurisprudence are required each biennium as continuing education..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from New York to South Carolina?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. NPTE is not retaken; official examination scores are transferred to the Board (FSBPT Score Transfer Service, $90 per report) and the Board may license an out-of-state PT without examination on payment of the fee (S.C. Code 40-45-240). South Carolina requires no jurisprudence exam to obtain the license, but 3 contact hours of ethics, professionalism and/or South Carolina jurisprudence are required each biennium as continuing education..
What does the move cost?
$110 (Board application fee set by S.C. Code of Regulations 10-30(1); the same application fee applies to endorsement applicants (40-45-240 licenses 'on the payment of the applicable fee'). SLED/FBI fingerprint costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.) (Board application fee set by S.C. Code of Regulations 10-30(1); the same application fee applies to endorsement applicants (40-45-240 licenses 'on the payment of the applicable fee'). SLED/FBI fingerprint costs and the $90 FSBPT score-transfer fee are separate. NOT the PT Compact privilege fee.).
How long will it take?
no processing timeframe appears in the Board's statute (S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 45) or regulations (Chapter 101); llr.sc.gov was unreachable from the research network on the access date, so the board site could not be checked — no processing timeframe appears in the Board's statute (S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 45) or regulations (Chapter 101); llr.sc.gov was unreachable from the research network on the access date, so the board site could not be checked.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 101 - State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 10-30 - Board of Physical Therapy Examiners fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40 Chapter 45 - Physical Therapists (incl. 40-45-240 licensure without examination and the PT Compact, 40-45-510 et seq.) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PT Compact - state status list (Physical Therapy Compact Commission) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT - NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED Office of the Professions - Physical Therapy License Requirements (fees, licensure by endorsement, limited permits) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED Office of the Professions - Physical Therapy License Application Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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