Physical Therapy License from North Carolina to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) ↗
A physical therapy license transfers from North Carolina to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken. Verification of a passing NPTE score — or, for a licensee of a Canadian province, the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators Physiotherapy Competency Examination — must be sent to LARA directly by the testing agency, arranged through FSBPT score transfer. A passing score on the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination, delivered by PSI, is also required on the endorsement path..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from North Carolina into Michigan leaves the compact behind: Michigan has enacted the compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so no North Carolina privilege reaches it. You transfer by licensure by endorsement with the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) — your NPTE score moves through the FSBPT rather than being retaken, and Michigan adds its own jurisprudence exam and background check. Your North Carolina license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in North Carolina; file Michigan's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, North Carolina → Michigan
| North Carolina (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | The Board's fee rule is 21 NCAC 48F .0102 (readopted eff. May 1, 2019), but on 2026-08-07 neither the rule text nor the Board's published Schedule of Fees could be retrieved from an official source - the Board's application host (www2.ncptboard.org) returned 403 and the NC OAH / NC Rules code servers were unreachable. No amount is stated rather than guess. Confirm the current endorsement application fee directly with the Board. | $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.) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no processing timeframe; 21 NCAC 48B .0102(a) provides only that each endorsement application is considered on an individual basis. | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners | Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Pass the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination through PSI.
- Have every U.S. state or country where you hold or have held a license send verification directly to LARA showing no pending discipline or sanctions.
- Complete the criminal background check using the instructions in your Application Confirmation letter.
- Complete the one-time human trafficking identification training required by Administrative Rule 338.7126.
- Complete 2 hours of implicit bias training within the 5 years immediately preceding issuance of the license.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of English (program taught in English, 60 college-level credits from an English-speaking institution, or an approved English proficiency exam).
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Michigan accept a North Carolina physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from North Carolina to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. The NPTE is not retaken. Verification of a passing NPTE score — or, for a licensee of a Canadian province, the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators Physiotherapy Competency Examination — must be sent to LARA directly by the testing agency, arranged through FSBPT score transfer. A passing score on the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination, delivered by PSI, is also required on the endorsement path..
Do I retake the NPTE moving from North Carolina to Michigan?
No — the NPTE is taken once and your score transfers through the FSBPT. The NPTE is not retaken. Verification of a passing NPTE score — or, for a licensee of a Canadian province, the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators Physiotherapy Competency Examination — must be sent to LARA directly by the testing agency, arranged through FSBPT score transfer. A passing score on the Michigan Physical Therapist Jurisprudence Examination, delivered by PSI, is also required on the endorsement path..
What does the move cost?
$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.) (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.).
How long will it take?
LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications — LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
- PT Compact — member state status map ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- FSBPT — NPTE Score Transfer Service ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC Office of Administrative Hearings - rule text, 21 NCAC 48B .0102 Licenses by Endorsement (with 48E .0104, 48F .0101, 48G .0105, 48G .0203) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC OAH - G.S. 150B-21.3A periodic review report for 21 NCAC 48, Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (rule inventory incl. 48E .0105, 48E .0113, 48F .0102) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NC Board of Physical Therapy Examiners - official site ↗ (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]