Physical Therapy License from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio into Michigan leaves the compact behind: Michigan has enacted the compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so no Ohio 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 Ohio license and any privileges you hold elsewhere stay valid as long as your residence remains in Ohio; file Michigan's application before you rely on income there.
What changes, Ohio → Michigan
| Ohio (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PT Compact status | PT Compact member — multistate license honored | PT Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $100 (OAC 4755-4-01(B)(1) (effective August 21, 2025) caps the initial licensing fee - the fee an endorsement applicant pays - at one hundred dollars, and states that the current amount is published on the Board's website. otptat.ohio.gov and codes.ohio.gov were unreachable from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so only the rule maximum is given rather than an unverified exact figure. Biennial renewal is likewise capped at $100. The BCI/FBI criminal records check is billed separately by the record providers. This is not the PT Compact privilege 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.) |
| Processing time | Neither the Ohio Revised Code nor the Board's rules state a processing timeframe; OAC 4755:2-1-01(E) provides only that an application still incomplete one year after filing is abandoned. | LARA's Physical Therapist Licensing Guide states no processing timeframe for endorsement applications |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board (OTPTAT Board) - Physical Therapy Section | 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 Ohio physical therapy license?
A physical therapy license transfers from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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)
- Ohio OTPTAT Board - Physical Therapy Laws and Rules, effective April 3, 2026 (LSC-authenticated ORC and OAC text: OAC 4755:2-1-01, 4755:2-1-03, 4755:2-1-04, 4755-3-05, 4755-4-01, 4755-4-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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