Psychology License from Arkansas to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) ↗
A psychology license transfers from Arkansas to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Arkansas license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — S.C. Code Regs. 100-2 makes the EPPP the written examination with the ASPPB-determined passing score, and Formal Application materials include documentation of a passing EPPP score. South Carolina additionally requires an in-person oral examination before a Board member covering scope of practice, professional ethics and jurisprudence.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Arkansas and South Carolina both participate in PSYPACT, and it is worth being blunt about what that does and does not buy you, because the compact's name misleads a lot of psychologists. It does not transfer your license. Moving from Arkansas to South Carolina means applying to the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, South Carolina's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in Arkansas, you can serve South Carolina clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in South Carolina for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.
What changes, Arkansas → South Carolina
| Arkansas (current) | South Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $200–$400 ($200 application fee buys the application packet (payable in full or as a $50 deposit plus a $150 remainder); a further $200 registration/certification fee plus a pro-rated license fee is due at licensure. Criminal background check costs ($60 LiveScan in state) are paid separately to the Arkansas State Police) | Not verified. S.C. Code Regs. 10-34 sets only a ceiling — Preliminary and Formal Applications 'Not to exceed $500'; biennial renewal 'Not to exceed $395'; temporary permit 'Not to exceed $250'. Regulation 100-7 states the actual amounts are published on the Board's LLR website, which refused connections from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so the current dollar figure was not verified and has not been guessed. EPPP fees are paid to the examination provider |
| Processing time | No board-stated range. Credential reviews are conducted only at regularly scheduled Board meetings, a file must be complete by the 1st of the month to be considered at the next meeting, and a file that fails review waits for the following meeting; the Board publishes no target turnaround | No board-stated range. S.C. Code Regs. 100-1(C)(1) requires an application to be complete 30 days prior to a Board meeting to be assured of review at that meeting, and the oral examination can only be scheduled after Preliminary Application approval and receipt of all Formal Application materials — so timing is driven by the Board's meeting calendar |
| Licensing authority | Arkansas Psychology Board | South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology (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 Examiners in Psychology (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Have been previously licensed by a state board whose licensure criteria are equal to or more stringent than South Carolina's — the Board has no formal reciprocity agreements with any state board.
- File and obtain Board approval of the Preliminary Application for Licensure (with the application fee) before continuing to the Formal Application.
- Submit Formal Application materials including three professional references and documentation of a passing EPPP score.
- Appear in person before the Board (or a delegated Board member) and pass the oral examination.
- Document two years of supervised professional experience, one year of which may be pre-doctoral — the Board may waive supervised experience when it deems appropriate.
- Pay the fees (Not verified. S.C. Code Regs. 10-34 sets only a ceiling — Preliminary and Formal Applications 'Not to exceed $500'; biennial renewal 'Not to exceed $395'; temporary permit 'Not to exceed $250'. Regulation 100-7 states the actual amounts are published on the Board's LLR website, which refused connections from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so the current dollar figure was not verified and has not been guessed. EPPP fees are paid to the examination provider) and allow No board-stated range. S.C. Code Regs. 100-1(C)(1) requires an application to be complete 30 days prior to a Board meeting to be assured of review at that meeting, and the oral examination can only be scheduled after Preliminary Application approval and receipt of all Formal Application materials — so timing is driven by the Board's meeting calendar.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina accept a Arkansas psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Arkansas to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Arkansas license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — S.C. Code Regs. 100-2 makes the EPPP the written examination with the ASPPB-determined passing score, and Formal Application materials include documentation of a passing EPPP score. South Carolina additionally requires an in-person oral examination before a Board member covering scope of practice, professional ethics and jurisprudence.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Arkansas to South Carolina?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — S.C. Code Regs. 100-2 makes the EPPP the written examination with the ASPPB-determined passing score, and Formal Application materials include documentation of a passing EPPP score. South Carolina additionally requires an in-person oral examination before a Board member covering scope of practice, professional ethics and jurisprudence.
What does the move cost?
Not verified. S.C. Code Regs. 10-34 sets only a ceiling — Preliminary and Formal Applications 'Not to exceed $500'; biennial renewal 'Not to exceed $395'; temporary permit 'Not to exceed $250'. Regulation 100-7 states the actual amounts are published on the Board's LLR website, which refused connections from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so the current dollar figure was not verified and has not been guessed. EPPP fees are paid to the examination provider (Not verified. S.C. Code Regs. 10-34 sets only a ceiling — Preliminary and Formal Applications 'Not to exceed $500'; biennial renewal 'Not to exceed $395'; temporary permit 'Not to exceed $250'. Regulation 100-7 states the actual amounts are published on the Board's LLR website, which refused connections from the research environment on 2026-08-07, so the current dollar figure was not verified and has not been guessed. EPPP fees are paid to the examination provider).
How long will it take?
No board-stated range. S.C. Code Regs. 100-1(C)(1) requires an application to be complete 30 days prior to a Board meeting to be assured of review at that meeting, and the oral examination can only be scheduled after Preliminary Application approval and receipt of all Formal Application materials — so timing is driven by the Board's meeting calendar — No board-stated range. S.C. Code Regs. 100-1(C)(1) requires an application to be complete 30 days prior to a Board meeting to be assured of review at that meeting, and the oral examination can only be scheduled after Preliminary Application approval and receipt of all Formal Application materials — so timing is driven by the Board's meeting calendar.
Arkansas and South Carolina are both PSYPACT states — doesn't my license transfer automatically?
No. PSYPACT never transfers a license, including between two participating states. It authorizes telepsychology into South Carolina (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Arkansas. Relocating to South Carolina requires licensure by endorsement from the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing South Carolina clients before my South Carolina license is issued?
While your Arkansas license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover South Carolina clients by telepsychology, and a TAP covers up to 30 days a year of in-person work there. Those are the compact's limits, and they end when Arkansas stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the South Carolina license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 100 — Board of Examiners in Psychology (100-1 reciprocity limits and application process, 100-2 EPPP and oral examination, 100-7 fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- S.C. Code of Regulations 10-34 — Board of Examiners in Psychology fee ceilings ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40 Chapter 55 — Psychologists (40-55-110 reciprocity; 40-55-100 examinations; 40-55-40 fee authority) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ASPPB — Contact a Licensing Board directory (South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology name and official site) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arkansas Psychology Board — Applicants (application request, $200 fee schedule, out-of-state license verification, oral exam limited to pre-July 3 2020 applicants) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Arkansas Psychology Board — Rules and Regulations (engrossed 11.2.18): Rule 5.6 Interjurisdictional Practice, Rule 10.1 acceptance of written examination scores, Rule 10.2 reciprocity, Section 13 fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (Arkansas participating) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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