Psychology License from California to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations) ↗
A psychology license transfers from California to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations), verify your California license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — official verification is forwarded to DPH directly from the ASPPB EPPP Score Transfer Service. DPH's current psychologist licensure-requirements page lists no separate Connecticut jurisprudence exam, but CGS Sec. 20-190 permits the Department to require evidence that an endorsement applicant understands Connecticut psychology law, and DPH still posts a State Law Examination study guide — confirm current status with DPH before relying on a waiver.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This direction has a payoff worth planning around. California is outside PSYPACT, so you have had no compact authorizations to work with — but Connecticut participates. Endorse into Connecticut through the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations), make it your licensed home state, and that license becomes an anchor: from there an ASPPB E.Passport and APIT authorization let you serve clients across every other participating state without another full license. The endorsement itself is still an ordinary application — EPPP score accepted, credentials reviewed, Connecticut's jurisprudence requirement applied — but what it unlocks afterwards is considerably more than a single state.
What changes, California → Connecticut
| California (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | Licensure by endorsement | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $236 ($236 psychologist initial application fee (2024 fee schedule, the current schedule published by the Board). Separately + $127 for the CPLEE application and + $231 for initial licensure; out-of-state fingerprint hard card processing is $233) | $565 (Nonrefundable application fee, set by CGS Sec. 20-188 and Sec. 20-190 and confirmed on the DPH psychologist licensure pages; biennial renewal is $570. Out-of-state license verification fees are charged separately by each jurisdiction) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Board states processing takes approximately 1.5 months (4-6 weeks) for applications, subsequent documents/correspondence and requested deficiency documents. Because the application, the CPLEE request and the request for initial licensure are each processed separately at that pace, total time from filing to a California license is considerably longer) | DPH publishes no processing-time estimate for psychologist applications; add time for out-of-state license verifications and the ASPPB EPPP score transfer |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license or certification as a psychologist from a board in another state whose standards DPH finds substantially similar to or higher than Connecticut's, OR hold a current ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ).
- Arrange verification of every psychologist license ever held, current or expired, sent from each U.S. state or territory of licensure.
- Have the EPPP score forwarded to DPH directly from the ASPPB EPPP Score Transfer Service.
- Apply online — DPH accepts psychologist applications only through its online portal.
- Applicants who hold a current out-of-state license and have practiced at least four years in good standing may use the DPH out-of-state pathway, which requires no transcripts, no training verification and no examination.
- Pay the fees ($565 (Nonrefundable application fee, set by CGS Sec. 20-188 and Sec. 20-190 and confirmed on the DPH psychologist licensure pages; biennial renewal is $570. Out-of-state license verification fees are charged separately by each jurisdiction)) and allow DPH publishes no processing-time estimate for psychologist applications; add time for out-of-state license verifications and the ASPPB EPPP score transfer.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a California psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from California to Connecticut by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Connecticut Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations), verify your California license, and meet Connecticut's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — official verification is forwarded to DPH directly from the ASPPB EPPP Score Transfer Service. DPH's current psychologist licensure-requirements page lists no separate Connecticut jurisprudence exam, but CGS Sec. 20-190 permits the Department to require evidence that an endorsement applicant understands Connecticut psychology law, and DPH still posts a State Law Examination study guide — confirm current status with DPH before relying on a waiver.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from California to Connecticut?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — official verification is forwarded to DPH directly from the ASPPB EPPP Score Transfer Service. DPH's current psychologist licensure-requirements page lists no separate Connecticut jurisprudence exam, but CGS Sec. 20-190 permits the Department to require evidence that an endorsement applicant understands Connecticut psychology law, and DPH still posts a State Law Examination study guide — confirm current status with DPH before relying on a waiver.
What does the move cost?
$565 (Nonrefundable application fee, set by CGS Sec. 20-188 and Sec. 20-190 and confirmed on the DPH psychologist licensure pages; biennial renewal is $570. Out-of-state license verification fees are charged separately by each jurisdiction) (Nonrefundable application fee, set by CGS Sec. 20-188 and Sec. 20-190 and confirmed on the DPH psychologist licensure pages; biennial renewal is $570. Out-of-state license verification fees are charged separately by each jurisdiction).
How long will it take?
DPH publishes no processing-time estimate for psychologist applications; add time for out-of-state license verifications and the ASPPB EPPP score transfer — DPH publishes no processing-time estimate for psychologist applications; add time for out-of-state license verifications and the ASPPB EPPP score transfer.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Connecticut DPH — Psychologist Licensure (pathways, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Connecticut DPH — Psychologist Licensure Requirements (education, experience, EPPP, $565 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Connecticut DPH — Psychologist Licensure Based on an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Connecticut DPH — Applicants Licensed in Another US State for at Least 4 Years ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Connecticut General Assembly — CGS Chapter 383, Sec. 20-190 Licensure by endorsement; waiver of examination; fee ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts — PSYPACT member states (Connecticut joined 2022) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Out-of-State Application for Licensure as a Psychologist (Categories A/B/C, SPE and credential substitutes, CPLEE, prelicensure coursework, fingerprints) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Frequently Asked Questions (no licensing reciprocity; EPPP score transfer from ASPPB; 180-day pre-licensure practice for an applicant licensed elsewhere) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — 2024 Fee Schedule ($236 initial application, $127 CPLEE application, $231 initial licensure, $233 out-of-state fingerprint hard card) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Application Processing Timeframes (approximately 1.5 months / 4-6 weeks per item; updated July 16, 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (California is not a PSYPACT member) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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