Psychology License from Rhode Island to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) ↗
A psychology license transfers from Rhode Island to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing), verify your Rhode Island license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 201 KAR 26:185 requires a verified EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater and directs the Board to accept the applicant's previous national EPPP results if the original scores met the doctoral licensure criterion at the time, and 201 KAR 26:160 Section 3 waives the EPPP fee for a candidate who already passed elsewhere. Kentucky still requires two of its own examinations: a jurisprudence examination on Kentucky mental health law (80% to pass) and a competency examination on ethical principles and professional practice (100% to pass)..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Both Rhode Island and Kentucky are PSYPACT participants, which helps you right up until you actually relocate. As long as Rhode Island remains your licensed home state, the compact lets you treat Kentucky clients by telehealth (APIT) and work in Kentucky in person for up to 30 days per calendar year (TAP). None of that makes you licensed in Kentucky. A permanent move puts you in front of the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) for endorsement — your EPPP score carries over rather than being retaken, but the degree, supervised experience, jurisprudence exam, and background check are all reviewed on Kentucky's terms.
What changes, Rhode Island → Kentucky
| Rhode Island (current) | Kentucky (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $230 (Psychologist application fee of $230.00 under the RI Department of Health Fee Structure (216-RICR-10-05-2, citing R.I. Gen. Laws 5-44-12); biennial renewal is also $230.00, with a $50.00 late-renewal add-on. A trainee temporary license is $120.00. EPPP fees are paid to ASPPB) | $100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.) |
| Processing time | Neither the RICR psychologist licensing regulation nor the Department of Health fee regulation states a processing-time range, and health.ri.gov returned HTTP 403 to the research agent on 2026-08-07, so no board-stated estimate could be verified | No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess. |
| Licensing authority | Rhode Island Board of Psychology (Rhode Island Department of Health) | Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, valid license in good standing to practice psychology from a state, DC, a U.S. territory, or a Canadian province whose board is an ASPPB constituent member.
- Document a minimum of five years of full-time practice of psychology (or the board-determined equivalent) with no discipline by any psychology licensure board.
- Pass the Kentucky jurisprudence examination (80%) and the competency examination (100%).
- Submit three letters of reference — at least two from persons holding a doctorate in psychology — plus official sealed transcripts and a curriculum vitae demonstrating the five years of practice.
- Pay the fees ($100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.)) and allow No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky accept a Rhode Island psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Rhode Island to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing), verify your Rhode Island license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 201 KAR 26:185 requires a verified EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater and directs the Board to accept the applicant's previous national EPPP results if the original scores met the doctoral licensure criterion at the time, and 201 KAR 26:160 Section 3 waives the EPPP fee for a candidate who already passed elsewhere. Kentucky still requires two of its own examinations: a jurisprudence examination on Kentucky mental health law (80% to pass) and a competency examination on ethical principles and professional practice (100% to pass)..
Do I retake the EPPP moving from Rhode Island to Kentucky?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — 201 KAR 26:185 requires a verified EPPP scaled score of 500 or greater and directs the Board to accept the applicant's previous national EPPP results if the original scores met the doctoral licensure criterion at the time, and 201 KAR 26:160 Section 3 waives the EPPP fee for a candidate who already passed elsewhere. Kentucky still requires two of its own examinations: a jurisprudence examination on Kentucky mental health law (80% to pass) and a competency examination on ethical principles and professional practice (100% to pass)..
What does the move cost?
$100 ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.) ($100 application review fee under 201 KAR 26:160 Section 1(1)(a); an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity is likewise $100 (Section 6). Separate from this application fee: $100 for the jurisprudence and competency examinations, $50 per retake of either, and a $250 initial licensure fee for the first three-year period once the process is complete. The EPPP fee is waived for a candidate who already passed the EPPP in another state. All fees are nonrefundable.).
How long will it take?
No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess. — No processing-time estimate is published in KRS 319, in 201 KAR 26, or by the Board; applications pass through the online system's primary source verification and then a final board review. Null rather than a guess..
Rhode Island and Kentucky 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 Kentucky (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Rhode Island. Relocating to Kentucky requires licensure by endorsement from the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology (Department of Professional Licensing) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Kentucky clients before my Kentucky license is issued?
While your Rhode Island license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Kentucky 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 Rhode Island stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Kentucky license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology — Licensing page (online applications, including Licensure as a Psychologist Licensed in Another State and Licensure of a Psychologist by Reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 201 KAR 26:185 — Requirements for granting licensure as a psychologist to an applicant licensed in another state ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 201 KAR 26:180 — Requirements for granting licensure as a psychologist by reciprocity (CPQ / National Register / ABPP fast-track) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 201 KAR 26:160 — Fee schedule ($100 application review, $100 jurisprudence and competency examinations, $250 initial licensure, $100 reciprocity application, EPPP fee waiver) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 201 KAR 26:230 — Examinations and applications (EPPP; Kentucky jurisprudence exam 80%, competency exam 100%) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 201 KAR 26:185 — Internet Archive snapshot of the official regulation actually read on 2026-08-07 (apps.legislature.ky.gov was unreachable from the research network; 26:160, 26:180 and 26:230 were read the same way) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 216-RICR-40-05-15 — Rhode Island Psychologists licensing regulation (licensure by endorsement per R.I. Gen. Laws 5-44-11; CPQ and National Register deemed to meet requirements; EPPP; 3,000 supervised hours) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 216-RICR-10-05-2 — RI Department of Health Fee Structure (Psychologist application $230.00, renewal $230.00, trainee temporary license $120.00) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ASPPB — Contact a Licensing Board directory (Rhode Island Board of Psychology name and 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]