Psychology License from Rhode Island to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)

A psychology license transfers from Rhode Island to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health), verify your Rhode Island license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.

No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — a reciprocity applicant submits proof of a written examination score meeting Tennessee standards, or after five years of continuous good-standing licensure may substitute ABPP certification, National Register listing, or an ASPPB CPQ; the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination is required and Rule 1180-02-.03(14) states it shall never be waived.

$175–$375 (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.) (PH-1034 requires a $175 nonrefundable application fee plus a $200 licensure fee at submission; a $10 state regulatory fee and a $100 ethics and jurisprudence exam fee are also due, for a board-stated total of $485. Temporary license adds $100; provisional license adds $125. Fingerprint/background-check vendor charges are billed separately.).

4–6 weeks (Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks.) — Board-stated: materials are typically in the applicant's file within two weeks of the postmark and, absent complicating factors, average application processing time is four to six weeks..

No. PSYPACT never transfers a license, including between two participating states. It authorizes telepsychology into Tennessee (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in Rhode Island. Relocating to Tennessee requires licensure by endorsement from the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) like any other applicant.

While your Rhode Island license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Tennessee 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 Tennessee license.