Psychology License from South Dakota to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Arkansas Psychology Board ↗
A psychology license transfers from South Dakota to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Psychology Board, verify your South Dakota license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Board Rule 10.1 requires the Board to accept examination scores administered elsewhere that meet or exceed the Arkansas cut score, and Rule 5.6.A licenses a qualifying out-of-state psychologist 'without written examination'. The Board's formal interview and oral examination now applies only to applicants who applied before July 3, 2020; Arkansas has no separate written jurisprudence exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Both South Dakota and Arkansas are PSYPACT participants, which helps you right up until you actually relocate. As long as South Dakota remains your licensed home state, the compact lets you treat Arkansas clients by telehealth (APIT) and work in Arkansas in person for up to 30 days per calendar year (TAP). None of that makes you licensed in Arkansas. A permanent move puts you in front of the Arkansas Psychology Board 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 Arkansas's terms.
What changes, South Dakota → Arkansas
| South Dakota (current) | Arkansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $300 ($300.00 Application for Licensure fee. A separate initial licensure fee is prorated by the month the license is granted — $200.00 (July-September), $150.00 (October-December), $100.00 (January-March), $50.00 (April-June) — and annual renewal is $300.00. Oral examination fees are included in the application fee; a retake of a failed oral exam is $200.00. EPPP fees are paid directly to the national examination company) | $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) |
| Processing time | The Board publishes no processing-time estimate. Timing depends on Board review-officer approval of the completed file and, for applicants who do not qualify for the endorsement oral-exam waiver, on scheduling the oral examination | 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 |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services) | Arkansas Psychology Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arkansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas Psychology Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas Psychology Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Qualify by one of three routes: doctoral-level licensure in a state that entered the ASPPB Agreement of Reciprocity, an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or National Register certification — the CPQ and National Register routes require at least five years of active licensure in another jurisdiction.
- Pay the application fee first, then request the matching 'Agreement of Reciprocity', 'National Register' or 'CPQ' application packet from the Board's administrative staff.
- Apply to the Identification Bureau of the Arkansas State Police for a state and national criminal background check and sign a release of information to the Board.
- Have a License Verification Form completed and returned by every state board that issued a psychology license, showing issuance and expiration dates.
- Submit a Statement of Intent to Practice as a Psychologist.
- Pay the fees ($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)) and allow 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.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Arkansas accept a South Dakota psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from South Dakota to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Psychology Board, verify your South Dakota license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Board Rule 10.1 requires the Board to accept examination scores administered elsewhere that meet or exceed the Arkansas cut score, and Rule 5.6.A licenses a qualifying out-of-state psychologist 'without written examination'. The Board's formal interview and oral examination now applies only to applicants who applied before July 3, 2020; Arkansas has no separate written jurisprudence exam.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from South Dakota to Arkansas?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Board Rule 10.1 requires the Board to accept examination scores administered elsewhere that meet or exceed the Arkansas cut score, and Rule 5.6.A licenses a qualifying out-of-state psychologist 'without written examination'. The Board's formal interview and oral examination now applies only to applicants who applied before July 3, 2020; Arkansas has no separate written jurisprudence exam.
What does the move cost?
$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) ($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).
How long will it take?
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. 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.
South Dakota and Arkansas 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 Arkansas (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in South Dakota. Relocating to Arkansas requires licensure by endorsement from the Arkansas Psychology Board like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Arkansas clients before my Arkansas license is issued?
While your South Dakota license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Arkansas 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 South Dakota stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Arkansas license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
- SD Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Frequently Asked Questions (endorsement statute SDCL 36-1D-1, CPQ/National Register recognition, SDCL 36-27A-17 ABPP exam exemption, oral-exam waiver effective 2023-09-09, no EPPPII) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SD Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Fee Schedule ($300 application, prorated $50-$200 licensure fee, $200 oral re-exam, $300 renewal) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SD Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Become Licensed (doctoral degree, EPPP, 1,800-hour internship, post-doctoral year) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SDCL 36-1D-1 — Eligibility for licensure by endorsement (South Dakota Legislature statute service; supersedes profession-specific endorsement provisions) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SD Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Applications and Forms (no separate endorsement form; single Application for Licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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