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LicenseReciprocity

Psychology License from South Dakota to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗

A psychology license transfers from South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

South Dakota and Tennessee 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 South Dakota to Tennessee means applying to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Tennessee's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in South Dakota, you can serve Tennessee clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Tennessee for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.

What changes, South Dakota → Tennessee

Side-by-side: South Dakota vs Tennessee (Psychology (licensed psychologist)), verified 2026-08-07
South Dakota (current)Tennessee (destination)
PSYPACT statusPSYPACT member — multistate license honoredPSYPACT 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)$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.)
Processing timeThe 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 examination4–6 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.)
Licensing authoritySouth Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services)Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a valid psychologist license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have license verification, including disciplinary history, sent from every jurisdiction ever licensed.
  5. Pass the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination, which the board schedules after the EPPP requirement is satisfied and which may never be waived.
  6. Have a criminal background check submitted directly from the vendor identified in the board's application materials.
  7. Document a qualifying doctoral program, internship, and postdoctoral supervised experience for Health Service Provider designation, which may not be waived even under the ABPP/National Register/CPQ shortcut.
  8. Submit three letters of recommendation from psychologists, two of whom must be licensed, with licensure endorsement forms.
  9. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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.).

Official links

Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) ↗Tennessee application ↗Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Tennessee → South DakotaPsychology in South DakotaPsychology in TennesseeAll psychology statesThe PSYPACT explained

Frequently asked questions

Does Tennessee accept a South Dakota psychology license?

A psychology license transfers from South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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.

Do I retake the EPPP moving from South Dakota to Tennessee?

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.

What does the move cost?

$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.).

How long will it take?

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..

South Dakota and Tennessee 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 Tennessee (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in South Dakota. Relocating to Tennessee requires licensure by endorsement from the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) like any other applicant.

Can I start seeing Tennessee clients before my Tennessee license is issued?

While your South Dakota 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 South Dakota stops being your licensed home state — they are a bridge during a transition, not a substitute for the Tennessee license.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

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