Psychology License from South Dakota to Utah: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce) ↗
A psychology license transfers from South Dakota to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce), verify your South Dakota license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Utah requires the ASPPB EPPP at the ASPPB-recommended passing score plus the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination at a minimum score of 75% (R156-61-302c(1)). R156-61-302c(6) expressly requires the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination of an applicant for licensure by endorsement whose endorsement is not based upon licensure in another jurisdiction.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
South Dakota and Utah 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 Utah means applying to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce) for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Utah'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 Utah clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Utah 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 → Utah
| South Dakota (current) | Utah (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) | Not verified. Utah psychologist application fees are set on the Division of Professional Licensing fee schedule rather than in Rule R156-61, and dopl.utah.gov served an interactive Cloudflare bot challenge on 2026-08-07 that could not be cleared, so no figure is asserted. |
| 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 | Not verified. No processing-time range appears in Rule R156-61, and the Division's website could not be read on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare challenge). |
| Licensing authority | South Dakota Board of Examiners of Psychologists (Department of Social Services) | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Utah sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a doctoral degree in psychology from an APA-CoA or CPAAP accredited program, an ASPPB/National Register designated program, or a regionally accredited program the Division finds equivalent (R156-61-302a).
- Document at least 4,000 hours of Division-approved psychology training completed under an approved psychologist supervisor (R156-61-302b).
- Pass the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination with a score of at least 75%.
- Apply to the Division of Professional Licensing under the licensure-by-endorsement provisions of Utah Code Section 58-1-302, as cross-referenced by R156-61-302c(6).
- Pay the fees (Not verified. Utah psychologist application fees are set on the Division of Professional Licensing fee schedule rather than in Rule R156-61, and dopl.utah.gov served an interactive Cloudflare bot challenge on 2026-08-07 that could not be cleared, so no figure is asserted.) and allow Not verified. No processing-time range appears in Rule R156-61, and the Division's website could not be read on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare challenge)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah accept a South Dakota psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from South Dakota to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce), verify your South Dakota license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Utah requires the ASPPB EPPP at the ASPPB-recommended passing score plus the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination at a minimum score of 75% (R156-61-302c(1)). R156-61-302c(6) expressly requires the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination of an applicant for licensure by endorsement whose endorsement is not based upon licensure in another jurisdiction.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from South Dakota to Utah?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — Utah requires the ASPPB EPPP at the ASPPB-recommended passing score plus the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination at a minimum score of 75% (R156-61-302c(1)). R156-61-302c(6) expressly requires the Utah Psychologist Law and Ethics Examination of an applicant for licensure by endorsement whose endorsement is not based upon licensure in another jurisdiction.
What does the move cost?
Not verified. Utah psychologist application fees are set on the Division of Professional Licensing fee schedule rather than in Rule R156-61, and dopl.utah.gov served an interactive Cloudflare bot challenge on 2026-08-07 that could not be cleared, so no figure is asserted. (Not verified. Utah psychologist application fees are set on the Division of Professional Licensing fee schedule rather than in Rule R156-61, and dopl.utah.gov served an interactive Cloudflare bot challenge on 2026-08-07 that could not be cleared, so no figure is asserted.).
How long will it take?
Not verified. No processing-time range appears in Rule R156-61, and the Division's website could not be read on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare challenge). — Not verified. No processing-time range appears in Rule R156-61, and the Division's website could not be read on 2026-08-07 (Cloudflare challenge)..
South Dakota and Utah 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 Utah (APIT) and in-person practice there for up to 30 days a year (TAP) while your license stays in South Dakota. Relocating to Utah requires licensure by endorsement from the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Utah Department of Commerce) like any other applicant.
Can I start seeing Utah clients before my Utah license is issued?
While your South Dakota license remains active and is your home-state license, a PSYPACT authorization can cover Utah 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 Utah license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Utah Administrative Code R156-61, Psychologist Licensing Act Rule — current rules effective 2026-05-01 (education R156-61-302a, 4,000 experience hours R156-61-302b, examinations and endorsement R156-61-302c) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Utah Office of Administrative Rules — full text file of R156-61 as served by the public rules system (the copy actually read) ↗ (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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