Psychology License from Tennessee to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Arkansas Psychology Board ↗
A psychology license transfers from Tennessee to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Psychology Board, verify your Tennessee 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
Tennessee and Arkansas 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 Tennessee to Arkansas means applying to the Arkansas Psychology Board for licensure by endorsement exactly as you would if neither state had ever joined — license verification, doctoral transcript, supervised-experience review, Arkansas's jurisprudence requirement. What the shared participation genuinely gives you is different and still valuable: while you remain licensed and resident in Tennessee, you can serve Arkansas clients by telepsychology under an APIT authorization, and work in person in Arkansas for up to 30 days a year under a TAP. That can cover a transition period — it cannot cover the move.
What changes, Tennessee → Arkansas
| Tennessee (current) | Arkansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $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.) | $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 | 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.) | 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 | Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) | 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 Tennessee psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Tennessee to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Psychology Board, verify your Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.
Tennessee 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 Tennessee. 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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)
- Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology — board page, applications and forms ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Rules 1180-02, Rules Governing Psychologists (July 2026 revision) — reciprocity 1180-02-.03(12), endorsement (13), jurisprudence exam never waived (14), examinations 1180-02-.04 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee Psychologist Application PH-1034 — fees, processing time, EPPP and ethics/jurisprudence exam instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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