Psychology License from Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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
Both Vermont and Tennessee are PSYPACT participants, which helps you right up until you actually relocate. As long as Vermont remains your licensed home state, the compact lets you treat Tennessee clients by telehealth (APIT) and work in Tennessee in person for up to 30 days per calendar year (TAP). None of that makes you licensed in Tennessee. A permanent move puts you in front of the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) 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 Tennessee's terms.
What changes, Vermont → Tennessee
| Vermont (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $240 (OPR fee chart (updated 2025-07-01), Psychology section: Psychologist - Doctorate (code 048) application fee $240; the $195 figure in the adjacent column is the biennial renewal fee, expiring January 31 of even years. A temporary psychologist licence (048-Temp) has a $60 application fee and does not renew.) | $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 time | ~1 weeks (OPR states applicants licensed in another state should allow a minimum of five full business days for processing (the Psychologist Application Instructions say 3-5 business days), and that times vary with volume. A 90-day provisional license may be issued when outstanding license verification is the only remaining deficiency.) | 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.) |
| Licensing authority | Vermont Board of Psychological Examiners (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) | 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
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology (Tennessee Department of Health) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid psychologist license in good standing in another jurisdiction and have license verification, including disciplinary history, sent from every jurisdiction ever licensed.
- Pass the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence examination, which the board schedules after the EPPP requirement is satisfied and which may never be waived.
- Have a criminal background check submitted directly from the vendor identified in the board's application materials.
- 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.
- Submit three letters of recommendation from psychologists, two of whom must be licensed, with licensure endorsement forms.
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a Vermont psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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..
Vermont 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 Vermont. 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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.
- 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)
- Vermont OPR — Psychological Examiner Applications & Renewals (endorsement, Fast Track Endorsement, out-of-state psychologist path, 90-day provisional license, processing time) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Vermont OPR — Psychologist Application Instructions, February 2026 (Apply by Examination / Apply by Endorsement / Fast Track Endorsement, jurisprudence exam, EPPP) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Vermont OPR — Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates and 90 Day Initial Licensing Policy (updated 2025-07-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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