Psychology License from West Virginia to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Arkansas Psychology Board ↗
A psychology license transfers from West Virginia to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Psychology Board, verify your West Virginia 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.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia, 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, West Virginia → Arkansas
| West Virginia (current) | Arkansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored | PSYPACT member — multistate license honored |
| Application fee | $120–$525 (17CSR1 §2.1 application fee $120; the oral examination required of every reciprocity applicant is a further $405 (§2.6.1), so a typical reciprocity applicant pays about $525. Not included: $25 application-packet mailing/handling, $90 temporary permit, $180 continued oral examination. All Board fees are nonrefundable.) | $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 stated review timeline. Timing is driven by the oral examination, which is scheduled at a Board meeting and requires all oral-exam materials at least 15 days in advance; a 90-day temporary permit is available to bridge the wait. | 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 | West Virginia Board of Examiners of Psychologists | 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 West Virginia psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from West Virginia to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas Psychology Board, verify your West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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.
West Virginia 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 West Virginia. 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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)
- WV Board of Examiners of Psychologists — Reciprocity Applicants / Oral Examination / Temporary License ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Legislative Rule 17CSR3 §12.2 and §14.4 — reciprocity provision, CPQ/National Register portability waiver, oral examination ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Legislative Rule 17CSR1 — Board of Psychologists fee schedule (application $120, oral exam $405, temporary permit $90) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WV Board of Examiners of Psychologists — License Information (application pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]