Social Work License from Michigan to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does North Dakota accept a Michigan social work license?
A social work license transfers from Michigan to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (NDBSWE), verify your Michigan license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. The ASWB exam is not retaken: N.D.C.C. 43-41-07 licenses an applicant who holds a license in good standing in a jurisdiction with substantially the same requirements, or whose qualifications are substantially similar. The Board's LCSW reciprocity page does not name a required ASWB category, and neither do the Board's rules (NDAC 75.5-02-03-02 only says the exam must be Board-approved). Have ASWB send your score or have your current board include it on the verification. North Dakota has no jurisprudence exam.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Only North Dakota has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact, and since the compact is not issuing multistate licenses anywhere, that difference does not affect this move. You apply to the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (NDBSWE) by endorsement, with your Michigan license verified and your ASWB score transferred.
What's different between Michigan and North Dakota
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into North Dakota. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Michigan to North Dakota (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
North Dakota to Michigan (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Michigan matter?
Coming from Michigan matters here: only 18 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into North Dakota.
The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (32).
- SW Compact membership
North Dakota has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact; Michigan has not.
- Application fee
North Dakota lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and Michigan lists $99 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
North Dakota and Michigan carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- North Dakota (this move): The ASWB exam is not retaken: N.D.C.C. 43-41-07 licenses an applicant who holds a license in good standing in a jurisdiction with substantially the same requirements, or whose qualifications are substantially similar. The Board's LCSW reciprocity page does not name a required ASWB category, and neither do the Board's rules (NDAC 75.5-02-03-02 only says the exam must be Board-approved). Have ASWB send your score or have your current board include it on the verification. North Dakota has no jurisprudence exam.
- Michigan (the reverse move): The ASWB exam is not retaken; have ASWB send official score reports directly to LARA. For the master's social work license (LMSW) Michigan accepts the ASWB Advanced Generalist or Clinical exam, and the exam passed goes with the designation you apply for. No Michigan jurisprudence exam is listed; one-time human-trafficking training and 2 hours of implicit-bias training are required instead.
What changes, Michigan → North Dakota
| Michigan (current) | North Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| SW Compact status | Licensure by endorsement | SW Compact enacted — not yet issuing |
| Application fee | $99 (Application fee plus 3-year license fee for a Master's Social Work License by Exam or Endorsement: $99.00 (Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024). Adding a second designation (specialty) is $16.50. Fingerprint/background-check vendor fee not stated in the guide.) | $150 (LCSW reciprocity application fee per the Board's reciprocity page (archived 2026-05-16 copy; live site refused connections on 2026-09-27). Criminal history and child-abuse check costs are paid by the applicant (N.D.C.C. 43-41-04.2); the amount is not published on the page. NDAC 75.5-02-03-03 lists a $75 biennial renewal fee.) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published. All requirements must be completed within 2 years of LARA's receipt of the application (MCL 333.16307(3)), or the application is void | The Board publishes no processing time. A Board member reviews each file once all items are received, and the nationwide fingerprint check adds time |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Social Work (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) | North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (NDBSWE) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (NDBSWE) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (NDBSWE) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Submit the online application and the $150 non-refundable reciprocity application fee.
- Have each board where you are or were licensed complete the NDBSWE license verification form, or send a letter directly.
- Submit a detailed letter or resume describing your clinical supervision hours, clinical practice hours, and diagnosing experience.
- Complete the LCSW Reciprocity Applicant Affidavit showing that your supervised clinical practice meets N.D.C.C. 43-41-04.
- Complete the statewide and nationwide criminal history record check and child abuse and neglect inquiry (packet sent after you apply).
- Provide a copy of the other jurisdiction's law and rules in force when you were first licensed, if the Board asks for it (NDAC 75.5-02-05-01).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Social Work Licensure Compact help with this move?
No. North Dakota has enacted it and Michigan has not, and the compact was not issuing multistate licenses anywhere as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (NDBSWE) is the route.
Will North Dakota accept the supervised hours I completed in Michigan?
Most boards credit supervised experience completed under another state's rules, but some compare it with their own requirement. North Dakota's rule, where the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (NDBSWE) publishes one, is in the requirements on this page; confirm with the board if your hours were logged under a different structure.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.
- NDBSWE — Application for Licensed Clinical Social Worker Licensed by Reciprocity (Internet Archive copy of 2026-05-16; live site refused automated connections) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- N.D.C.C. chapter 43-41 (Social Workers), incl. 43-41-04 and 43-41-07 ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NDAC 75.5-02-05 — Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- NDAC 75.5-02-03 — The Licensing Process (examination, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- Social Work Licensure Compact — compact jurisdictions ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Master's Social Work Licensing Guide rev. 10/7/2024 (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-04-22; michigan.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Work FAQs rev. 9/19/2024 (accepted ASWB exams) (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-09) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
- LARA — Social Worker profession page (Internet Archive copy captured 2026-06-11) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-27)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com