North Carolina Physical Therapy License Requirements

To get licensed as a physical therapist in North Carolina, you need to meet the North Carolina physical therapy license requirements set by the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners: a degree from a CAPTE-accredited program, a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination, an FBI criminal background check, a completed jurisprudence exercise on state law, and an application with a $150 fee.¹ North Carolina does not issue temporary licenses, so you cannot begin practicing until the Board approves you.

Education You Need

Your degree must come from a physical therapy program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).² The state statute references any accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Office of Education or the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, and the Board’s rules identify CAPTE as that agency.³

“Graduated” means you have completed all program requirements, including clinical experience. The Board will accept a certification from your program that your degree is assured and will be conferred at a later date.

The statute also requires you to be of “good moral character.” Every applicant must submit two character references from non-relatives who have known them for at least one year.² You will also need a Social Security number on file before the Board issues a license.⁴

If You Were Educated Outside the United States

Foreign-educated applicants have to add two steps. First, your credentials must be evaluated by the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) or another credentialing service acceptable to the Board that keeps a physical therapist consultant on staff.⁵ The evaluation determines whether your education is substantially equivalent to that of a U.S.-trained physical therapist.³

Second, you must show English proficiency by meeting the TOEFL score set by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. An exemption exists if you qualify under 8 CFR 212.15.² Graduates of U.S. programs do not have to take TOEFL.

Passing the National Physical Therapy Examination

The NPTE is administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), and you register with FSBPT directly. The exam fee is $485.⁶ FSBPT’s eligibility rules and the North Carolina Board’s requirements are separate, and you must satisfy both to sit for the exam.⁷

The physical therapist exam has 225 multiple-choice questions in five sections of 45. Forty-five of those questions are unscored pretest items, but you won’t know which ones. A 15-minute break comes after the second section.⁸ FSBPT offers a free demonstration exam so you can preview the interface before test day.

Attempt Limits

You may take the NPTE up to three times in any 12-month period and no more than six times in your life. Two very low scores, meaning a scale score of 400 or below (near chance level), permanently bar you from retaking it.⁹ Preparation matters. FSBPT publishes a content outline, and review courses and study groups are common.

Applying to the Board

The application goes to the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners with a $150 fee.¹ Arrange for official transcripts to be sent directly from your CAPTE-accredited program to the Board. Your application stays open for one year. If you have not completed all requirements and submitted every requested document within that year, the Board destroys the file and you start over.⁴

Criminal Background Check

Every new applicant must consent to an FBI criminal background check at their own expense. Once you finish the online application and pay the required fees, the Board emails fingerprinting instructions.⁴ Fingerprints go to the State Bureau of Investigation for a state search and then to the FBI for a national one.¹⁰ Refusing to consent can be grounds for denial. The Board reviews any criminal history case by case, weighing the nature and recency of offenses.

Jurisprudence Exercise

Before the Board issues your license, you must complete an online jurisprudence exercise covering North Carolina’s Physical Therapy Practice Act and Board rules.² Both exam applicants and endorsement applicants have to complete it, so already being licensed in another state does not exempt you.

No Temporary Practice

North Carolina does not issue temporary licenses to physical therapists. You cannot treat patients while waiting on exam results or license approval. If your job start date depends on licensure, build the timeline around that.

If You’re Already Licensed in Another State

Physical therapists already holding an active license elsewhere can apply for licensure by endorsement. The Board considers each application individually. You must have been originally licensed by passing the NPTE (or an equivalent exam), and your scores must meet North Carolina’s passing threshold.¹¹ If your scores are no longer available from the other state, request them from the testing agency; if the scores have been destroyed and cannot be retrieved, the Board will accept a notarized copy from the other state.

You will also need verification that your out-of-state license was active on the date you filed the North Carolina application. The $150 application fee still applies, and you still need the jurisprudence exercise and the criminal background check.¹¹ Foreign-educated endorsement applicants go through the same credentials evaluation described above.

Compact Privileges as an Alternative

North Carolina is an active member of the Physical Therapy Compact.¹² If your home state is also a compact member, you can obtain a compact privilege to practice in North Carolina without a full North Carolina license, and a North Carolina licensee can do the same in other member states.

To use compact privileges you need a valid license in your compact home state, a driver’s license from that state proving permanent residency, and no active disciplinary actions or encumbrances in the past two years.¹³ Some destination states require you to pass their jurisprudence exam before practicing; skipping a required exam can end your privilege and trigger discipline. Applications go through the compact’s online portal using your FSBPT login, and privileges arrive by email.

Keeping Your License Active

Renewal happens every January. Every licensed physical therapist must apply to the Board during that month and pay the $120 renewal fee.³ Miss the window and the license lapses automatically. Reviving a lapsed license costs $150, which combines the revival fee and the renewal fee.¹

Physical therapists must accumulate 30 points of continuing competence activities each reporting period; physical therapist assistants need 20. Workshops, seminars, courses, and other professional development count. If an activity was not offered by an approved sponsor, you can request individual approval from the Board for $25.¹ The Board can decline to renew a license when continuing competence requirements have not been met.³

1
North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. Fee Schedule
2
North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. North Carolina Administrative Code Chapter 48 – Physical Therapy Examiners Rules
3
North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. North Carolina General Statutes Article 18E – Physical Therapy Practice Act
4
North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. Applications
5
North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. NON-CAPTE/Foreign-Trained Information
6
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Exam Registration and Scheduling
7
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. NPTE Eligibility Requirements
8
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. NPTE Content
9
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Retaking the Examination
10
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes 143B-964 – Criminal History Record Checks
11
Legal Information Institute. North Carolina Code 21 N.C. Admin. Code 48B .0102 – Licenses by Endorsement
12
PT Compact. Compact Map
13
PT Compact. Process and Requirements