The license-transfer glossary
Licensing language is imprecise in the wild — boards call endorsement "reciprocity" and prep schools call everything "transfer". These definitions are the ones the data on this site actually uses.
Licensure by endorsement
Licensure by endorsement is the process by which a state grants a professional license based on an equivalent license you already hold in another state, without repeating the qualifying exam or education.
License reciprocity
License reciprocity is an arrangement in which one state recognizes another state's professional licenses, letting license holders transfer with reduced requirements — typically skipping the exam or education they already completed.
Interstate licensure compact
An interstate licensure compact is a legal agreement enacted as identical legislation by multiple states that creates a shared licensing framework — typically one multistate license or practice privilege valid in every member state.
Mutual recognition
Mutual recognition is a two-way agreement in which each state accepts the other's professional licenses under defined conditions — stronger than one-way reciprocity, weaker than a compact.
Primary state of residence (PSOR)
Primary state of residence is the state where you legally reside — evidenced by your driver's license, voter registration, and tax filings — and it determines your eligibility for a compact multistate license.
Multistate license
A multistate license is a single professional license that authorizes practice in every member state of a licensure compact — physically issued by your primary state of residence.
Endorsement vs. reciprocity
Endorsement is a unilateral process — the destination state evaluates and accepts your existing license under its own rules.
Uniform licensure requirements (ULRs)
Uniform licensure requirements are the standardized eligibility criteria every applicant must meet for a multistate license under the Nurse Licensure Compact — 11 requirements including graduation from a board-approved program, passing the NCLEX, an unencumbered license, state and federal fingerprint background checks, no disqualifying convictions, and a valid US Social Security number..
License portability
License portability is the umbrella term for how easily a professional license lets you work across state lines — through compacts, reciprocity agreements, endorsement, or, in real estate, special arrangements like cooperative and turf agreements.
Jurisprudence exam
A jurisprudence exam is a state-specific test on the laws and regulations governing a profession in that state — not a re-test of professional competence.