Michigan licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy and LARA's Bureau of Professional Licensing. You apply online in MiPLUS; the license fee covers three years. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. PT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), CAPTE, the PT Compact Commission or any state board; NPTE and FSBPT are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
Michigan at a glance
Physical therapist (PT)
PT assistant (PTA)
Exam
NPTE-PT (225 questions, 5 hours), $485 to FSBPT
NPTE-PTA (180 questions, 4 hours), $485 to FSBPT
Board fees
$319.75 application + 3-year license
$319.75
Required training
One-time human trafficking training + 2 hours of implicit bias training (within 5 years)
Same
Law exam
None listed in LARA's licensing guide
None listed
Background check
Criminal background check; instructions come in your application confirmation email
Same
PT Compact
Law enacted, not live yet. Michigan has passed the PT Compact but is not yet issuing or accepting privileges, so for now you need a full Michigan license. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Michigan, step by step
Michigan Board of Physical Therapy (LARA, Bureau of Professional Licensing)
Apply in MiPLUS (michigan.gov/miplus) and pay $319.75 by card for the application and a three-year license, the same for PTs and PTAs. A Social Security number (or the SSN affidavit) is required.
Background check: after you submit, LARA emails an Application Confirmation letter with instructions for the criminal background check.
Training: one-time training on identifying victims of human trafficking, and 2 hours of implicit bias training completed in the 5 years before the license is issued.
Transcripts and scores: your school sends final official transcripts showing a CAPTE-accredited program, and FSBPT sends your passing NPTE score directly to LARA ([email protected]). Verifications of any other license must come straight from that state.
Compact: Michigan has passed the PT Compact law, but it is not issuing or accepting privileges yet, so you still need a full Michigan license.
Every state licenses physical therapists and PT assistants on the NPTE, with the same passing score everywhere (600 on a 200-800 scale): a CAPTE-accredited degree, your state board's application, then NPTE registration with FSBPT ($485 plus Prometric's sitting fee), which your board approves before FSBPT sends your Authorization to Test. The PT exam is 225 questions in 5 hours and the PTA exam 180 questions in 4 hours, both on fixed dates four times a year; you may test 3 times in 12 months and 6 times in a lifetime (FSBPT NPTE Candidate Handbook). The full walk-through: How to get your PT license.