Licensed Professional Counselor License Requirements
Compare licensed professional counselor licensing requirements across 51 states. See education, exam, cost, and timeline details for each state.
AI Resilience: 8th — Low51
States Covered
$287
Avg. Est. Cost
$58,423
Avg. Median Salary
51 gold
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Requirements by State
Click any state to see full requirements, costs, and step-by-step guide.
| State | Education ↕ | Exam | Est. Cost ↕ | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Degree required | State counselor examination | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Alaska | N/A | N/A | $200 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Arizona | N/A | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Arkansas | 0 hrs | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | $200 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| California | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Colorado | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Connecticut | Degree required | N/A | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Delaware | Degree required | Third-party exam required | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| District of Columbia | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Florida | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Georgia | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Hawaii | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | $376 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Idaho | 0 hrs | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Illinois | N/A | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Indiana | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Iowa | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Kansas | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Kentucky | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Louisiana | Degree required | State counselor examination | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Maine | Specific course required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Maryland | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Massachusetts | Degree required | NCMHCE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Michigan | Specific course required | State exam required | $320 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Minnesota | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Mississippi | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Missouri | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Montana | N/A | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Nebraska | N/A | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | $50 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Nevada | 0 hrs | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | $150 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| New Hampshire | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | $300 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| New Jersey | N/A | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| New Mexico | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| New York | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| North Carolina | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| North Dakota | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Ohio | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Oklahoma | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Oregon | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Pennsylvania | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Rhode Island | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| South Carolina | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| South Dakota | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Tennessee | Specific course required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Texas | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Utah | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Vermont | Specific course required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Virginia | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Washington | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| West Virginia | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Wisconsin | Degree required | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | N/A | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
| Wyoming | 0 hrs | NCE (National Counselor Examination) | $700 | 2-4 years (including supervised experience) |
Showing 51 of 51 states
AI Career Outlook
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AI Resilience: Low
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More resilient to AI automation than 8% of occupations. Many tasks in this career overlap with AI capabilities, though licensing requirements and human oversight remain important.
Based on the AI Occupational Exposure Index (Felten, Raj & Seamans, 2021). Measures how much an occupation's core abilities overlap with current AI capabilities.
Salary Overview
Median annual salaries for licensed professional counselors by state.