To practice as a speech-language pathologist in any U.S. state or the District of Columbia, you must hold a state-issued license, and the SLP state license requirements are consistent in their broad strokes: a graduate degree from an accredited program, 400 hours of supervised clinical experience, a 36-week Clinical Fellowship, a passing score on the Praxis exam, a clean background check, and a complete application packet submitted to your state board. The specifics vary by state, and the license is separate from ASHA’s Certificate of Clinical Competence.
Your State License Is Not ASHA Certification
These are two different credentials from two different bodies. The state license is the legal authorization to practice and call yourself an SLP in that state. ASHA’s CCC-SLP is a voluntary professional credential from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Many states accept the CCC-SLP as evidence that you meet their standards, which can shorten the paperwork. Others add requirements on top, and a few don’t treat the CCC-SLP as a substitute at all. Check your specific board’s rules early rather than assuming one credential covers the other.
Education and Clinical Hours
Every state requires a graduate degree from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA).1Council on Academic Accreditation. Council on Academic Accreditation There is no workaround on this; it is a prerequisite for licensure everywhere.
During graduate school, you must complete a minimum of 400 hours of supervised clinical experience. At least 375 of those hours must involve direct client contact, with the remaining 25 in guided clinical observation.2American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Certification Standards for Speech-Language Pathology Frequently Asked Questions: Clinical Practicum The hours are expected to span different settings and populations, so you’ve worked with both children and adults across different disorders before you move to independent practice.
If You Studied Outside the United States
You will need a course-by-course credential evaluation before you can apply. ASHA requires that internationally educated applicants use an agency belonging to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), with the evaluation expressed in American semester hours and graduate-level coursework clearly identified.3American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Credential Evaluation Service Agencies Most state boards rely on the same type of report. Start it well before you plan to apply, and expect that you may need extra coursework if the evaluation shows gaps against U.S. accreditation standards.
The Clinical Fellowship
After graduation, you complete a Clinical Fellowship (CF), a mentored professional experience of at least 36 weeks and 1,260 hours, divided into three equal segments evaluated by your CF mentor.4American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. A Guide to the ASHA Clinical Fellowship Experience Full-time work at 35 hours per week finishes it in roughly nine months. Part-time fellows can spread it over a longer period as long as they work at least five hours per week.
One thing catches new graduates off guard. The vast majority of states require you to hold a provisional or temporary license during your CF, and most of those states expect you to have already passed the Praxis before they will issue it. You cannot assume you can walk from the stage into clinical work without a credential in hand. In the few states that don’t offer provisional licensure, payers like Medicare still require licensure for reimbursement, so the practical result is similar.
The Praxis Exam
State boards and ASHA both require a passing score on the Praxis Speech-Language Pathology exam, test code 5331, developed and administered by ETS.5ETS Praxis. ETS Praxis Most states accept the same passing score ASHA uses; a few set their own. ETS must send the score directly to your state board and to ASHA through its official reporting service. Self-reported scores aren’t accepted.
Time it carefully. Many graduates take the Praxis in their final semester so the score is ready when they apply for a provisional license. Waiting until after graduation can create a gap where your degree is done but you can’t start the CF because the exam hasn’t posted.
Background Check and Disclosures
Many states require fingerprinting and a criminal background check through state and federal databases. Electronic submissions are typically faster than mailed fingerprint cards.
You will also be asked to disclose certain history on the application itself. For ASHA certification, applicants must report any felony conviction, any misdemeanor involving dishonesty or physical harm, and any disciplinary action or credential denial by a licensing board or professional organization.6American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Certification Standards for Speech-Language Pathology Frequently Asked Questions: Certification Disclosure State boards generally ask similar questions. Expunged or sealed records may still need to be disclosed with certified documentation of the disposition. A record doesn’t automatically disqualify you. Failing to disclose one almost always does.
What You’ll Send With the Application
Pulling the packet together is the slowest part of the process, because it depends on documents from several institutions arriving at the board on your behalf. You will typically need:
- Official transcripts sent directly from your university’s registrar, showing the degree has been conferred.
- Clinical hours documentation signed by your university clinic director.
- A Clinical Fellowship report completed by your CF mentor, covering all three segments.
- Your Praxis score report sent through ETS’s official reporting service.
- Supervisor affidavits, in some states, verifying the accuracy of your reported experience.
Most boards use an online portal; a few still take paper. Request every document at the same time, the moment you know where you’re applying. Transcripts and score reports from third parties are the usual bottleneck, and the board won’t begin review until the file is complete. Anything missing triggers a deficiency notice and stops your clock.
Fees and How Long It Takes
Initial application and licensing fees generally run between $100 and $400 depending on the state, and are almost always non-refundable. Some states charge one combined fee; others split it between application, license, and background check. Check your board’s current schedule before submitting.
Processing times vary a lot. Some boards finish reviews within one to two weeks once documents arrive. Others take several weeks or longer, especially after spring graduation when volume spikes. If you have a job start date, build in slack. The verification step, where staff cross-reference your documents with your school and with ASHA, is largely outside your control.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Most states renew SLP licenses on a two-year cycle, though some use one-year or three-year schedules. Continuing education requirements vary widely. Most states require between 20 and 36 hours per cycle, and many mandate that a portion cover professional ethics, with one to three ethics hours a common requirement. A small number of states don’t mandate CE at all, but that is the exception. Your board’s website lists the exact hours, approved topics, and any content-specific requirements.
Keep certificates of attendance for every course. Audits are random, and the burden is on you to produce documentation. Renewal fees generally fall between $100 and $280.
Missing a renewal or falling short on CE can suspend or lapse your license. Reinstatement usually means a late fee that often tops $100, proof that CE is current, and in some states additional coursework. Practicing while your license is inactive or suspended is unauthorized practice, which can carry misdemeanor charges depending on the state.
Working in More Than One State
If you move or want to see patients in other states, you need authorization wherever your patients are. The Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC) is built to make that easier. An SLP with an active, unencumbered license in their home state can apply for a “compact privilege” to practice in other member states without a full separate license in each one.7ASLPCompact. Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact
As of mid-2025, 37 states have enacted the compact, though only a small number are actively issuing privileges.8ASLPCompact. Compact Map To qualify you need licensure in the state where you live and pay taxes, a CAA-accredited degree, a completed clinical fellowship, a passing national exam score, and no disqualifying criminal history.9ASLPCompact. FAQ Assistants and holders of education-only credentials are not eligible.
Each privilege costs a $50 commission fee per state, plus whatever the individual state charges on top.10ASLPCompact. ASLP-IC Rule on Fees If the compact state requires a jurisprudence exam, you’ll need to take it before applying for the privilege there. Continuing education is tied to your home state only; you don’t satisfy CE separately in each privilege state.9ASLPCompact. FAQ For states not in the compact, you’ll pursue traditional licensure, which usually means verification of your current license plus documentation of your education and clinical experience.
Telehealth Follows the Patient
In nearly all states, you must be licensed where the patient is sitting, not where you are. A Texas-based clinician treating an Ohio child by video needs an Ohio license or compact privilege. Some states offer a telehealth-specific registration for out-of-state providers that typically requires an unrestricted home-state license, professional liability insurance, and an annual fee, and usually bars you from seeing patients in person or opening an office in that state.11Telehealth.HHS.gov. Licensing Across State Lines Not every state offers this pathway, so verify before scheduling remote sessions.
If You’re Headed Into Schools
Public school practice can involve a second credential. Many states run a separate pathway through the Department of Education in addition to, or sometimes instead of, the standard clinical license. Some states require both a license and a DOE credential, others accept either, and a few require only the education credential for school work. Requirements for the DOE credential can differ from clinical licensure, particularly around supervised experience and exam scores. Confirm with both your state licensing board and your state’s Department of Education which credentials match the setting where you intend to work.