Some state boards let a new grad work before the PT license is issued, under a temporary license or permit from the board of the state you want to work in, and the states read for this page are quoted below. Everywhere else, check with the board, and the PT Compact cannot stand in, because a privilege needs a current home-state license.
Board pages last checked November 11, 2026.
Short answer: it depends on the state’s board. Texas issues a temporary license to exam applicants who have never taken the NPTE, New York issues limited permits, Florida offers licensure by examination with a temporary permit, and California grants license applicant status. Each comes with its own conditions, time limit and supervision rule.
| State | Route | In the board’s words | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | License applicant status | “You are not authorized to work as a physical therapist license applicant/physical therapist assistant license applicant (PTLA/PTALA) until you receive a notice from PTBC granting you license applicant status.” | Physical Therapy Board of California |
| Florida | Temporary permit | “Temporary permits are valid for six months from the date of graduation.” | Florida Board of Physical Therapy |
| New York | Limited permit (and the first 90 days after graduation) | “The Department may issue limited permits to an applicant for licensure which authorize the practice of physical therapy under the on-site supervision of a New York State licensed and currently registered physical therapist.” | NYSED Office of the Professions |
| Texas | Temporary license | “An applicant by examination who has never taken the national exam is eligible for a Temporary License.” | Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners |
The PT Compact Commission lists, among the requirements to buy a privilege: “Hold a current, valid PT or PTA license in your home state, as defined in Commission Rules.” A new graduate does not hold one yet. And each state sets its own rules for the first license: “Each licensing authority has its own eligibility criteria for licensure and for taking the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).” (FSBPT)
FSBPT lists four 2026 test dates for PTs: January 27-28, April 28-29, July 28-29 and October 27-28. (FSBPT, Dates & Deadlines)
From the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners:
State page: Texas travel therapy licensing.
From the NYSED Office of the Professions:
State page: New York travel therapy licensing.
From the Florida Board of Physical Therapy:
State page: Florida travel therapy licensing.
From the Physical Therapy Board of California:
State page: California travel therapy licensing.
No other board was read for this page, so it states nothing about them. Each board’s own site says whether it allows practice before a license is issued (board links from FSBPT’s licensing-authority directory):
Every route above comes with a supervision rule. Ask the recruiter whether the facility accepts a temporary license or permit, and who at the facility would supervise you, before you sign.
Only where the state's board allows it, under supervision. In the boards' words: Texas, “An applicant by examination who has never taken the national exam is eligible for a Temporary License.” New York, “The Department may issue limited permits to an applicant for licensure which authorize the practice of physical therapy under the on-site supervision of a New York State licensed and currently registered physical therapist.” Florida, “Temporary permits are valid for six months from the date of graduation.” California, “You are not authorized to work as a physical therapist license applicant/physical therapist assistant license applicant (PTLA/PTALA) until you receive a notice from PTBC granting you license applicant status.”
No. The PT Compact Commission lists, among the requirements to buy a privilege: “Hold a current, valid PT or PTA license in your home state, as defined in Commission Rules.”
The Texas board: “A Temporary License is valid until issuance of the permanent license, or until the last day of the third month after the month the license is issued.”
The Texas board: “If the applicant fails the exam, the Temporary License is void and must be returned to the Board when notification of failure is received.”
NYSED: “New graduates of New York State-registered or APTA-accredited physical therapist education programs may be employed for 90 days immediately following graduation without holding a limited permit.” “While practicing during these 90 days, the permittee must be under the on-site supervision of a New York State licensed and registered PT.”
FSBPT lists four 2026 test dates for PTs: January 27-28, April 28-29, July 28-29 and October 27-28.
Already licensed in another state? That is licensure by endorsement, a different route: see the PT license by endorsement guide and the PT Compact page.