The Nurse Licensure Compact for new grads

The Nurse Licensure Compact lets a registered nurse hold one multistate license and work in every state that has joined, instead of getting a separate license for each. 40 of the 50 states are in it today. For a new graduate, it decides how many licenses you will need if you want to keep your options open.

How a new grad gets a multistate license

The license comes from your primary state of residence, the state where you live, vote and file taxes, not the state where your school is. If that state is in the compact and you meet its uniform requirements (including a fingerprint background check), the license you receive after passing the NCLEX can be multistate. If you live in a state outside the compact, you get a single-state license, and you need a separate license for every other state you work in.

States in the compact

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Passed but not in force yet

Massachusetts has passed the compact into law, but it does not apply yet. Until it does, you need a license from that state to work there.

Not in the compact

Alaska, California, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York and Oregon. To work in any of these, you need that state's own license. These include some of the largest residency markets on our list, so if you plan to apply in one of them, start that license early.

Common new-grad situations

• You study in one compact state and live in another. Your license comes from the state where you live, and it covers both.
• You live in a compact state but want a residency in a non-compact state. Apply to that state's board for licensure by examination, or pass in your home state and apply there by endorsement afterward.
• You move to another compact state after you are hired. You can keep working on your current multistate license while you apply for one in your new home state.

Membership changes over time. The list above is from the Nurse Licensure Compact's own site, read October 2026; check nursecompact.com before you apply.