You might explore how to get a nursing license in a different state if you’re relocating for nursing school or interested in travel nursing. The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) gives nurses access to multistate licensure, enabling them to work in any compact license state with just one license.
Nurses who accept jobs in other states typically need licenses recognized by those states. A compact nursing license offers greater geographic flexibility by allowing qualified nurses to practice in any participating compact license state. Understanding how to get a nursing license in a different state can be especially useful if you’re considering travel nursing, which involves short-term assignments at healthcare facilities in different states.
Wherever you plan to practice, you can begin your nursing education at Northeastern University. The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program is available at our program sites in three areas: near Boston, Massachusetts; near Providence, Rhode Island; and in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After graduation, you can apply to the board of nursing in the state where you plan to practice and register for the NCLEX-RN exam. The board determines your eligibility to test and issues your license after you meet its requirements.
As you plan your nursing career, review compact nursing licensure and the current compact license states. Then, learn how to get a compact nursing license and decide if it’s the right career move for you.
Why Nursing Licenses Are Issued by Individual States
Every state requires registered nurses (RNs) to hold a license or recognized privilege to practice. Each state sets its own nursing licensure requirements, which its board of nursing (BON) administers.
What Is a Compact Nursing License?
A compact nursing license, also called a multistate license, allows eligible nurses to practice in person or via telehealth in each participating compact license state. Implemented in 2000, the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) reduces regulatory barriers to cross-border nursing practice.
Before the NLC, nurses generally needed a separate license for every state where they practiced. These barriers not only increased costs and administrative work but also hindered interstate disaster response and travel nursing. Multistate licensure streamlines cross-border practice by reducing the need for separate state licenses.
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Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact
The Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) took effect in January 2018 after 25 states joined the original compact. Its “uniform licensure requirements” helped more states adopt the compact.
Multistate license applicants must meet consistent standards, including state and federal fingerprint-based criminal background checks, which the original compact did not require.
Which States Participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact?
The NLC currently includes 43 jurisdictions, among them North Carolina and Rhode Island. Some jurisdictions have legislation pending, while others have enacted the compact and are awaiting implementation. Massachusetts is in the latter group.
Compact license states participate in the NLC, but only a nurse’s primary state of residence issues the multistate license. That license authorizes in-person, telephonic or electronic practice when the patient is in another NLC state. Nurses must follow the laws and regulations of the state where they practice.
The NLC gives nurses greater mobility and improves access to healthcare by reducing barriers to cross-border practice.
How to Get a Compact Nursing License
Learning how to get a compact nursing license begins with confirming your eligibility. Your primary state of residence must be an NLC member state, and you must meet the uniform licensure requirements (ULRs), including the licensure requirements in your primary state of residence.
Apply through the BON for your primary state of residence. New nursing graduates who have not yet passed the NCLEX-RN should use a license by exam application. Nurses who already hold a single-state license should look for an application to upgrade or convert their license to a multistate license.
If you move permanently from one NLC state to another, submit an endorsement application for a new multistate license in your new primary state of residence within 60 days. Choose the application that fits your situation and follow the BON’s instructions.
How to Get an RN License in Another State When You Don't Have a Compact License
If you’re researching how to get an RN license in another state when you don’t have a multistate license, first determine whether you are eligible to obtain one from your primary state of residence. If so, apply through that state’s BON.
To learn how to get a nursing license in a different state without a multistate license, visit the BON website for the state where you plan to practice. Look for a license by endorsement application. This is the process used by nurses who already hold a license in another state.
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Nurse Licensure in North Carolina
North Carolina is an NLC member. After graduating from Northeastern’s ABSN program in Charlotte, you may apply for North Carolina licensure by exam and, if eligible, a multistate license. Every state bordering North Carolina also participates in the compact.
Obtaining a compact nursing license in North Carolina can give eligible nurses flexibility to practice across NLC states. You could work in a local hospital, provide telehealth services to patients in other NLC states or accept travel assignments in participating jurisdictions.
Many nursing schools have more qualified applicants than available seats. Northeastern’s Charlotte-based ABSN program offers multiple start dates and capacity to enroll several cohorts each year, giving qualified students more opportunities to begin sooner.
Students enrolled in the Charlotte ABSN hone their skills in state-of-the-art nursing labs and explore nursing specialties in clinical rotations at healthcare facilities throughout the Charlotte area.
Nurse Licensure in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has enacted NLC legislation but, as of August 2026, is awaiting implementation. Until implementation is complete, nurses need a Massachusetts single-state license to practice there, and multistate licenses issued by other NLC states do not authorize practice in Massachusetts. Once the NLC is fully implemented, eligible Massachusetts residents may apply for a multistate license.
Northeastern’s ABSN offers two learning sites in Massachusetts: a Burlington ABSN near Boston and a Fall River ABSN near Providence, Rhode Island. Both sites offer hands-on experiential learning in nursing labs and healthcare facilities, preparing students for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.
Current Compact Status
Explore the NLC map of compact license states to determine where a multistate license may authorize in-person or telehealth practice. Participation and implementation can change, and enactment does not always mean compact privileges are active. Verify each jurisdiction’s current status before applying or accepting an assignment.
Start Your Nursing Education at Northeastern
A multistate license can give nurses greater geographic flexibility. If you want to become an RN sooner, consider Northeastern’s ABSN program, which allows eligible students to earn a BSN in as few as 16 months.
The ABSN program offers three locations: a Burlington-based site near Boston, Massachusetts; a Fall River-based site near Providence, Rhode Island; and a Charlotte, North Carolina, site. At every ABSN location, students participate in online coursework and nursing labs, while completing clinical rotations at healthcare facilities in the surrounding areas.
Request info today and connect with an admissions counselor to learn about eligibility, application deadlines, and current cohort availability.