New Hampshire SLP License Requirements

New Hampshire SLP License Requirements at a Glance

Requirements can change; applicants should confirm current rules with the New Hampshire Speech Language Pathology and Hearing Care Providers Governing Board before applying, renewing, or beginning practice.

State-Specific Things to Know

• New Hampshire has a CCC-SLP route for full initial licensure under Spe 304.01, but the state license remains the legal authorization to practice.
• The provisional license is specifically for SLPs completing postgraduate professional experience. Supervision must include direct and non-direct supervision across each third of the experience under Spe 309.02.
• Continuing competence is tracked on a biennial cycle. OPLC also directs speech language and hearing licensees to use CE Broker for continuing education tracking.
• New Hampshire law requires state SLP licensure for most school SLP practice, with a grandfathering provision for certain previously certified speech-language specialists in RSA 326-F.
• If you are practicing telehealth medicine and your patient is located in New Hampshire, you generally need New Hampshire authority to practice or valid compact/endorsement authority under RSA 310:7.

Where Should You Start?

• Prospective SLP master's student: Degree requirements, student questions before enrolling, and school credential rules.
• Current or in-progress SLP student: Supervised experience, provisional licensure, and Praxis requirements.
• New graduate: Supervision rules and the application checklist.
• Current New Hampshire SLP: Renewal, continuing education, fees, and telepractice.
• SLP licensed in another state: Endorsement or reciprocity, compact status, and client-location telepractice rules.
• CCC-SLP holder: CCC-SLP vs. state license and how to apply.
• School-based SLP: School credential rules, statutory exemptions, and renewal.
• Telepractice provider: Telepractice, compact status, and the patient-location licensing rule.

Who Regulates SLP Licenses in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire SLP licenses are regulated by the Speech Language Pathology and Hearing Care Providers Governing Board within the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. The board page is a good starting point for licensing updates, laws, rules, complaint information, public meetings, and board contact details.

Applicants can use the OPLC application page for Speech Language Pathology and Hearing Care Providers to access current applications. School practice also intersects with New Hampshire education law and credentialing because RSA 326-F requires SLP licensure for most school-based SLP practice.

What Degree Do You Need for an SLP License in New Hampshire?

For applicants who do not hold a current CCC-SLP, New Hampshire code Spe 305.01 requires a master's degree or higher in speech language pathology, communication disorders, or communication sciences and disorders from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

If you are considering online, hybrid, or out-of-state programs, you should confirm that the program is CAA-accredited and that its clinical training aligns with New Hampshire requirements. The CAA program directory and ASHA EdFind can help students verify program status, but you should also review the program's professional licensure disclosure for New Hampshire.

Program completion alone does not authorize your right to practice. You still need the proper New Hampshire license, and new graduates may need the provisional license before completing supervised postgraduate professional experience.

Does New Hampshire Require Supervised Clinical Experience?

Yes. New Hampshire distinguishes graduate clinical preparation from postgraduate professional experience for applicants using the non-CCC route. The graduate-level practicum requirement in Spe 305.01 includes 25 hours of supervised observation with children and adults, plus 375 hours of supervised clinical practice, including direct evaluation and treatment.

Postgraduate professional experience is typically completed under a provisional license. Under Spe 308.05, the experience lasts 36 weeks for people working 30 or more hours per week. Part-time schedules extend the period to 48 weeks at 25 to 29 hours per week, 60 weeks at 20 to 24 hours per week, or 72 weeks at 15 to 19 hours per week.

Supervision is not just a signature at the end. Spe 309.02 requires at least 36 hours of supervision during the total experience, including direct and non-direct supervision in each third of the experience. Provisional licensees must also understand the supervision rules and submit a new supervision form if their supervisor changes under Spe 309.03.

Does New Hampshire Offer a Temporary, Intern, Provisional, Limited, Conditional, or Clinical Fellow SLP Credential?

New Hampshire offers a provisional SLP license for applicants who are completing postgraduate professional experience. It also has a conditional license pathway for certain applicants who do not hold CCC-SLP and do not meet the active-practice requirement. Choose the pathway that matches your current status before beginning work.

Does New Hampshire Require the Praxis for SLP Licensure?

New Hampshire requires applicants to document a national examination or qualify through the CCC-SLP route. The non-CCC rule in Spe 305.01 refers to a national examination in speech language pathology and a score of at least 600, which appears to reflect older Praxis score language.

The current national exam used for ASHA certification is the Praxis Speech-Language Pathology exam, test code 5331, described by ETS and ASHA. ASHA lists 162 as the passing score for ASHA certification, but New Hampshire applicants should not assume ASHA's certification score is the state score unless OPLC or ETS confirms the current state requirement.

For ASHA-certified applicants, OPLC accepts the ASHA CCC certificate as proof. For applicants going the direct/non-ASHA route, the rule requires the applicant to have passed the national examination in speech-language pathology as part of the application packet, with official results sent directly from ETS to OPLC, not self-submitted by the applicant. The test code for the Speech-Language Pathology test is 533.

On January 11, 2027, the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology PRAXIS examinations will transition to PSI, a wholly owned subsidiary of ETS, with the same exam content and the same passing points.

Is CCC-SLP Required for New Hampshire SLP Licensure?

No, New Hampshire rules do not make CCC-SLP the only route to licensure. Current CCC-SLP holders may use the full initial licensure route in Spe 304.01, while applicants without CCC-SLP may use the requirements in Spe 305.01 if they meet the degree, practicum, exam, postgraduate experience, and other conditions.

The distinction matters. CCC-SLP is ASHA's professional certification. A New Hampshire SLP license is the state authorization to practice. Holding CCC-SLP may make documentation easier, but it does not replace the required state license for practice in New Hampshire unless a specific exemption or compact privilege applies.

How Do SLPs Apply for a License in New Hampshire?

You should begin with the OPLC speech language pathology application page and choose the application pathway that matches your status: full initial licensure, provisional licensure, conditional licensure, renewal, reinstatement, or another applicable process. OPLC uses online initial applications for this profession.

Before submitting, applicants should confirm the current checklist, fee, documentation rules, and whether supporting materials must be sent directly from schools, ASHA, ETS, supervisors, or other licensing boards. New Hampshire's rule sections identify the substantive licensing standards, but the application checklist controls the current submission process.

Official transcripts must come directly from the issuing institution, electronically to oplclicensing3@oplc.nh.gov, or mailed to OPLC at: Board of Allied Health, 7 Eagle Square, Concord, NH 03301. Self-submitted/photocopied transcripts are not accepted. They must be official/sealed and from the school.

For applicants using the ASHA-certified pathway, OPLC has a dedicated ASHA-Certified Checklist and requires upload of the certificate itself. Applicants taking the non-ASHA/direct examination pathway (Spe 305.01). Scores must be routed via ETS's official reporting system to recipient code R0176.

If you're requesting OPLC to verify your NH license out of state, expect to pay a $10 fee; processing takes up to 10 business days and is non-expedited, per OPLC’s verification request form.

Submit the official OPLC supervision forms after the experience date, with joint signatures from both the mentor and the fellow. Under state licensing requirements, SLPs must obtain both an NH criminal history check and fingerprints for FBI records, and make any relevant disciplinary disclosures.

New Hampshire SLP Application Checklist

Suggested Application Sequence

1. Confirm which pathway fits your status: CCC-SLP, non-CCC, provisional, conditional, out-of-state, renewal, or reinstatement.
2. Verify that your graduate program and practicum meet New Hampshire requirements, especially if the program was online or out of state.
3. Determine whether you need a provisional license before beginning postgraduate professional experience.
4. Arrange exam reporting, CCC-SLP verification, transcripts, supervision forms, and any license verifications early.
5. Submit the correct OPLC application and fee through the current application process.
6. Wait for New Hampshire authorization before practicing independently or serving New Hampshire clients through telepractice.
7. Keep copies of supervision, CE, and application records in case OPLC requests follow-up documentation.

How Much Does an SLP License Cost in New Hampshire?

Fee information last reviewed: May 2026. Fees can change, so applicants should confirm current amounts with the New Hampshire OPLC fee page before submitting payment.

How Often Do New Hampshire SLP Licenses Renew?

New Hampshire SLP licenses are tied to a biennial continuing-competence cycle. Under Spe 402.02, a timely renewal packet is due by December 1 of the renewal year. Late renewal can be submitted from December 2 through December 31 with the renewal fee and the late filing fee identified by the board's rules.

If the licensee does not submit the renewal or late-renewal packet by December 31, their license lapses. The rule states that a person whose license has lapsed may not practice in New Hampshire until the license is reinstated.

What Continuing Education Does New Hampshire Require for SLPs?

New Hampshire SLPs must complete 30 continuing competence hours per biennium under Spe 405.01. At least 15 hours must relate directly to the clinical application of speech language pathology or speech language pathology assistant practice. The remaining hours may cover general theory and practice, including supervision, consultation, curriculum, or trans-disciplinary topics.

Acceptable activities can include continuing education programs, distance learning, academic instruction, conferences, ASHA conventions, in-service or grand-rounds programs, webinars, journal study, presentations, research, teaching, and other activities listed in Spe 405.02. OPLC also identifies CE Broker as the continuing education tracking system for speech language and hearing licensees.

Can Out-of-State SLPs Apply by Endorsement or Reciprocity?

Out-of-state SLPs should not assume reciprocity is automatic. New Hampshire rules include a route for applicants who do not hold a current CCC-SLP but are authorized in another jurisdiction and active in the profession under Spe 305.01. Applicants who hold a current CCC-SLP may also qualify through the CCC route under Spe 304.01.

The practical application process may still require license verification, disciplinary disclosures, and other documents.

New Hampshire SLP licensure by endorsement is governed by N.H. Admin. Code Plc 313, which requires applicants to submit primary source license verification proving their license is active and in good standing. Applicants must also answer a series of disciplinary/character disclosure questions as part of the Universal Application (Plc 304.03(e)).

A fingerprint-based FBI background check is required, with a $48.25 charge, and a provisional license is issued if results are still pending. The application fee is $121. A license-by-endorsement is valid for 2 years. Late renewals within 1 year of expiration are processed as a flat $121 reinstatement and a letter of good standing/verification.

Can SLPs Use Telepractice in New Hampshire?

Yes, telepractice may be available, but the client's location controls the licensing question. New Hampshire's telehealth statute, RSA 310:7, allows licensed health care providers to use telehealth when the care is within scope, but it does not expand the clinician's scope of practice. For a patient located in New Hampshire, an out-of-state health care professional generally must hold New Hampshire licensure or have authority through a compact or endorsement pathway.

Telehealth services must meet the same standard of care as in-person services. RSA 310:7 also addresses recordkeeping and, in certain settings, meaningful language access. School telepractice may involve both SLP licensing rules and employer or district requirements. Here are some questions to keep in mind:

Is New Hampshire Part of the SLP Interstate Compact?

Status label: Enacted/member state; privilege availability must be confirmed before relying on compact practice.

New Hampshire has enacted the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact in RSA 326-F. The compact language treats practice as occurring where the patient, client, or student is located, which matters for both in-person and telehealth services.

Compact membership is not the same as a full unrestricted state license, and it does not always mean privileges are currently available in every member state. Before relying on compact practice, clinicians should check the ASLP-IC compact map and current compact privilege status updates.

Do School-Based SLPs Need a Separate New Hampshire Education Credential?

For most school-based SLP practice, New Hampshire law now points to the state SLP license. RSA 326-F says that, as of July 1, 2022, applicants must be licensed as SLPs to be eligible to practice in a public school system or state-approved nonpublic school for children with disabilities, chartered public school, or the New Hampshire Department of Education.

The law includes grandfathering language for individuals certified by the Department of Education as speech-language specialists before July 1, 2022, who remain in continuous practice. New applicants and career changers should confirm district requirements and any credentialing details with the NH DOE Bureau of Credentialing before accepting a school-based role.

What Is It Like to Work as an SLP in New Hampshire?

SLPs in New Hampshire have a variety of career paths. SLPs may work in public schools, early intervention, hospitals, rehabilitation settings, outpatient clinics, home-based services, private practice, and telepractice. Because the state requires a license for school-based SLPs, students planning to work in schools should ask graduate programs how they document practicum hours, prepare students for provisional licensure, and explain school employment requirements under RSA 326-F.

Pediatric and family-centered services are part of the practice context. New Hampshire's Birth to 3 Family Centered Early Supports and Services program connects families of infants and toddlers with developmental concerns to early support. This can be useful knowledge for SLP students interested in early language, feeding, family coaching, and interdisciplinary developmental work.

Access to care can also shape SLP roles. The New Hampshire Rural Health and Primary Care office supports access to care for communities and populations that may include low-income, uninsured, and Medicaid-covered residents. For SLPs, this may affect placement questions, telepractice planning, home-based services, and collaboration with primary care or community health providers.

Prospective students can use the NH DOE special education data page, ASHA EdFind, and in-state clinical program information to research possible school, pediatric, and community-based placement settings.

Are There Exemptions from New Hampshire SLP License Requirements?

New Hampshire exemptions are narrow and should be read carefully. An exemption may allow limited activity in a specific role or setting, but it does not usually allow independent speech language pathology practice or unrestricted use of protected titles.

Common Mistakes or Delays in New Hampshire SLP Licensure

• Starting postgraduate professional experience before the provisional license and supervision arrangement are in place. The provisional pathway is described in Spe 308.01 and Spe 309.03.
• Confusing CCC-SLP with state licensure. CCC-SLP may support documentation under Spe 304.01, but it is not a New Hampshire license.
• Assuming the old 600 exam score language maps cleanly to the current Praxis 5331 score scale. Applicants should confirm current state score-reporting requirements before ordering scores.
• Missing the December renewal timing. Spe 402.02 requires timely renewal by December 1 of the renewal year and limits practice after lapse.
• Assuming compact membership means immediate authority to practice. Clinicians should check current ASLP-IC privilege availability before using compact practice.
• Providing telepractice to a New Hampshire client without New Hampshire licensure or other valid authority. The patient-location rule appears in RSA 310:7.

What Should Students Ask SLP Master's Programs Before Enrolling?

• Is the graduate program CAA-accredited, accredited on probation, or in candidacy status, and how is that status shown in the CAA program listing?
• Does the program document the practicum observation and clinical practice hours that New Hampshire lists in Spe 305.01?
• How does the program help students plan for New Hampshire provisional licensure and supervised postgraduate professional experience?
• Does the program prepare students for the current Praxis Speech-Language Pathology exam, and does it explain state score-reporting requirements?
• Where are school, pediatric, medical, early intervention, and telepractice placements arranged for students who plan to work in New Hampshire?
• Does the program publish a professional licensure disclosure for New Hampshire and provide a contact person for licensure questions before graduation?
• For students interested in schools, how does the program explain New Hampshire's school-based SLP license requirement and any district-specific credentialing expectations?