South-carolina PSY Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Becoming licensed as a psychologist (PSY) in South Carolina is governed by the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology within the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR). The Board sets specific requirements for education, supervised experience hours, examinations, and the application process.

The summary below reflects current rules and Board materials available as of November 23, 2025.

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1. License type and authority

South Carolina grants the title Licensed Psychologist through the Board of Examiners in Psychology. A current South Carolina license is required to independently practice psychology in the state. (llr.sc.gov)

The PSY designation in exam contexts (e.g., doctoral-level EPPP) refers to this independent practice license.

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2. Educational foundation

To be eligible, you must meet the Board’s doctoral-level education criteria:

• Hold a doctoral degree in psychology from:
  • An institution that is regionally accredited, and
  • A program accredited by a recognized national psychology accrediting agency (e.g., APA); or
  • Otherwise meet criteria established by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). (regulations.justia.com)

The Board’s regulation further requires that all educational requirements (including the doctoral degree and internship or pre-doctoral supervision) be completed before your licensure application is submitted. (regulations.justia.com)

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3. Supervised professional experience: hours and structure

This is the core of the requirement and where the Board’s specific hour language matters.

3.1 Total supervised experience required

The Board requires:

• Two years of supervised professional experience, and
• This must equal a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised experience. (llr.sc.gov)

The Board’s licensure page specifies that this total is structured as follows:

• Each “year” (or equivalent) must consist of at least 1,500 hours of actual work.
• Those 1,500 hours per year are to include:
  • Direct service
  • Training
  • Supervisory time (llr.sc.gov)

In other words:

• Total supervised hours: 3,000
• Per year minimum: 1,500 hours of “actual work”
• Content of those hours: a combination of direct client services, training activities, and time spent in supervision.

The Board does not subdivide this into separate numeric quotas (e.g., “X hours direct client contact and Y hours other”) beyond the broad requirement that each year’s 1,500 hours must include direct service, training, and supervision.

3.2 Predoctoral (internship) vs. postdoctoral hours

The regulations and Board materials distinguish between predoctoral and postdoctoral supervision:

• Two years (3,000 hours) total supervised professional experience are required.
• Up to one year may be predoctoral; at least one full year must be postdoctoral. (llr.sc.gov)

Concretely:

• Predoctoral year (up to 1,500 hours):

  • A doctoral internship or residency can count as one of the two required years.
  • This predoctoral year must be verified via the Board’s Predoctoral Supervision Form, submitted by the internship director or predoctoral supervisor. (llr.sc.gov)

• Postdoctoral year (at least 1,500 hours):

  • You must complete at least one year of postdoctoral supervised experience (i.e., at least 1,500 supervised hours of “actual work” after the doctorate is awarded or otherwise as accepted by the Board). (llr.sc.gov)

Thus, all 3,000 hours are supervised; the distinction is when they occur (pre- vs. post-doctorate), not whether they are supervised.

3.3 Definition and structure of supervision

South Carolina uses fairly specific regulatory language for supervision.

Supervision quantity and format

Regulation 100‑1 requires that for the two years of supervised professional experience:

• There must be a minimum of one hour per week of face‑to‑face supervision under a supervision contract between supervisor and supervisee.
• At least 50% of supervision hours must be in‑person (as opposed to, for example, entirely remote). (regulations.justia.com)

For the postdoctoral supervision, the licensure page adds that:

• Postdoctoral supervision is defined as at least one hour per week of face‑to‑face supervision by a South Carolina‑licensed psychologist in the specialty area(s) in which the candidate seeks licensure.
• Supervision must be:
  • Within the supervisor’s area of competency, and
  • In the specialty area(s) in which the candidate is applying.
• A postdoctoral supervision contract must be submitted and approved by the Board before supervision begins.
• After the postdoctoral supervision is completed, the supervisor must submit a Supervisor’s Report Form to the Board. (llr.sc.gov)

Supervisors

For the required two years:

• The supervisor must be a psychologist in good standing, licensed in South Carolina (or holding an equivalent license in good standing in another state, where applicable), and
• Supervision must be within the area of the supervisor’s competency. (regulations.justia.com)

Key point about “direct experience” vs. “supervised experience”

Using your example terminology:

• South Carolina does not separate the requirement into, say, “1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience.”
• Instead, the state requires 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience, and for each 1,500‑hour year, that “actual work” must consist of direct service, training, and supervision time under specified supervisory conditions. (llr.sc.gov)

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4. Examinations

4.1 EPPP (Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology)

Applicants must:

• Present evidence of a passing EPPP score. (llr.sc.gov)

The Board defines a passing score as:

• A score at or above a specific criterion based on the performance of doctoral‑level first‑time test‑takers, and
• For the computer‑based exam, South Carolina uses a scaled passing score of 500, which corresponds to the ASPPB‑recommended passing score for independent practice. (llr.sc.gov)

Candidates must be approved by the Board before taking the EPPP. (llr.sc.gov)

4.2 Oral examination

After all application materials (including supervised hours and test scores) are accepted, the applicant must:

• Pass a structured oral examination, administered by Board members.
• The Board notifies candidates in writing once they are eligible and instructs them to schedule the oral exam with the assigned Board member. (llr.sc.gov)

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5. Application process and key forms

5.1 Preliminary Application

The first stage is the Preliminary Application for Licensure, which uses ASPPB’s Credentialing Requirements Data Form:

• Must be completed and approved by the Board before you can move to the formal application stage.
• Must be accompanied by the application fee (currently $500 for both preliminary and formal application materials combined). (llr.sc.gov)
• Requires official terminal transcripts of all graduate work to be sent directly from the institution(s) to the Board. (llr.sc.gov)

Effective June 1, 2024, all psychology license applicants are also required to undergo state and federal fingerprint‑based criminal background checks, per §40‑55‑80 of the Practice Act; the Board sends instructions after it receives your application (you are told not to complete fingerprinting before receiving those instructions). (llr.sc.gov)

5.2 Formal Application

Once the Preliminary Application is approved, the Board sends formal application materials, which include: (llr.sc.gov)

• Blue Application for License form
• Predoctoral Supervision Form
• Supervision Contract
• Supervisor’s Report Form
• Three professional reference forms (at least two must be from psychologists)

You must:

• Arrange for your references to send the reference forms directly to the Board. (llr.sc.gov)
• Provide documentation of:
  • Your doctoral degree (via official transcripts)
  • Your EPPP passing score
  • Your two years (3,000 hours) of supervised professional experience, with appropriate verification forms for predoctoral and postdoctoral supervision. (llr.sc.gov)

The Board’s regulations also specify a three‑year window: once your Preliminary Application is approved, you generally must complete all requirements for licensure within three years, unless the Board grants an extension for hardship. (regulations.justia.com)

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6. Temporary permit (optional)

The Board may issue a temporary permit authorizing practice for up to 60 days in a calendar year, subject to additional conditions. Requirements include submission of specific application materials, the temporary permit fee, a transcript showing your doctoral degree, and license verification from your current licensing state if applicable. (llr.sc.gov)

This does not replace the full licensure requirements; it is a limited, time‑bound authorization.

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7. Concise hour-focused summary

For a PSY / Licensed Psychologist in South Carolina, the experience requirement, using the Board’s own structure, is:

• Total supervised professional experience:

  • 3,000 hours minimum, consisting of two years of supervised professional work.

• Annual structure of those hours:

  • Each “year” = at least 1,500 hours of actual work, which must include:
    • Direct psychological services (assessment, intervention, etc.)
    • Training activities
    • Time spent in supervision sessions (llr.sc.gov)

• Predoctoral component:

  • Up to one year (1,500 hours) can be a pre‑doctoral internship or residency, documented by a Predoctoral Supervision Form.

• Postdoctoral component:

  • At least one year (1,500 hours) must be postdoctoral supervised experience, under a supervision contract approved by the Board in advance, with a SC‑licensed psychologist in the candidate’s specialty area.

• Supervision specifics across these hours:

  • Minimum of one hour per week of face‑to‑face supervision
  • At least 50% of supervision hours must be in‑person
  • Supervision must be within the supervisor’s area of competency and in the area(s) of practice for which you seek licensure. (llr.sc.gov)

The Board does not divide these 3,000 hours into a separate category of “direct experience” versus “supervised experience”; instead, all 3,000 hours are supervised professional experience, and each year’s 1,500 hours must include direct service, training, and supervisory time under the Board’s defined supervision conditions.