Hawaii Psychology Licensure Requirements

Not yet independently verified for this state. Confirm with the board →

HAR §16-98-8(b) requires an internship of at least 1,900 hours of supervised professional experience plus at least 1,900 hours of postdoctoral experience; the Board's application instructions state both as '1 year (1,900 hours).' The pre-doctoral internship must be part of the doctoral program and may be an APA-approved internship or an organized health service training program. Supervisors must be a licensed psychologist, an ABPP diplomate, or (for the internship) a doctoral-level psychologist with two years of postdoctoral experience in the work supervised. The one-year postdoctoral requirement is waived only for applicants who enrolled in an APA-approved program or regionally accredited school before January 1, 1986 and meet all other requirements. Effective July 1, 2026, HRS §465-7.2 lets postdoctoral trainees hold a one-year 'associate psychologist' provisional license while accruing the 1,900 postdoctoral hours.

Not required

Unclear from primary sources, so left null. The Board's rules do contemplate a state law examination: HAR §16-98-16(e) says examination-waiver and temporary-permit applicants 'shall be required to pass an examination covering chapter 465, HRS, and the rules adopted thereunder,' and HAR §16-98-30 sets a passing score of 'not less than seventy-five percent' for 'the State jurisprudence examination in psychology.' However, these rule provisions date from 1988, and the Board's current (2024) Requirements & Instructions packet, its Application Deadline and Examination Dates page, and the HAR §16-53-37 fee schedule reference only the EPPP — none mentions a separate jurisprudence exam or a fee for one. HAR §16-98-29(b) describes the EPPP itself as including 'questions covering the law and rules which specifically apply to license holders.' Confirm current practice with the Board at (808) 586-3000 before relying on this.

1. Earn a doctoral degree from an APA-approved program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology (or a combination of those areas), or from a professional psychology training program awarded by an institution of higher education or regionally accredited institution.
2. Complete the Board's required graduate coursework: at least 6 graduate semester hours in each of six substantive content areas and at least 3 in each of four foundational areas (documented on the PSY-02 Training Report; applicants from APA-approved clinical programs may skip that form).
3. Complete a pre-doctoral internship of at least 1,900 hours of supervised experience in health service psychology as part of the doctoral program, under a qualifying supervisor.
4. Complete at least 1,900 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience in health service psychology; since July 1, 2026 you may hold a one-year associate psychologist provisional license (HRS §465-7.2) while accruing those hours.
5. File the PSY-04 packet with the Board (application PSY-01, training report, notarized internship and postdoctoral verifications, diploma copy, official transcripts) with the $50 non-refundable application fee; the Board reviews eligibility and mails a Notice of Approval before you may register for the EPPP through the PVL Examination Branch.
6. Pass the EPPP, then pay the license fee ($38, or $103 if issued in the first year of the biennium) plus the Compliance Resolution Fund fee to have the license issued.
7. Renew biennially by June 30 of each even-numbered year and complete at least 18 credit hours of continuing education each biennium (first-time licensees are exempt at their first renewal).

Not a PSYPACT member

Hawaii has no true reciprocity: the Board's instructions state plainly that 'there is no reciprocity or recognition of a psychologist license from another state to bypass these requirements.' It does offer several mobility pathways. Licensure by Examination Waiver (HRS §465-10, HAR §16-98-16) is available to an applicant who holds a current license in good standing in another state the Board deems to have equivalent standards, has never failed a Board-prescribed psychology examination, and passed the EPPP at or above the Board's passing score when they sat for it. A license may also be issued to holders of an ABPP diplomate certificate, an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or a National Register Health Service Psychologist credential, and to a 'senior psychologist' licensed at the doctoral level for at least 20 sequential years with no disciplinary sanctions (HRS §465-7(b)-(c)). A temporary permit under HRS §465-9 allows up to 90 days of practice in a calendar year (extendable once at the Board's discretion) for someone licensed in an equivalent-standards state, and the Board publishes a separate temporary military spouse license. The Board's licensing pages and application packets make no mention of PSYPACT.

Hawaii Board of Psychology

(808) 586-2708

Official board page →