New Mexico Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

New Mexico does not print a number in rule. 16.22.7.8(A)(1) NMAC sets the passing score as "the score equal to or greater than the passing score recommended by ASPPB" for exams taken after January 1, 1993 (the legacy standard for exams taken before that date was 140, or seventy percent). The ASPPB-recommended scaled passing score is 500, so 500 is reported here on that basis. The rule refers to a single "Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)" and does not mention an EPPP Part 1 / Part 2 split.

16.22.6.8(A) NMAC requires two years (3,000 hours) of supervised experience in total, but does not fix a pre-doctoral or post-doctoral figure. Up to 1,500 hours may come from doctoral practicum overseen by the doctoral training program, and up to 1,500 hours from an APA-approved doctoral internship (only up to 750 hours if the internship is not APA-approved). Whatever remains of the 3,000 after crediting practicum and internship must be completed as supervised postdoctoral work, so the post-doctoral requirement varies by applicant and can be zero for someone who maxes out both pre-doctoral allowances. Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral hours must be documented on board forms.

Required

Online jurisprudence examination covering ethical standards, New Mexico laws, and board regulations as they apply to psychologists and their clients or patients. The passing score is set by the board and is not published in rule.

Fee: $75

Required of all licensure applicants, including those licensed in another jurisdiction applying by reciprocity/endorsement and applicants moving from a temporary license to an unrestricted license. Re-examination costs another $75. Passing one of the two exams (EPPP or jurisprudence) is preserved if the other is failed, per 16.22.7.8(A)(3) NMAC.

1. Earn a doctoral degree with a major in clinical, counseling, or school psychology from a program designated as a doctoral program in psychology by a nationally recognized designation system or accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation body.
2. Complete 3,000 hours (two years) of supervised experience, counting up to 1,500 hours of doctoral practicum and up to 1,500 hours of an APA-approved doctoral internship (only 750 hours if the internship is not APA-approved), with the remaining balance earned as supervised postdoctoral work.
3. Submit the board application with the $125 non-refundable fee, official transcripts sent directly from the registrar, board supervision-verification forms, and three letters of reference dated within the last two years, two of them from licensed psychologists familiar with your clinical work.
4. Register with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety's fingerprinting vendor and complete the national criminal history background screening at your own expense; the application cannot be approved without it.
5. Take and pass the EPPP at or above the ASPPB-recommended passing score, applying to sit for it at least 60 days in advance if you have not already passed it.
6. Take and pass the online New Mexico jurisprudence examination ($75) on ethical standards, New Mexico law, and board rules.
7. During your first year of licensure, complete eight hours of board-promulgated cultural competence coursework to furnish the required evidence of awareness and knowledge of New Mexico cultures.

Not a PSYPACT member

New Mexico offers licensure under Section 61-9-10 NMSA 1978 to a psychologist who, at the time of application, holds a current license in another U.S. state, territory, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a Canadian province whose education, supervised experience, and EPPP passing-score requirements meet or exceed New Mexico's; the applicant must hold a doctoral degree in psychology or a substantially equivalent degree, have been licensed for two years, have passed the EPPP, and have no pending disciplinary action, no formal discipline in the last two years, and no past suspensions or revocations (16.22.5.10 NMAC). A parallel route in 16.22.5.11 NMAC covers licensees in good standing for two years who hold a current ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), a current National Register Health Service Psychologist (HSPP) credential at the doctoral level, or a current ABPP credential at the doctoral level. Reciprocity applicants still apply through the standard 16.22.5.9 NMAC process and must still take and pass the New Mexico online jurisprudence examination. Importantly, 16.22.14.8 NMAC publishes a list of disapproved licensing jurisdictions whose applicants are NOT eligible for expedited licensure under Section 61-9-10 — the list is long (it includes, among others, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington for failing the accreditation standard, and Guam and Puerto Rico for not requiring the EPPP at New Mexico's specified level) — so candidates should check the current list before assuming endorsement is available. A temporary six-month license is available to an out-of-state licensee in good standing for a stated reason such as a court-ordered evaluation or a federally declared natural disaster ($300). New Mexico is NOT a PSYPACT state: the board's rules make no reference to the compact, and PSYPACT enabling bills failed in consecutive sessions — SB 106 (2025) and HB 33 (2026) each died after being postponed indefinitely in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee. Separately, New Mexico is one of the few states that certifies prescribing psychologists (conditional prescription certificate and prescription certificate, governed by 16.22.20 through 16.22.26 NMAC); that is an add-on certification layered on top of the standard psychologist licence described here, not an alternative licence, and 16.22.14.8(C) NMAC likewise disqualifies expedited prescribing-psychologist licensure from states that do not authorize psychologist prescribing.

New Mexico State Board of Psychologist Examiners

(505) 476-4622

Official board page →