Career Resources / Nursing Licensure / South Carolina
South Carolina offers a remarkable quality of life and excellent opportunities for nurses. Whether you’re about to graduate or are considering a move, the first step to a nursing career in South Carolina is getting your registered nurse license.
In this article, we will cover:
- How to get your South Carolina nursing license by exam
- How to get your license by endorsement
- How to renew your South Carolina nursing license
- Licensing fees
- Continuing education requirements
- How to contact the South Carolina Board of Nursing
Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions
How to get your South Carolina nursing license by examination
Step 1: Education
No matter what type of nursing degree you earned or whether you studied at a South Carolina nursing program or elsewhere, your education forms the foundation for everything that happens with your nursing career, starting with applying for your first license as a registered nurse.
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing for those who have achieved a bachelor’s degree and who take the additional classes necessary to become a registered nurse.
The Board of Nursing has strict requirements for the courses needed to be eligible for a state license, and out of state graduates will need to provide a transcript documenting each course to ensure that it meets the state’s criteria.
Step 2: Apply
Nursing program graduates should begin their application process by registering to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Registration can be done online at www.pearsovue.com/nclex and costs $200.
Other documents required for application include:
- Verification of legal name (Vital Statistics birth certificate, valid passport, marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order approving legal name change)
- Criminal background check
- A completed Certificate of Endorsement form from in-state nursing program graduates and official transcripts for out of state nursing program graduates
- Copy of your valid driver’s license, state-issued ID, passport or military ID
- Copy of Social Security card or Resident Alien registration
- Notarized Signature affidavit with 2×2 color passport photo form
- Verification of Lawful Presence
Note: South Carolina provides temporary authorization to practice nursing under supervision to unlicensed graduates who have completed an accredited basic nursing education pending their ability to complete NCLEX testing.
To receive a graduate nurse temporary license, you must:
- File a completed initial application for licensure by examination
- Pay the associated fee
- Have never taken and failed the NCLEX
- Have registered to take the NCLEX
- Have no prior felony convictions and no criminal charges pending
The temporary license will be revoked upon issuance of a permanent license, denial of a permanent license, failing the licensing exam, and can be revoked under other circumstances.
Step 3: Submit Transcripts
In support of your application, you must provide the South Carolina Board of Nursing with proof of your education.
In-state graduates: The Certificate of Endorsement Form must be sent directly to the Board from your nursing program.
Out-of-state graduates: Official transcripts containing all nursing courses, date and type of degree awarded, date of graduation, registrar’s signature, and the school seal should be sent directly to the South Carolina Board of Nursing from your nursing program. Electronic transcripts can be emailed to [email protected]. Paper transcripts can be mailed to:
South Carolina Board of Nursing
P.O. Box 12367
Columbia, South Carolina 29211
Step 4: Criminal Background Check (CBC)
South Carolina requires that all applicants for state nursing licenses submit to a criminal history background check. After you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive instructions on how to have your fingerprints processed.
Step 5: Take the NCLEX
The NCLEX-RN exam tests your knowledge of the essentials of nursing practice. Whether you attended a two-year nursing program, a four-year BSN program, or an accelerated BSN program, the hours you invested in your education prepared you for this test. Questions will gauge your knowledge of the following topics:
- Safe and Effective Care Environment
- Management of Care
- Safety and Infection Control
- Health Promotion and Maintenance
- Psychosocial Integrity
- Physiological Integrity
- Basic Care and Comfort
- Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
- Physiological Adaptation
Passing the exam will result in the issuance of your South Carolina nursing license. If you do not pass the NCLEX-RN on your first try, you will be able to retake it once every forty-five days for up to one year from your first attempt. To repeat the exam, you must submit a Repeat Exam Request Application.
If you don’t pass within a year, you will be required to provide evidence of a remediation plan to the board of nursing. This plan must be approved before it is started. Failure to pass the NCLEX within three years of graduation from your nursing program requires re-qualifying to take the exam by enrolling in an approved nursing education program.
Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions
Licensing by endorsement (already have RN licensure)
If you are actively licensed in another state and you are moving to South Carolina as a permanent resident, you must apply for licensure by endorsement. Nurses who apply for licensure before they move will be issued a single-state license until they can provide the Declaration of Primary State of Residency Form with proof of residence.
You will also need to submit the following:
- Out-of-state license verification: This is available by logging into the NURSYS system and requesting that electronic verification of licensure be sent to the South Carolina Board of Nursing. If you are licensed in a state that does not participate with NURSYS you will need to contact the state board and have a license verification sent directly to the South Carolina Board of Nursing. Electronic verifications can be sent via email to [email protected].
- Criminal Background Check: All nursing applicants in the state of South Carolina must submit to a fingerprint-based criminal background check. The instructions and materials will be sent to you after you have applied for licensure. Do not move forward and have your fingerprints or criminal background check processed until you have received these instructions.
- Verification of legal name: You must verify your legal name with a birth certificate or other legal document such as a valid passport, a Vital Statistics birth certificate, a marriage certificate or divorce decree, or a court order approving your legal name change.
- Continued competency: You will need to have met one of the following requirements within the past two years:
- Thirty contact hours from a continuing education provider recognized by the board. Certification of Attendance must include your name, the title of the educational activity, the date of the activity, the approving provider/organization name, course number and address, and the number of contact hours awarded
- Certification or re-certification by a national certifying body recognized by the board
- Completion of an academic program of study in nursing or a related field recognized by the board
- Verification of competency and the number of hours practiced as evidenced by employer certification on a form approved by the Board
To complete your application, visit this site. You will need to pay online and upload the following documents:
- Copy of your valid driver’s license, state-issued ID, passport, or military ID
- Copy of Social Security card or Resident Alien Registration(a social security card will be needed before the final license will be issued)
- Notarized Signature Affidavit with Passport Photo Form
- Proof of your legal name (Vital Statistics birth certificate (not hospital birth certificate), valid passport, marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order approving a legal name change)
- Declaration of Primary Residence Form with proof of residence (if available at the time of application)
- Verification of Lawful Presence (Attached)
- Proof of Continued Competency (Review the information on the Requirements and Instructions page)
- Copy of active license to practice in another state, jurisdiction, or territory of the United States
You can also apply for a 60 day temporary license to practice nursing while your application is being processed. To qualify, you will need to provide proof of an active license to practice in another state, as well as all required documentation except the Criminal Background Check and the license verification. To apply, complete the electronic application labeled “Licensure by Endorsement with Temporary License” found on the electronic application page. There is a $10 fee.
How to renew your South Carolina nursing license
Step 1: When to submit your renewal application
South Carolina nursing licenses all expire on April 30 of every even year, even if your original license was issued in an odd year. Nursing License Renewals open in early February of each year and the cost to renew a registered nurse license is $75.
Step 2: Fulfill continuing competency requirements
To renew your South Carolina registered nursing license, you must fulfill at least ONE of the following requirements during the licensure period/preceding two years:
- Thirty contact hours from a continuing education provider recognized by the board. Certification of Attendance must include your name, the title of the educational activity, the date of the activity, the approving provider/organization name, course number and address, and the number of contact hours awarded
- Certification or re-certification by a national certifying body recognized by the board
- Completion of an academic program of study in nursing or a related field recognized by the board
- Verification of competency and the number of hours practiced as evidenced by employer certification on a form approved by the Board.
You are not required to send evidence of having completed your competency requirements, but you should retain them for at least four years in case they are requested.
To help South Carolina nurses complete their competency requirements, Incredible Health offers free South Carolina CE credits that are easy to access. A certificate of course completion is available immediately after you take the course.
Step 3: Submit your renewal application
You can renew your South Carolina registered nurse license at this link.
South Carolina nursing licensing fees
Below are the fees for becoming a nurse in South Carolina whether you are a first-time nurse or are moving to South Carolina from another state. For more information visit the South Carolina licensing page.
Licensing fees by examination (first-time nurses):
- NCLEX fee: $200
- Application fee: $90 (RN); $70 (LPN); $30 (APRN initial license)
- Temporary license: $10
Licensing fee by endorsement (already have RN licensure):
- Application fees: $100 (RN/LPN); $140 (APRN)
- Temporary permit: $10
License renewal fees:
- Application fees: $75 (RN/LPN); $105 (APRN without prescriptive authority); $145 (APRN with prescriptive authority)
South Carolina is a nursing compact state, which allows nurses to hold multi-state licenses.
*Fees are subject to change.
**Most states require a background check, but prices are not always listed.
Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions
Continuing education requirements
Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in South Carolina will need to fulfill one of the following conditions every two years:
- Complete 30 contact hours from a recognized education provider
- Maintenance of certification or recertification
- Complete an academic program of study in nursing or a related field
- Employer certification to verify competency and number of hours practiced
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)
Every two years, APRNs will be required to maintain national certification or complete 30 hours of continuing education.
APRNs (NPs, CNMs, and CNSs)
South Carolina nurses in these categories who have prescriptive authority will have to complete 30 contact hours every two years, 20 of which should be in pharmacotherapeutics related to their specialty. The nursing professionals should also complete 2 hours in prescribing controlled substances.
Incredible Health offers ANCC-accredited continuing education courses for nurses in all 50 states, 100% free and online. The South Carolina Board of Nursing accepts courses that are ANCC accredited.
How to contact the South Carolina Board of Nursing
South Carolina Board of Nursing
Phone: (803) 896-4300
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://llr.sc.gov/nurse/
Synergy Business Park
Kingstree Building
110 Centerview Drive
Columbia, SC 29210
