South Carolina RN licensure 2026: $110 fee, 3–5 weeks
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
South Carolina licensure at a glance
| Board of nursing | South Carolina Board of Nursing |
| Endorsement fee | $110 |
| Processing time quoted | 3–5 weeks |
| Renewal cycle | 2 years, expiring April 30 of even-numbered years |
| Continuing education | One of: 30 contact hours, national certification, academic nursing program, or employer competency verification |
| Fingerprinting | Required for licensure by endorsement (criminal background check with fingerprints) |
Apply and check current fees at llr.sc.gov/nurse.
South Carolina renewal and licensing rows checked 2026-09-26 against llr.sc.gov (1, 2).
South Carolina RN license renewal: 2 years, expiring April 30 of even-numbered years. Continuing education for South Carolina renewal: one of: 30 contact hours, national certification, academic nursing program, or employer competency verification.
Same in all 51: licensing · renewal · discipline · international · CEUs · defence.
South Carolina required CE topics, and free courses for them
Can South Carolina nurses finish CE for free? Not for the required topics: none of the 1 topics South Carolina names for RN or LPN renewal had a free course we could verify (Human trafficking), so those hours usually come from a paid, board-accepted provider.
South Carolina renewal CE: One competency item per 2-year renewal: 30 contact hours, national certification, an academic nursing program, or employer competency verification. Topics the South Carolina board names, checked Sep 2026:
- Human trafficking: 1 contact hour · before 1 Jan 2028 and every 6 years after (licensed before 1 Jan 2026); within 2 years of initial licensure and every 6 years after (licensed on or after 1 Jan 2026) · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
Only from a continuing education provider approved by the State Board of Nursing
No free course found for South Carolina's version of this yet. - Pharmacotherapeutics (APRN with prescriptive authority): 20 contact hours · every renewal · APRN. Source
Providers accepted by the Board for pharmacotherapeutics (ACCME, ACPE, AANP, ANCC-accredited, any state board of nursing and others on the Board list)
No free course found for South Carolina's version of this yet. - Controlled substance prescribing: 2 contact hours · every renewal (part of the 20 pharmacotherapeutics hours) · APRN. Source
Providers on the Board's pharmacotherapeutics list (includes AANP, ANCC-accredited, ACCME)
No free course found for South Carolina's version of this yet.
Every free course, with filters: free CEUs for South Carolina nurses.
Compact status: Compact state
South Carolina issues multistate licenses. With South Carolina as your primary state of residence, one license covers every other NLC state; it follows your residence, not your job. Compact map.
Getting licensed in South Carolina
Endorsing into South Carolina runs through the South Carolina Board of Nursing at $110, quoted at 3–5 weeks, with no second NCLEX. Because South Carolina participates in the compact, a travel nurse holding a multistate license can start an assignment here without a separate application, which is why South Carolina contracts often list short lead times.
Advanced practice in South Carolina
Whether an NP may prescribe independently in South Carolina is set by the South Carolina Board of Nursing and moves by legislative session. Check it before accepting an APRN role there.
Practice environment
Staffing ratios: South Carolina has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratio law. Staffing is governed by hospital policy and, where one exists, the collective bargaining agreement — so safe-staffing concerns are raised through the facility's chain of command and its staffing committee rather than through a state standard.
Right-to-work state with Charleston/Greenville population growth.
Common questions
Does South Carolina accept a compact nursing license?
Yes — South Carolina is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from another compact state covers practice here with no South Carolina application.
Endorsing a license into South Carolina: cost and wait?
$110 to the South Carolina Board of Nursing, which quotes 3–5 weeks. Nursys verifies electronically.
Who regulates South Carolina nursing?
The South Carolina Board of Nursing, at llr.sc.gov/nurse.
Licensure in states bordering South Carolina
North Carolina · Georgia · Florida · Tennessee.
Related South Carolina guides
South Carolina RN salary data · travel nursing in South Carolina · compact license map · national licensing guide.