USA · States

U.S. states: school, college and licensing rules

Education and licensing are run by each state. Every state page links the boards that license lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses there, and that state's colleges. The full pages also give the high school diploma requirements and state tests, public university and community college systems, the in-state tuition rule, state grants, civil service hiring and the apprenticeship office, each copied from the state's own pages.

State pages51of 51 (50 states and DC); 51 with school and college rules
License pages10State boards: requirement, exam, fee, renewal
Population dataCensusVintage 2025, July 1, 2025
Checked21 Oct 2026

All 50 states and DC: licensing boards

The board that admits lawyers, licenses physicians, CPAs and registered nurses in each state, from the national directories of state boards.

FSMB
Contact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture.

View source
NASBA
State Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026.

View source
Open a state for the bar exam it uses, the Nurse Licensure Compact and its colleges. Population: Census Vintage 2025.
Census
Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV)U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025)
Checked
21 Oct 2026

Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.

View source

StateBar admissionMedical boardAccountancy (CPA)Nursing
Alabama
AL · 5,193,088
Alabama State Bar Alabama Board of Medical Examiners
Medical Licensure Commission of Alabama
Alabama State Board of Public Accountancy Alabama Board of Nursing
Alaska
AK · 737,270
Alaska Bar Association, Law Examiners Committee Alaska State Medical Board Alaska Board of Public Accountancy Alaska Board of Nursing
Arizona
AZ · 7,623,818
Arizona Supreme Court Committees on Examinations and Character and Fitness Arizona Medical Board
Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery
Arizona State Board of Accountancy Arizona State Board of Nursing
Arkansas
AR · 3,114,791
Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners Arkansas State Medical Board Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy Arkansas State Board of Nursing
California
CA · 39,355,309 · License rules
State Bar of California, Office of Admissions Medical Board of California
Osteopathic Medical Board of California
California Board of Accountancy California Board of Registered Nursing
Colorado
CO · 6,012,561
Colorado Supreme Court, Office of Attorney Admissions Colorado Medical Board Colorado State Board of Accountancy Colorado Board of Nursing
Connecticut
CT · 3,688,496
Connecticut Bar Examining Committee Connecticut Medical Examining Board Connecticut State Board of Accountancy Connecticut Board of Nurse Licensure
Delaware
DE · 1,059,952
Board of Bar Examiners of the Delaware Supreme Court Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline Delaware State Board of Accountancy Delaware Board of Nursing
District of Columbia
DC · 693,645
Committee on Admissions, D.C. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Board of Medicine District of Columbia Board of Accountancy District of Columbia Board of Nursing
Florida
FL · 23,462,518 · License rules
Florida Board of Bar Examiners Florida Board of Medicine
Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine
Florida Board of Accountancy Florida Board of Nursing
Georgia
GA · 11,302,748 · License rules
Supreme Court of Georgia, Office of Bar Admissions Georgia Composite Medical Board Georgia State Board of Accountancy Georgia Board of Nursing
Hawaii
HI · 1,432,820
Board of Examiners, Supreme Court of the State of Hawaii Hawaii Medical Board Hawaii Board of Public Accountancy Hawaii Board of Nursing
Idaho
ID · 2,029,733
Idaho State Bar Idaho Board of Medicine Idaho State Board of Accountancy Idaho Board of Nursing
Illinois
IL · 12,719,141 · License rules
Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar Illinois State Medical Board Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (CPA license)
Illinois Board of Examiners (CPA Exam)
Illinois Board of Nursing
Indiana
IN · 6,973,333
Indiana State Board of Law Examiners Medical Licensing Board of Indiana Indiana Board of Accountancy Indiana State Board of Nursing
Iowa
IA · 3,238,387
Iowa Board of Law Examiners (Office of Professional Regulation) Iowa Board of Medicine Iowa Accountancy Examining Board Iowa Board of Nursing
Kansas
KS · 2,977,220
Kansas Board of Law Examiners Kansas State Board of Healing Arts Kansas Board of Accountancy Kansas State Board of Nursing
Kentucky
KY · 4,606,864
Kentucky Office of Bar Admissions Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure Kentucky Board of Accountancy Kentucky Board of Nursing
Louisiana
LA · 4,618,189
Louisiana Committee on Bar Admissions Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners State Board of CPAs of Louisiana Louisiana State Board of Nursing
Maine
ME · 1,414,874
Maine Board of Bar Examiners Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine
Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure
Maine Board of Accountancy Maine State Board of Nursing
Maryland
MD · 6,265,347
Maryland State Board of Law Examiners Maryland Board of Physicians Maryland Board of Public Accountancy Maryland Board of Nursing
Massachusetts
MA · 7,154,084
Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine Massachusetts Board of Public Accountancy Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing
Michigan
MI · 10,127,884 · License rules
Michigan Board of Law Examiners Michigan Board of Medicine
Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery
Michigan State Board of Accountancy Michigan Board of Nursing
Minnesota
MN · 5,830,405
Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners Minnesota Board of Medical Practice Minnesota State Board of Accountancy Minnesota Board of Nursing
Mississippi
MS · 2,954,160
Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy Mississippi Board of Nursing
Missouri
MO · 6,270,541
Missouri Board of Law Examiners Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts Missouri State Board of Accountancy Missouri State Board of Nursing
Montana
MT · 1,144,694
State Bar of Montana Montana Board of Medical Examiners Montana Board of Public Accountants Montana Board of Nursing
Nebraska
NE · 2,018,006
Nebraska State Bar Commission (Nebraska Supreme Court, Attorney Services Division) Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery Nebraska State Board of Public Accountancy Nebraska Board of Nursing
Nevada
NV · 3,282,188
State Bar of Nevada Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners
Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
Nevada State Board of Accountancy Nevada State Board of Nursing
New Hampshire
NH · 1,415,342
New Hampshire Supreme Court, Office of Bar Admissions New Hampshire Board of Medicine New Hampshire Board of Accountancy New Hampshire Board of Nursing
New Jersey
NJ · 9,548,215
New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners New Jersey State Board of Accountancy New Jersey Board of Nursing
New Mexico
NM · 2,125,498
New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners New Mexico Medical Board New Mexico Public Accountancy Board New Mexico Board of Nursing
New York
NY · 20,002,427 · License rules
New York State Board of Law Examiners New York State Board for Medicine New York State Board for Public Accountancy New York State Board of Nursing
North Carolina
NC · 11,197,968 · License rules
Board of Law Examiners of the State of North Carolina North Carolina Medical Board North Carolina State Board of CPA Examiners North Carolina Board of Nursing
North Dakota
ND · 799,358
North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners North Dakota Board of Medicine North Dakota State Board of Accountancy North Dakota Board of Nursing
Ohio
OH · 11,900,510 · License rules
Supreme Court of Ohio, Office of Bar Admissions State Medical Board of Ohio Ohio Accountancy Board Ohio Board of Nursing
Oklahoma
OK · 4,123,288
Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision
Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners
Oklahoma Accountancy Board Oklahoma Board of Nursing
Oregon
OR · 4,273,586
Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners Oregon Medical Board Oregon Board of Accountancy Oregon State Board of Nursing
Pennsylvania
PA · 13,059,432 · License rules
Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing
Rhode Island
RI · 1,114,521
Rhode Island Supreme Court Clerk's Office Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline Rhode Island Board of Accountancy Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education
South Carolina
SC · 5,570,274
South Carolina Supreme Court, Board of Law Examiners South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners South Carolina Board of Accountancy South Carolina Board of Nursing
South Dakota
SD · 935,094
South Dakota Board of Bar Examiners South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners South Dakota Board of Accountancy South Dakota Board of Nursing
Tennessee
TN · 7,315,076
Tennessee Board of Law Examiners Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners
Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examination
Tennessee State Board of Accountancy Tennessee Board of Nursing
Texas
TX · 31,709,821 · License rules
Texas Board of Law Examiners Texas Medical Board Texas State Board of Public Accountancy Texas Board of Nursing
Utah
UT · 3,538,904
Utah State Bar Utah Medical Licensing Board Utah Board of Accountancy Utah Board of Nursing and Certified Nurse Midwives
Vermont
VT · 644,663
Vermont Board of Bar Examiners (Office of Attorney Licensing) Vermont Board of Medical Practice
Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons
Vermont Board of Public Accountancy Vermont State Board of Nursing
Virginia
VA · 8,880,107
Virginia Board of Bar Examiners Virginia Board of Medicine Virginia Board of Accountancy Virginia Board of Nursing
Washington
WA · 8,001,020
Washington State Bar Association Washington Medical Commission
Washington Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery
Washington State Board of Accountancy Washington State Board of Nursing
West Virginia
WV · 1,766,147
West Virginia Board of Law Examiners West Virginia Board of Medicine
West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine
West Virginia Board of Accountancy West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses
Wisconsin
WI · 5,972,787
Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners Wisconsin Medical Examining Board Wisconsin Accounting Examining Board Wisconsin Board of Nursing (Department of Safety and Professional Services)
Wyoming
WY · 588,753
Wyoming Board of Law Examiners Wyoming Board of Medicine Wyoming Board of Certified Public Accountants Wyoming State Board of Nursing

Compare school and college rules

The headline rule from the 51 full state pages, largest first; open the state for the detail and its sources.

StateState testDiplomaState grantApprenticeship office
CaliforniaCAASPPCourses of one school year each (not credits); the district decides how many local credits a year is worth.Cal Grant; Middle Class ScholarshipState agency and U.S. DOL
TexasSTAAR22 credits minimum (Foundation); 26 with an endorsement. Districts do not have to offer every endorsement.TEXAS Grant (Toward EXcellence, Access, & Success)U.S. DOL office
FloridaFAST24 credits and a 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The 18-credit ACCEL option drops PE and the online course and needs 3 electives instead of 8.Florida Bright Futures Scholarship ProgramState agency
New YorkNew York State Testing Program22 credits in total.Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)State agency
PennsylvaniaPSSA and Keystone ExamsSet locally; see the state pagePA State GrantState agency
IllinoisIAR, ISA and the ACTYears of study; the ISBE chart lists the state minimum for each entering class.Monetary Award Program (MAP)U.S. DOL office
OhioOhio achievement tests20 units in grades 9–12.Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG)State agency
GeorgiaGeorgia Milestones23 units minimum.HOPE ScholarshipU.S. DOL office
North CarolinaNorth Carolina EOG and EOC tests22 credits. Districts may recommend more. The Occupational Course of Study (for identified students with disabilities) also needs 22 credits.Next NC ScholarshipState agency
MichiganM-STEP and the MME18 credits.Michigan Achievement Scholarship; Community College GuaranteeU.S. DOL office
New JerseyNJSLA and NJGPA120 credits minimum. Technological literacy is built into the curriculum rather than counted as its own credits.Tuition Aid Grant (TAG)U.S. DOL office
VirginiaSOL tests22 standard credits and 5 verified credits. No more than one locally awarded verified credit may count.Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP); Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG)State agency
WashingtonSmarter Balanced and WCAS24 credits: 17 core and 7 flexible. A district may waive up to two flexible credits for a student, who can then graduate with 22.Washington College Grant (WA Grant)State agency
ArizonaAASA, AzSCI and ACT22 credits minimum.Arizona Promise ProgramState agency
TennesseeTCAP22 credits. A computer science credit can replace the fourth math or third lab science credit.Tennessee HOPE Scholarship; Tennessee PromiseState agency
MassachusettsMCASNo statewide credit total: each district sets its own course and credit requirements.MASSGrant; MassEducate (free community college)State agency
IndianaILEARN40 state credits. Schools may add local requirements (not for students with an IEP). Academic and Technical Honors need at least 47.Frank O'Bannon GrantU.S. DOL office
MissouriMAP24 units of credit.Access Missouri Financial Assistance ProgramU.S. DOL office
MarylandMSTAR and MCAP22 credits minimum.Howard P. Rawlings Educational Assistance (EA) GrantState agency
ColoradoCMAS and PSAT/SATNo statewide credit total: each district sets its own.Colorado Student GrantState agency
WisconsinForward Exam and the ACT suite15.5 state minimum credits; the State Superintendent encourages boards to require 8.5 more from vocational education, world languages, fine arts and other courses.Wisconsin GrantState agency
MinnesotaMCA21.5 listed credits, plus physical education (and health once the state adopts health standards rules).Minnesota State Grant; North Star PromiseState agency
South CarolinaSC READY and EOCEP24 units. One unit is a standards-based course of at least 120 hours, or credit through a proficiency-based system.LIFE ScholarshipU.S. DOL office
AlabamaACAP and the ACT24 credits.Alabama Student Assistance Program (ASAP); Alabama Student Grant ProgramState agency
LouisianaLEAP 2025TOPS University: 24 units. Jump Start TOPS Tech: 23 units (4 English, 4 math, 2 science, 2 social studies, 1.5 physical education, 0.5 health and 9 units of Jump Start courses, workplace experience and credentials).TOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students); Louisiana GO GrantState agency
KentuckyKentucky Summative Assessment (KSA)22 credits: 10 foundational and 12 personalized.Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)State agency
OregonOSAS24 credits.Oregon Opportunity GrantState agency
OklahomaOSTP23 units or sets of competencies.Oklahoma's PromiseU.S. DOL office
ConnecticutMastery examinations (Smarter Balanced, NGSS science and the SAT)25 credits minimum. A credit is at least the equivalent of a 40-minute class period every school day for a school year.Roberta B. Willis Scholarship: Need and Merit-Based; Roberta B. Willis Scholarship: Need-Based GrantState agency
UtahRISE, Utah Aspire Plus and the ACT24 units of credit.Opportunity Scholarship; Utah Promise GrantU.S. DOL office
NevadaSmarter Balanced, Nevada Science and the grade 11 ACT23 credit units for the Standard Diploma; 24 with a 3.25 GPA for the Advanced and CCR diplomas.Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship; Silver State Opportunity GrantState agency
IowaISASPState subject minimums plus CPR and the civics test; each district sets its own total credits.Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship; All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship (AIOS)State agency
ArkansasATLAS and the grade 11 ACT22 credits.Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship; Academic Challenge PLUSU.S. DOL office
KansasKansas Assessment Program (KAP)21 units minimum, set by each local board.Kansas Promise Act Scholarship; Kansas Comprehensive GrantState agency
MississippiMAAP and the grade 11 ACT24 Carnegie units (26 for the Career and Technical or Academic endorsement, 28 for the Distinguished Academic endorsement).Higher Education Legislative Plan (HELP); Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG); Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant (MESG)U.S. DOL office
New MexicoMSSA, ASR and the grade 11 SAT24 units.New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship; Legislative Lottery ScholarshipState agency
IdahoISAT46 credits, 29 in core subjects (30 with digital literacy).Idaho LAUNCH; Idaho Opportunity ScholarshipU.S. DOL office
NebraskaNSCAS and the ACT200 credit hours.Nebraska Opportunity Grant (NOG)U.S. DOL office
West VirginiaWVGSA and the SAT School Day23 credits from the 2024-25 freshman cohort (22 for earlier cohorts).PROMISE Scholarship; West Virginia Higher Education Grant; WV Invests GrantU.S. DOL office
HawaiiSmarter Balanced and HSA Science24.0 credits.Hawaii Promise ProgramState agency
New HampshireNH SAS and the SAT20 credits.Governor's Scholarship Program; UNIQUE Annual Allocation Program (UAAP)U.S. DOL office
MaineMaine Through Year Assessment and Maine Science AssessmentYears of study or the equivalent in standards achievement; credit totals are set by each school administrative unit.Maine State Grant Program; Free College ScholarshipState agency
MontanaMAST and the ACT20 units (13 required, 7 elective or local).MUS Honor Scholarship (MUSHS)State agency
Rhode IslandRICAS, PSAT 10 and SAT20 credits.Rhode Island PromiseState agency
DelawareDeSSA and the SAT24 credits.Scholarship Incentive Program (ScIP); SEED (Student Excellence Equals Degree) ScholarshipState agency
South DakotaSD ELA and Math Assessments and the SD-ACT22 units of credit.South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship (SDOS)U.S. DOL office
North DakotaState assessment and the ACT or WorkKeys22 units.North Dakota State Grant (Student Financial Assistance Program); North Dakota ScholarshipU.S. DOL office
AlaskaAK STAR and the Alaska Science Assessment21 units of credit (districts set the rest).Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS); Alaska Education Grant (AEG)U.S. DOL office
District of ColumbiaDC CAPE24 Carnegie units.DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG)State agency
VermontVTCAPProficiency-based; credit totals, if any, are set locally.Vermont Grants (Vermont Incentive Grant and Advancement Grant)State agency
WyomingWY-TOPP and the ACTYears of coursework in four subjects; each district sets its total credits and other requirements in policy.Hathaway Scholarship; Hathaway Need GrantU.S. DOL office

"U.S. DOL office" means registered apprenticeships in that state are run by the Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship; "State agency" means a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency.

Apprenticeship.gov
The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) statesU.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship
Checked
21 Oct 2026

California is listed under both OA and SAA.

View source

Sources

Where these facts come from

Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.