South Carolina Board of Chiropractic Examiners

To be licensed by the Board as a chiropractor, you must:

1. Be a graduate from a chiropractic college accredited by or has recognized candidate status with the Council of Chiropractic Education or with the Commission on Accreditation of the Straight Chiropractic Academic Standards Association or meets equivalent standards.         
2. All students of any chiropractic college chartered by the State shall have two years of pre-professional college credits from a college or university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools or an accrediting agency of equal status and recognition prior to enrollment. Provided, that the educational qualifications required of students entering chiropractic colleges shall not apply to students enrolled prior to July 1, 1974.
3. Must have completed and passed all required parts of the National Board examinations prior to application for the South Carolina examination.
• Graduates from Chiropractic College prior to July 1, 1987, must have passed Parts I and II and/or pass an examination approved by the Board, such as the Special Purpose Examination for Chiropractic (SPEC) or Part IV.     
• Graduates from Chiropractic College on or after July 1, 1987, but before January 1, 1997, must have passed Parts I, II and III and passed a practical examination approved by the Board, such as the Special Purpose Examination for Chiropractic (SPEC) or Part IV.
• Applicants graduating from a Chiropractic College on or after January 1, 1997, must have passed Parts I, II, III, and IV with the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) recommended passing score.
4. Pass South Carolina Board of Chiropractic Examiners Ethics and Jurisprudence Examination. Applicants shall be tested in South Carolina law and ethics and pass with a score of seventy-five.

   The link to take the online exam will be emailed once all required documents have been received by the Board.

   Please select and review Chapter 9 and Chapter 25 at the link below to prepare for the Ethics and Jurisprudence Examination

   https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c009.php

   https://www.scstatehouse.gov/coderegs/Chapter%2025.pdf

You may apply for a Chiropractic license by:

Examination: Applicants who are new graduates and have not been licensed in any jurisdiction.

Endorsement: Applicants who hold a current license in another jurisdiction.

Out of State: Applicants who are not new graduates and who do not hold a current license in another state

Special Event: A chiropractor who is traveling with a team or organization in the state. A chiropractor issued a special event license may treat only members of the team or organization with which the chiropractor is associated during the period in which the team or organization is in this State.

Volunteer: Applicants volunteering to serve the needy and indigent care and state of emergency.

Reinstatement Application: A chiropractor whose license has been expired for more than twelve (12) months, but four (4) years or less, may reactivate the license by submitting an Application for Reinstatement, satisfactory evidence of continuing education, for each lapsed or expired renewal cycle, if applicable, and each renewal cycle's license fee plus the applicable penalty.

A chiropractor whose license has been expired for more than four (4) years must complete a new application and take and pass the SPEC examination, or meet requirements in effect at the time of the new application.

Application Instructions:

Items to remit with your application:

Applicable application fee. Fee is non-refundable. A returned check fee of up to $30, or an amount specified by law, may be accessed on all returned funds.

There is no fee for Special Event and Volunteer applications.

• Copy of your valid Driver’s License, State Issued ID or Passport
• Copy of your signed social security card
• 2x2 Passport Photos taken less than 6 months prior to the application
• Submit A copy of the legal document with any change of name. (A copy of the marriage license, divorce decree indicating the name change, etc. if applicable.
• Letter of Explanation: Submit a letter with the application indicating the proposed practice site, setting, the purpose of the license and dates of the event. (Applicable to Special Event or Volunteer applicants only.)

Have sent directly to the board from the issuing institution:

• Pre-professional education transcript: Have an official transcript from the accredited pre-professional college. It needs to reflect two years (60 semester hours) toward a degree from a college or university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or an accrediting agency of equal status and recognition.
• Chiropractic college transcript: Have an official transcript from the chiropractic college accredited by or has recognized candidate status with the Council of Chiropractic Education or with the Commission on Accreditation of the Straight Chiropractic Academic Standards Association or meets equivalent standards
• National Board of Chiropractic Examiners scores from NBCE.
• Verification(s) of Licensure: Verification should be mailed directly to the Board from state or jurisdiction where the license is held. Complete verification of licensure, active or inactive, is required from each state in which the applicant is or has been licensed. (Applicable to Endorsement, Special Event or Volunteer applicants.)

Applicants must have completed and passed all required parts of the National Board examinations prior to application for the South Carolina examination.

For information on the National Board Exams please visit: https://mynbce.org/welcome/.

For applicants who graduated prior to January 1, 1997, please see the below requirements:

Graduates from chiropractic college prior to July 1, 1987 must have passed Parts I and II and passed a practical examination approved by the Board, such as the Special Purpose Examination for Chiropractic (SPEC) or Part IV.

Graduates from chiropractic college on or after July 1, 1987, but before January 1, 1997 must have passed Parts I, II and III and passed a practical examination approved by the Board, such as the Special Purpose Examination for Chiropractic (SPEC) or Part IV.

Certified copy of Parts I, II, III, and IV from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) with the NBCE recommended passing score is required for applicants graduating from a chiropractic college on or after January 1, 1997.

State Examination Requirements

Applicants must be tested on South Carolina statutes and ethics and must pass with a score of 75 percent or better. If an applicant fails to achieve a score of 75 percent or better, he may retake the examination after 24 hours.

License Fees

Initial Application: $300

Biennial Renewal Fee

Chiropractor: $360

Lapsed/Expired Licenses

• less than 12 months must pay an additional 25% penalty for renewal fee;

• more than 12 months but less than 3 years must pay each year's license fee plus an additional 25% penalty for renewal fee and submit an application for Reinstatement of License;

• more than 3 years must meet requirements that is in effect and submit an application for a new license.

Miscellaneous Fees

Duplicate Wall License: $10

Duplicate Pocket Card: $10

Name Change and New Pocket Card: $10

License Verification to another State Board: $5

(Request license verifications online at https://eservice.llr.sc.gov/SSO/Login/LoginPage?ReturnUrl=%2fOnlineVerification2%2f.)

Returned Check Charge: $30

State and National Associations

• HIPAA

• National Board of Chiropractic Examiners

• Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards

• Palmetto State Chiropractic Association

• S.C. Chiropractic Association

The National Practitioner Data Bank and the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (NPDB-HIPDB). To perform a self-query and download their brochure. www.npdb-hipdb.com.