The Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential is the only professional credential acknowledging school psychologists who meet rigorous, nationally recognized standards. School psychologists who hold the NCSP demonstrate their commitment to the highest levels of professionalism, ethical practice, and continuing professional development. Additionally, the 16,000+ active NCSPs enjoy multiple benefits, including:

• National recognition and verification of graduate preparation, knowledge, and skills through use of the NCSP designation
• Demonstrated professional excellence and credibility for employers
• Reflects a high standard for practice to families, administrators, and other stakeholders
• Increased job flexibility and mobility through streamlined credentialing processes
• Potential for other employment benefits, including monetary stipends

Review the total number of active NCSP holders in each state as of June 30, 2023.  

Data also available from:

• 2014-2015
• 2015-2016
• 2016-2017
• 2017-2018
• 2018-2019
• 2019-2020
• 2020-2021
• 2021-2022

State Recognition

Currently, 34 states explicitly acknowledge, recognize, or accept the NCSP credential as either meeting or partially meeting requirements for the state school psychologist credential. In addition, nine states consider maintenance of the NCSP as satisfying renewal requirements for the state credential. [Note: While NASP attempts to collect and update this information regularly, individuals should confirm this information with the appropriate agencies (e.g., state department of education) for accuracy. If you become aware of any inaccurate information, please contact Dr. Eric Rossen, NASP Director of Professional Development and Standards.]

Note: While many states do not formally acknowledge the NCSP within credentialing documents, individuals who meet requirements for the NCSP generally meet or exceed the graduate preparation requirements for initial credentialing in ALL states with few exceptions. Applicants holding the NCSP are encouraged to contact their state's credentialing office to inquire about recognition of the NCSP, or visit NASP's state credentialing page.

About the National School Psychology Certification System (NSPCS)

The NSPCS was developed to create a nationally recognized standard for credentialing school psychologists. A wide range of credentialing requirements exists across states, creating a need to recognize school psychologists who meet national standards. By granting national certification, it is not the intent of the NSPCB to certify school psychologists for employment nor to impose personnel requirements on agencies and organizations. Rather, the intent is to provide a national standard that can be used as a measure of professionalism by interested agencies, groups and individuals. The responsibility for professional integrity and excellence remains with the individual school psychologist. It is further intended that national certification will encourage the continuing professional growth and development of NCSPs and will foster cooperation among groups actively involved in the credentialing of school psychologists.

Specific goals of the NSPCS include the following:

• To promote uniform credentialing standards across states, agencies and training institutions
• To monitor the implementation of NASP credentialing standards at the national level
• To promote continuing professional development (CPD) for school psychologists
• To facilitate credentialing of school psychologists across states through the use of reciprocity
• To ensure a consistent level of training and experience in service providers who are nationally certified
• To promote the utilization of NASP Standards for Graduate Preparation of School Psychologists (2010) 
• To encourage school psychologists to seek national certification