State medical license fees verified directly against 25 state boards range from $120 to $1,850 in total, and almost no board charges it as one payment. Most split the cost into a non-refundable application fee and a separate initial license fee due only once the application is approved, which is why figures you find elsewhere rarely agree with each other. California is the most expensive verified state at $1,850 ($674 plus $1,176). Arkansas is the least expensive at $120, though that reflects a temporary reduced fee schedule in effect only through 30 June 2026.
This is the first 25 of 51 boards (50 states plus DC), built in alphabetical order. The remaining 26 states are verified in the next cycle and added to this same table. Two boards in this batch, DC and Idaho, could not be confirmed against a reliable current figure and are marked "see board" rather than estimated.
Which state medical license is the most expensive?
California is the most expensive state verified so far, at $1,850 total: a $674 application fee and a separate $1,176 initial license fee due once the application is approved. Alaska and Maine follow, both close to $750 and $700.
Which state medical license is the least expensive?
Arkansas is the least expensive verified state, at $120 total, but that figure reflects a temporary reduced fee schedule under Act 114 of 2023 that runs only through 30 June 2026. Indiana at $250 and Kentucky at $300 are the cheapest states not attached to a temporary rate.
| Rank | State | Total fee |
|---|---|---|
| Most expensive | California | $1,850 |
| Most expensive | Arizona | up to $1,000 |
| Most expensive | Alaska | $750 |
| Least expensive | Arkansas | $120 |
| Least expensive | Hawaii | $221 to $392 |
What does every verified state charge?
Twenty-three of the twenty-five states in this batch have a confirmed figure; DC and Idaho do not and are marked accordingly. Click a column header to re-sort the table. Every state name links to the board's own fee page.
| State | Application fee | Initial license fee | Total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $175 | $75 | $315 | Board site |
| Alaska | $400 | $350 | $750 | Board site |
| Arizona | $500 | up to $500 | up to $1,000 | Board site |
| Arkansas | $20 | N/A | $120 | Board site |
| California | $674 | $1,176 | $1,850 | Board site |
| Colorado | $412 | N/A | $412 | Board site |
| Connecticut | $569.75 | N/A | $569.75 | Board site |
| Delaware | $430 | N/A | $430 | Board site |
| District of Columbia | see board | see board | see board | Board site |
| Florida | $350 | $355 | $705 | Board site |
| Georgia | $500 | N/A | $500 | Board site |
| Hawaii | $50 | $97 + $74 to $148 CRF | $221 to $392 | Board site |
| Idaho | see board | see board | see board | Board site |
| Illinois | $500 | N/A | $500 | Board site |
| Indiana | $250 | N/A | $250 | Board site |
| Iowa | $450 | N/A | $495 | Board site |
| Kansas | $300 | N/A | $350 | Board site |
| Kentucky | $300 | N/A | $300 | Board site |
| Louisiana | $382 | N/A | $382 | Board site |
| Maine | $700 | N/A | $700 | Board site |
| Maryland | $310 | prorated, $20/month | $310 + prorated fee | Board site |
| Massachusetts | $600 | N/A | $600 | Board site |
| Michigan | $375 | N/A | $375 | Board site |
| Minnesota | $233.25 | $192 | $425.25 | Board site |
| Mississippi | $550 | N/A | $550 | Board site |
"See board" means no figure could be confirmed against a primary source this cycle. "N/A" means the board does not split the fee into two payments; the application fee shown is the full charge.
Why do figures for the same state disagree elsewhere?
Almost every board splits the license cost into two separate payments, and most published lists quote only one of them. An application fee is charged at submission and is non-refundable regardless of outcome. An initial license fee, where one exists, is due only once the board approves the application.
- Alabama: Total includes a required $65 background-check fee.
- Arizona: Issuance fee is prorated by birth month, so the real total is usually below $1,000.
- Arkansas: Reduced schedule under Act 114 of 2023, in effect through 30 June 2026; confirm the fee has not reverted higher before relying on it.
- California: Application fee includes a $49 fingerprint-processing charge.
- Colorado: Single fee, not split; excludes a separate roughly $49 fingerprint fee.
- Connecticut: Single fee, includes a $4.75 National Practitioner Data Bank query fee.
- District of Columbia: DC Health does not publish the current dollar figures on its public fee page; secondary sources disagreed by as much as $300, so no total is reported here.
- Florida: Figures are for standard licensure by examination or endorsement; other pathways differ.
- Georgia: A 3.15% surcharge applies to card payments.
- Hawaii: Licenses run on a two-year cycle and the Compliance Resolution Fund portion is prorated by issuance date, so the total varies.
- Idaho: Idaho moved to biennial licensure on 1 April 2026 and current sources disagree on the new initial-application figure; not reported until confirmed directly.
- Illinois: A temporary new-physician fee waiver ran through June 2024 and has since expired.
- Iowa: Total includes a $45 criminal background check fee.
- Kansas: Total includes a $47 background-check fee and a $3 National Practitioner Data Bank fee.
- Kentucky: A reduced $175 rate applies only to Kentucky graduates staying in-state for postgraduate training.
- Maryland: The license portion is prorated monthly from approval to expiration, so no single total applies to every applicant.
- Michigan: Covers a 3-year license term rather than a single year; a separate controlled-substance license runs about $259 more.
- Minnesota: Application figure combines a $200 processing fee and a $33.25 background-check fee; the license figure is the first-year registration fee.
- Mississippi: An extra $50 applies only if the application is submitted incomplete.
Budget the total, not the number on the application form. In several states above, the second payment is larger than the first and only appears once the license is approved. Planning around the application fee alone is the most common source of surprise.
Does the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact change these numbers?
No, the Compact adds a flat $700 Letter of Qualification fee on top of whichever state fee above you choose; it does not replace it. For a full breakdown of when the Compact is worth it, see the licensing and credentialing cost guide and the compact status tracker.
Need this handled rather than researched?
Telesure matches clinicians with licensing and credentialing specialists so you can compare scope, timeline and price before committing to anyone.
Get matched with a specialistNot ready to create an account?
Juney Ham is the founder and CEO of Telesure, the marketplace that matches clinicians with independent licensing and credentialing specialists. Previously co-founder of Upside and CMO at Hired. Every regulatory figure on this page is taken from the issuing state board, compact commission or CMS and was verified on 23 September 2026. Fees and compact status change; confirm with the relevant board before relying on them.
← All guides