Certification · National Certified Counselor · checked Oct 30, 2026
NCC certification, the National Certified Counselor
The National Certified Counselor (NCC) is an optional credential with national reach, not a license: your state board licenses you, NBCC certifies you. To earn it you need a graduate counseling degree, a passing score on the NCE or the NCMHCE, a professional endorsement and, unless a waiver applies, two years of supervised experience after the degree.
Updated Oct 30, 2026 · Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.
- application with exam registration$375
- application, exam already passed$250
- each retake on the NCC route$150
What the NCC is, and what it isn't
NCC is a certification from a private, nonprofit certifying body. It shows that you met a national standard for education, examination and ethics, and you can list it after your license title ("LPC, NCC"). Practice rights come only from a state license.
A note on the letters: search for "NCC certification" and you will also find nursing credentials from the National Certification Corporation, which is unrelated. This page is about the counseling credential.
The requirements, in the order they are checked
From NBCC's NCC Certification Eligibility Policy, revised April 30, 2026, which we checked on Oct 30, 2026.
Degree
A master's, EdS, CAS or doctoral degree in counseling from an accredited program, with at least 48 semester or 72 quarter hours of graduate coursework.
Coursework
Graduate courses in nine areas: the eight CACREP-style areas plus counseling field experience (at least 6 semester hours of supervised field experience; 2 semester hours for every other course).
Endorsement
A positive endorsement from a colleague with a graduate mental health degree who is not a relative.
Experience
3,000 hours of supervised postgraduate counseling work and 100 hours of supervision, each over at least 24 months, unless a waiver applies.
Exam
A passing score on the NCE or the NCMHCE; a retake after at least 30 days; up to two more attempts within two years of the application, after which the application closes.
Check the waiver before you count hours
The experience rule is waived if you graduated from a CACREP-accredited program, hold a full state counseling license, or have a doctorate in counseling. For many applicants that turns the NCC into a degree-plus-exam credential; the clinical CCMHC below has no such waiver.
Fees and exam attempts
You apply with exam registration ($375) or, when your NCE or NCMHCE pass already exists (licensure candidates often have one), without it ($250); fees from the NBCC certification page, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Attempts are capped per application (3 attempts in 2 years, timeline above). Once it closes you start again with a new application, and each reregistration carries its own fee.
The full cost of each exam, including state board fees, is on NCE cost and NCMHCE cost.
NCE or NCMHCE for the NCC?
Either one satisfies the requirement. If your state already asks for one of them for the license, the same pass serves both purposes, so there is little reason to sit the second exam. Where your state accepts either, the choice is about format, a broad knowledge exam or clinical case studies (NCE vs NCMHCE).
Both exams change on July 1, 2027, and the form you get follows from the day you test. What the switch means: NCE exam info.
CCMHC: the clinical certification
The Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) is NBCC's clinical specialty, and you must already hold the NCC to apply. Its eligibility policy asks for more than the NCC does:
- at least 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of graduate coursework, against the NCC's 48;
- a clinical diagnosis and treatment course, plus courses in at least three of six clinical areas;
- at least 9 semester (15 quarter) hours of supervised clinical field experience, or an approved alternative;
- 3,000 hours of supervised postgraduate clinical work and 100 hours of direct supervision, each over at least 24 months, with no CACREP waiver;
- a passing score on the NCMHCE, the case-study exam; the NCE does not count here.
It shares the NCC's fee schedule ($375 with exam). Job postings that ask for a "certified mental health counselor" may mean this credential or simply a state clinical license, so read the posting closely.
Prepare for the exam the NCC accepts
NCE app
NCE practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app.
Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.
NCMHCE app
NCMHCE practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app.
Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.
NCC questions
Is the NCC the same as an LPC?
No. The LPC (or LMHC, LPCC) is a state license that lets you practice. The NCC is a certification that sits alongside it. You can hold either one without the other.
I passed the NCE for my license. Do I have to take it again?
No. Apply without exam registration at the lower fee, and the existing score is used.
What does the NCC do for me?
It is a portable, national record of your training and exam that does not change when you move states. Some employers ask for it, and it is the base for specialty certifications such as the CCMHC.
How long does the application stay open?
Two years from the date you applied, unless a third failed attempt closes it sooner.