Teacher License Reciprocity
Does the state provide special reciprocity for out-of-state teachers with advanced credentials?
June 2020
Thirty states and the District of Columbia provide special licensure reciprocity for out-of-state teachers with advanced credentials, exempting these candidates from additional coursework or assessment requirements and oftentimes immediately granting them a standard or advanced license. View the full 50-State Comparison: Teacher License Reciprocity here.
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STATE
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Does the state provide special reciprocity for out-of-state teachers with advanced credentials?
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| Alabama | Yes. Alabama issues multiple classes of certificates based on degree level. If a valid professional educator certificate issued by another state does not reflect a degree level, additional information may be required to determine if an applicant is eligible for and advanced degree certification. | Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-2-.20 Source |
| Alaska | No. Alaska has two main licensure levels: Initial and Professional. Even those teachers with advanced credentials must apply for an initial teaching certificate until they have met the requirements for a professional teaching certificate. | Alaska Stat. Ann. § 14.20.015 |
| Arizona | No. Arizona does not have a tiered licensure system. Out-of-state candidates who meet the requirements for licensure are granted a Standard Certificate. | |
| Arkansas | Yes. Arkansas has two main licensure levels: Provisional and Standard Licenses. Candidates not meeting the requirements for a Standard Credential are granted a Provisional Teaching License. | Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-403 |
| California | Yes. California has two main licensure levels: Preliminary and Clear Credentials. Candidates not meeting the requirements for a Clear Credential are granted a Preliminary Credential. Applicants with National Board Certification are eligible for a Clear Credential. | Cal.Educ.Code § 44274.2 Source |
| Colorado | Yes. Colorado has two main licensure levels: Initial and Professional. Candidates with a valid license and have three years of experience within the past seven are eligible for a Professional License. | Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-60.5-201 1 Colo. Code Regs. § 301-37:2.00 Source |
| Connecticut | Yes. Connecticut has three main licensure levels: Initial, Provisional, and Professional. Out-of-state educators with at least thirty months of successful out-of-state service under a valid certificate, among other requirements, are eligible for a Provisional License. | Source 1 Source 2 |
| Delaware | Yes. Delaware has three main licensure levels: Initial, Continuing, and Advanced. Out-of-state educators with current National Board Certification are eligible to receive an Advanced License. Educators with over four years of experience, among other requirements, are eligible for a Continuing License. | Code Del. Regs. 14 1512 Source |
| District of Columbia | Yes. The District of Columbia has two main licensure levels: Initial and Standard. Candidates not meeting the requirements for a Standard Credential are eligible for an Initial Teacher Credential. | Source 1 Source 2 |
| Florida | Yes. Florida has two main licensure levels: Temporary and Professional. Out-of-state applicants who can provide documentation of a valid professional standard teaching certificate issued by another state or documentation of a valid certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards are eligible for a Professional Certificate. | Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1012.56 Source |
| Georgia | Yes. Georgia has two main licensure levels: Induction and Professional. Out-of-state applicants with comparable professional certificates based on completion of a state-approved educator preparation program are eligible for Georgia’s Professional Certificate if they meet certain requirements including at least three years of successful educator experience. | Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| Hawaii | Yes. Hawaii has three main licensure levels: Provisional, Standard and Advanced. Out-of-state applicants are eligible for a Standard License if they provide verification of at least three out of the last five years of "satisfactory" full-time teaching experience. Out-of-state applicants are eligible for an Advanced License if they have at least five years of "satisfactory" full-time teaching experience within the last eight, and hold a master’s, specialist or doctoral degree or a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certificate, among other requirements. It is not clear how "satisfactory" teaching experience is defined. | Haw. Code R. 8-54-9.3 Source |
| Idaho | No. Idaho has two main licensure levels: Interim and Standard. All candidates are granted a minimum of an Interim Certificate while they complete the requirements for a Standard Certificate. Out-of-state candidates who have already met all the Idaho specific endorsement requirements may be issued a clear 5-year renewable Standard Certificate. | Idaho Admin. Code r. 08.02.02.015 and Idaho Admin. Code r. 08.02.02.016 |
| Illinois | No. | |
| Indiana | No. Indiana has two main licensure levels: Initial Practitioner and Practitioner. The license granted depends on years of experience, not on the licensure tier the candidate held in the teacher's sending state. | Ind. Code Ann. § 20-28-5-18 |
| Iowa | Yes. Iowa has three main licensure levels: Initial, Standard and Master Educator. Applicants with more than three years of teaching experience on a valid license and who meet all other requirements are eligible for a Standard License. Applicants with five years of teaching experience on a valid license and who meet all other requirements (including having a recognized master’s degree and meeting renewal requirements for a Standard License) are eligible for a Master Educator License. | Iowa Admin. Code r. 282-13.8(272) Iowa Admin. Code r. 282-13.5(272) |
| Kansas | Yes. Kansas has two main licensure levels: Initial and Professional. Candidates meeting experience requirements are eligible to receive a Professional License. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 91-1-204 |
| Kentucky | Yes. Kentucky has two main licensure levels: Provisional and Professional. Cases are evaluated on an individual basis. Out-of-state candidates may be eligible for the Professional license if they meet certain requirements. | 16 Ky. Admin. Regs. 2:010 |
| Louisiana | No. Louisiana has two main licensure levels: “Out-of-State Certificate” and “Level 1 Professional Certificate”. However, additional levels are also available to out-of-state candidates. All candidates are given an “Out-of-State License” until certain requirements are met. However, candidates with three years of “successful” teaching experience do not have to meet additional testing requirements after teaching on an Out-of-State Certificate for one year in order to receive a Level 1 Professional Certificate. If an educator has an advanced degree and five years of experience in their area of certification as verified by their out-of-state employer or credentialing agency as "successful", they may qualify for a Level 3 Professional certificate. | Source 28 La. Admin. Code Pt CXXXI, 305 |
| Maine | No. Maine has two main licensure levels: Conditional and Professional. Out-of-state candidates not meeting assessment requirements are granted a Conditional License. | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 20-A, § 13013 |
| Maryland | No. Maryland has three types of certificates: Professional Eligibility Certificate (PEC), Standard Professional I & II Certificate (SPC), and Advanced Professional Certificate (APC). Out-of-state candidates may earn an APC upon entering Maryland if they meet the requirements outlined in regulation for the APC. | Source |
| Massachusetts | No. Massachusetts has three main licensure levels: Preliminary, Initial and Professional. Out-of-state candidates with advanced teaching credentials are required to meet assessment requirements, and some may be required to take a Sheltered English Immersion course. Candidates with at least three years of employment under a valid out-of-state license or certificate may be eligible for a Temporary License while he/she works to meet licensure requirements in the state, unless he/she fails any of the required state licensure tests. | 603 Mass. Code Regs. 7.05 603 Mass. Code Regs. 7.04 |
| Michigan | Yes. Michigan has two main licensure levels: Standard and Professional. Candidates who have three years of successful teaching experience matching their out-of-state certificate are eligible for a Professional License and are not required to meet additional assessment requirements if they: 1) have at least eighteen semester hours in a planned program completed since the issuance of his/her initial, standard teaching certificate, 2) hold a valid certificate from another state in the subject area(s) and grade levels for which he/she is seeking Michigan certification, and 3) meet the reading credit requirement. | Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 380.1531 Source |
| Minnesota | No. Minnesota has four licensure tiers and out-of-state candidates are required to meet assessment, coursework, and experience requirements in order to be eligible for the licensure tiers. | Source 1 Source 2 |
| Mississippi | Yes. Mississippi has four main licensure levels: Class A bachelor’s level license, Class AA master’s degree level license, Class AAA Specialist degree level license, or Class AAAA doctorate degree level license. Out-of-state educators meeting Mississippi licensure requirements are eligible to receive a Five Year Reciprocity License (Class A), and may also be eligible to receive an advanced teaching credential (Class AA, AAA or AAAA) subject to meeting certain requirements. | Source |
| Missouri | Yes. An individual with a valid teaching certificate from another state can be granted a comparable certificate in Missouri. Depending on the number of previous years of teaching experience, the individual may qualify for an Initial Professional license or a Career Continuous Professional license. | Source |
| Montana | No. | |
| Nebraska | No. Nebraska has three main licensure levels: Initial, Standard and Professional. Out-of-state candidates with advanced credentials are granted a lower level or Provisional license while they work toward meeting the requirements for a Professional license. | Source |
| Nevada | Yes. Nevada has three main licensure levels: Provisional, Standard and Professional. Out-of-state candidates who obtain a reciprocal license are eligible to receive a Professional License. Staff will reciprocate licenses and endorsements applied for to the closest available through Nevada regulations. | Source |
| New Hampshire | Yes. New Hampshire has two main licensure levels: Beginner Educator Certificate and Experienced Educator Certificate. Out-of-state candidates who possess a valid educator credential based on a baccalaureate or higher degree and who have at least three years of full time regular teaching experience in the past seven years may meet the requirements for an Experienced Educator Credential. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed 505.02 N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed 504.01 N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed 504.02 Source 1 Source 2 |
| New Jersey | Yes. New Jersey has two main licensure levels: Provisional and Standard. Out-of-state candidates meeting the requirements for licensure may be eligible to receive a Standard Certificate if they hold a valid certificate issued by another state and demonstrate at least two years of teaching within three consecutive years of the last four calendar years or hold a National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certificate. | Source |
| New Mexico | Yes. New Mexico has three main licensure levels: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Candidates meeting experience requirements or holding National Board Certification may be eligible to receive an advanced teaching credential. | N.M. Admin. Code 6.60.4 |
| New York | No. New York has two main certification levels: Initial and Professional. Candidates who hold advanced out-of-state credentials and who meet certification requirements are granted an Initial certificate. | N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 80-5.8 |
| North Carolina | Yes. North Carolina has two main licensure levels: Initial and Continuing. Candidates with three or more years of teaching experience who meet certain requirements and candidates with National Board Certification may be eligible to receive a Continuing Professional License. | 16 N.C. Admin. Code 6C.0316 |
| North Dakota | No. | N.D. Admin. Code 67.1-02-02-02 N.D. Admin. Code 67.1-02-06-01 N.D. Admin. Code 67.1-02-06-03 |
| Ohio | Yes. Ohio has three main licensure levels: Professional Educator, Resident Educator, and Out-of-State. Candidates with three or more years of experience under a standard out-of-state teaching credential may be eligible to receive the five-year Professional Educator license. Candidates with less than three years of experience may be eligible to receive a four-year Resident Educator license or a one-year Out-of-State Educator license. | Source Ohio Admin. Code 3301-24-05 |
| Oklahoma | No. | Source Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 70, § 6-190 |
| Oregon | Yes. If an applicant with a valid and active non-provisional out-of-state license fully qualifies for a Preliminary, Professional, Teacher Leader, Substitute or Legacy Teaching License, the applicant may bypass the Reciprocal Teaching License and apply immediately for the other license. In order to do so, the applicant must meet the prescribed eligibility requirements for a Reciprocal Teaching License as well as the requirements for the advanced license. | Or. Admin. R. 584-210-0060 |
| Pennsylvania | Yes. Pennsylvania has three main licensure levels: Intern, Instructional I and Instructional II. Out-of-state candidates with a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) credential will be granted the highest level certificate applicable. | 22 Pa. Code § 49.65 Source 1 Source 2 |
| Rhode Island | No. Rhode Island has three main licensure tiers: Initial, Professional and Advanced. Candidates with advanced credentials must demonstrate that they meet Rhode Island testing requirements in the areas(s) of certification prior to receiving full licensure. Out-of-state candidates may be eligible to receive a one-year Temporary Initial Educator Certificate if they meet all of the requirements for an Initial Educator Certificate except for the assessment requirements. | 200 R.I. Code R. 20-20-1.8 |
| South Carolina | Yes. South Carolina has two main licensure levels: Initial and Professional. Candidates meeting experience requirements may be exempt from the pedagogy assessment and eligible for immediate advancement to a professional license. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 43-51 Source |
| South Dakota | Yes. South Dakota has two main licensure levels: Professional and Advanced. Teachers with National Board Certification may be eligible for an Advanced License. | S.D. Admin. R. 24:28:06:05 |
| Tennessee | Yes. Tennessee has two main licensure levels: Practitioner and Professional. Out-of-state applicants who hold a valid certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall be issued a professional level teacher license. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0520-02-03-.03 |
| Texas | Yes. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards tests are accepted for certification testing requirements in Texas. Applicants must also hold a standard certificate in a corresponding subject area and grade level that was issued by their state's department of education. | Source |
| Utah | No. Out-of-state applicants may qualify for a Professional License. | |
| Vermont | No. Vermont has two main licensure levels: Level I and Level II. A licensed applicant who holds a professional license from a NASDTEC state may be eligible for a Level I Professional Educator’s License. | 7-1 Vt. Code R. § 13 |
| Virginia | Yes. Virginia has three main licensure levels: Provisional, Collegiate Professional, and Postgraduate Professional. Applicants who hold an out-of-state license and have completed a minimum of three years of full-time successful teaching experience in a public or accredited nonpublic school are exempted from the professional teacher’s assessment requirements and may be eligible to receive the Collegiate Professional License or a Postgraduate Professional License. | 8 Va. Admin. Code 20-23-50 |
| Washington | Yes. Washington recognizes advanced licenses in Wisconsin and Ohio as being comparable to the state's Professional Certificate. Educators who hold either of these certificates may apply directly for the Professional Teacher certificate in Washington. Candidates who hold a valid teaching certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards may also apply directly for the Professional Certificate. Applicants must still complete testing requirements and the child abuse coursework. | Source Wash. Admin. Code 181-79A-257 |
| West Virginia | Yes. West Virginia has three main licensure levels: Provisional, Initial Professional (3 year and 5 year), and Permanent. Out-of-state applicants who hold a permanent license in the issuing state and can verify a minimum of five years experience in the endorsement area(s) listed on the license may be eligible to receive a Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate. Candidates with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification may be exempt from assessment requirements. | W. Va. Code St. R. § 126-136-16 W. Va. Code Ann. § 18A-3-2a W. Va. Code R. 126-136-10 |
| Wisconsin | No. Applicants applying through the License Based on Reciprocity Pathway are eligible for a Tier II license. To advance the license, applicants must have teaching experience in Wisconsin. | Wis. Stat. Ann. § 118.193 Wis. Admin. Code PI § 34.038 |
| Wyoming | N/A. Wyoming does not have a tiered licensure system. | |
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Yes:
19
No:
1
N/A:
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