Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Teaching License from Colorado to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) ↗

A teaching certificate transfers from Colorado to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), verify your Colorado license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. Georgia reviews out-of-state credentials individually under GaPSC Rule 505-2-.21; GACE content and literacy assessments apply unless exempted. An out-of-state professional certificate holder who passed the out-of-state content assessment required for that certificate field may exempt the GACE content assessment, and five full years of successful out-of-state experience exempts the content assessment and the special education course (but never the literacy assessment). A comparable out-of-state literacy assessment may exempt the GACE literacy assessment, which applies to reciprocity teaching certificates issued after July 1, 2026. Applicants with fewer than three years of experience receive an Induction certificate and must pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The honest version of Colorado to Georgia: your Colorado teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Georgia will review your credential, issue a provisional certificate so you can begin teaching, and then require its own tests and coursework within its completion window before the full license. Nothing about holding an Colorado license waives Georgia's requirements — plan them into your first year.

What changes, Colorado → Georgia

Side-by-side: Colorado vs Georgia (Teaching (K-12)), verified 2026-08-07
Colorado (current)Georgia (destination)
Application fee$90 ($90 base application (evaluation) fee for the Initial or Professional Teacher License, assessed in Colorado Online Licensing (COOL) and non-refundable per state statute; the CBI/FBI fingerprint background check fee is additional)$0–$20 ($20 processing fee payable via MyPSC for all certification transactions; waived for an applicant's first Georgia certificate when the application is supported by an employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). GACE exam fees and fingerprinting costs are additional.)
Processing time~9 weeks (CDE states it will evaluate the application within 45 business days of receipt (~9 weeks); applicants have 60 days to submit missing documentation before withdrawal)~2 weeks (GaPSC publishes no fixed range; it posts a live queue date and asks applicants to 'wait at least two weeks after completing your application' before contacting the office. On 2026-08-07 the site stated it was processing complete application packages received on or before July 27, 2026.)
Licensing authorityColorado Department of Education (CDE) - Educator Talent / Educator LicensingGeorgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Apply through MyPSC and submit Verification of Lawful Presence documentation.
  5. Submit official transcripts and your out-of-state professional certificate.
  6. Submit an Experience Verification Form to claim three or more years of out-of-state experience for the Standard Professional Teaching certificate.
  7. Pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment if issued a 5-Year Induction certificate (fewer than three years of experience).
  8. Complete a GaPSC-accepted special education (exceptional child) course before the initial reciprocity certificate can be renewed or converted.
  9. Complete an FBI fingerprint background check, required for employment in Georgia public schools.
  10. Pay the fees ($0–$20 ($20 processing fee payable via MyPSC for all certification transactions; waived for an applicant's first Georgia certificate when the application is supported by an employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). GACE exam fees and fingerprinting costs are additional.)) and allow ~2 weeks (GaPSC publishes no fixed range; it posts a live queue date and asks applicants to 'wait at least two weeks after completing your application' before contacting the office. On 2026-08-07 the site stated it was processing complete application packages received on or before July 27, 2026.).

Official links

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Does Georgia accept a Colorado teaching license?

A teaching certificate transfers from Colorado to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), verify your Colorado license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. Georgia reviews out-of-state credentials individually under GaPSC Rule 505-2-.21; GACE content and literacy assessments apply unless exempted. An out-of-state professional certificate holder who passed the out-of-state content assessment required for that certificate field may exempt the GACE content assessment, and five full years of successful out-of-state experience exempts the content assessment and the special education course (but never the literacy assessment). A comparable out-of-state literacy assessment may exempt the GACE literacy assessment, which applies to reciprocity teaching certificates issued after July 1, 2026. Applicants with fewer than three years of experience receive an Induction certificate and must pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment..

Will I have to retake tests moving from Colorado to Georgia?

Georgia reviews out-of-state credentials individually under GaPSC Rule 505-2-.21; GACE content and literacy assessments apply unless exempted. An out-of-state professional certificate holder who passed the out-of-state content assessment required for that certificate field may exempt the GACE content assessment, and five full years of successful out-of-state experience exempts the content assessment and the special education course (but never the literacy assessment). A comparable out-of-state literacy assessment may exempt the GACE literacy assessment, which applies to reciprocity teaching certificates issued after July 1, 2026. Applicants with fewer than three years of experience receive an Induction certificate and must pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment.. Holding a Colorado license does not by itself waive Georgia's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.

Can I teach in Georgia right away?

Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Georgia certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.

What does the Colorado-to-Georgia transfer cost and how long does it take?

$0–$20 ($20 processing fee payable via MyPSC for all certification transactions; waived for an applicant's first Georgia certificate when the application is supported by an employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). GACE exam fees and fingerprinting costs are additional.); processing ~2 weeks (GaPSC publishes no fixed range; it posts a live queue date and asks applicants to 'wait at least two weeks after completing your application' before contacting the office. On 2026-08-07 the site stated it was processing complete application packages received on or before July 27, 2026.).

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]