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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) ↗

A teaching certificate transfers from Georgia to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB), verify your Georgia license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. Minnesota's exams are the MTLE. An out-of-state applicant who qualifies on a professional teaching license from another state in good standing plus two years of teaching experience as teacher of record must have passed the applicable MTLE content and pedagogy exams before applying — PELSB does not accept out-of-state test scores on that pathway. Only an applicant who completed a state-approved preparation program outside Minnesota but did NOT hold licensure in that same state may submit Section 6A, a certifying officer's verification of the testing required at the time of preparation, for review in lieu of Minnesota testing. Related-services (non-teaching) fields require no testing..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The honest version of Georgia to Minnesota: your Georgia teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Minnesota 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 Georgia license waives Minnesota's requirements — plan them into your first year.

What changes, Georgia → Minnesota

Side-by-side: Georgia vs Minnesota (Teaching (K-12)), verified 2026-08-07
Georgia (current)Minnesota (destination)
Application fee$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.)$89 ($89.00 initial/first-time Minnesota educator license application fee, which includes the fingerprint card fee; $57.00 for existing Minnesota license holders. Non-refundable, paid by check or money order payable to PELSB — no cash. This supersedes the $90.25 fee printed on the February 2025 application forms)
Processing time~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.)PELSB publishes no processing timeframe on the Tier 3 or Tier 4 application forms; it warns only that partial or incomplete applications will be returned
Licensing authorityGeorgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Submit one complete Tier 3 (or Tier 4) license application packet to PELSB, or apply through the online licensing system if you have never held a PELSB license.
  5. Hold a bachelor's degree and document a state-approved teacher preparation program including 12 or more weeks of field-specific student teaching.
  6. Submit a copy of the valid out-of-state professional license plus a Verification of Teaching Experience form — two years for the Tier 3 license route, three years for an initial Tier 4 license.
  7. Submit passing MTLE content and pedagogy scores, or Section 6A verification of out-of-state testing if you did not hold a license in the state where the preparation program was completed.
  8. Include a completed FD-258 fingerprint card with the packet if this is your first Minnesota educator license.
  9. Pay the fees ($89 ($89.00 initial/first-time Minnesota educator license application fee, which includes the fingerprint card fee; $57.00 for existing Minnesota license holders. Non-refundable, paid by check or money order payable to PELSB — no cash. This supersedes the $90.25 fee printed on the February 2025 application forms)) and allow PELSB publishes no processing timeframe on the Tier 3 or Tier 4 application forms; it warns only that partial or incomplete applications will be returned.

Official links

Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) ↗Minnesota application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Minnesota → GeorgiaTeaching in GeorgiaTeaching in MinnesotaAll teaching states

Frequently asked questions

Does Minnesota accept a Georgia teaching license?

A teaching certificate transfers from Georgia to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB), verify your Georgia license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. Minnesota's exams are the MTLE. An out-of-state applicant who qualifies on a professional teaching license from another state in good standing plus two years of teaching experience as teacher of record must have passed the applicable MTLE content and pedagogy exams before applying — PELSB does not accept out-of-state test scores on that pathway. Only an applicant who completed a state-approved preparation program outside Minnesota but did NOT hold licensure in that same state may submit Section 6A, a certifying officer's verification of the testing required at the time of preparation, for review in lieu of Minnesota testing. Related-services (non-teaching) fields require no testing..

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

Minnesota's exams are the MTLE. An out-of-state applicant who qualifies on a professional teaching license from another state in good standing plus two years of teaching experience as teacher of record must have passed the applicable MTLE content and pedagogy exams before applying — PELSB does not accept out-of-state test scores on that pathway. Only an applicant who completed a state-approved preparation program outside Minnesota but did NOT hold licensure in that same state may submit Section 6A, a certifying officer's verification of the testing required at the time of preparation, for review in lieu of Minnesota testing. Related-services (non-teaching) fields require no testing.. Holding a Georgia license does not by itself waive Minnesota's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.

Can I teach in Minnesota right away?

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

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

$89 ($89.00 initial/first-time Minnesota educator license application fee, which includes the fingerprint card fee; $57.00 for existing Minnesota license holders. Non-refundable, paid by check or money order payable to PELSB — no cash. This supersedes the $90.25 fee printed on the February 2025 application forms); processing PELSB publishes no processing timeframe on the Tier 3 or Tier 4 application forms; it warns only that partial or incomplete applications will be returned.

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]