Teaching License from Michigan to Alabama: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Michigan to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section, verify your Michigan license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. Alabama relies on your valid out-of-state professional educator certificate; Rule 290-3-2-.20 (Certificate Reciprocity) does not list a separate Alabama Praxis passing score for teaching fields, but Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) requirements — ACT WorkKeys basic-skills, prescribed Praxis II subject test(s), and the Pearson performance assessment — apply as prescribed 'for this approach', and a 6-month window is allowed to submit any required passing scores..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Michigan to Alabama: your Michigan teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Alabama 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 Michigan license waives Alabama's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Michigan → Alabama
| Michigan (current) | Alabama (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $210 ($210 out-of-state evaluation fee for the Standard or Professional Teaching Certificate (the in-state fee for the same certificates is $160); an additional endorsement is $50. Fees are authorized by MCL 380.1538, are valid two years from the date of payment, and are not refunded for denied applications) | $30 ($30.00 nonrefundable application fee per Ala. Code 16-23-4; additional fee for each extra area; fingerprint/background-check costs additional) |
| Processing time | MDE publishes no processing timeframe; an assigned certification specialist evaluates the credential and issues an evaluation letter identifying any remaining tests or coursework before certification | Not stated; rule allows a 60-day window to complete an incomplete application and a 6-month window to submit any required AECAP scores |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Department of Education (MDE) — Office of Educator Excellence (Educator Certification) | Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alabama sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Alabama's current requirements on the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid professional educator certificate from another state, DC, a U.S. territory, or DoDEA in an area, grade level, and degree level comparable to an Alabama certificate.
- Verify an earned bachelor's or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution on official transcripts (teaching fields).
- Complete a criminal-history (fingerprint) background check under the Alabama Child Protection Act.
- Verify U.S. citizenship or lawful nationality/immigration status (Beason-Hammon Act).
- Meet the AECAP testing requirements prescribed for this approach; a 6-month window applies if testing is required.
- Apply online through the ALSDE ACE / AIM certification system.
- Pay the fees ($30 ($30.00 nonrefundable application fee per Ala. Code 16-23-4; additional fee for each extra area; fingerprint/background-check costs additional)) and allow Not stated; rule allows a 60-day window to complete an incomplete application and a 6-month window to submit any required AECAP scores.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Alabama accept a Michigan teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Michigan to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section, verify your Michigan license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. Alabama relies on your valid out-of-state professional educator certificate; Rule 290-3-2-.20 (Certificate Reciprocity) does not list a separate Alabama Praxis passing score for teaching fields, but Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) requirements — ACT WorkKeys basic-skills, prescribed Praxis II subject test(s), and the Pearson performance assessment — apply as prescribed 'for this approach', and a 6-month window is allowed to submit any required passing scores..
Will I have to retake tests moving from Michigan to Alabama?
Alabama relies on your valid out-of-state professional educator certificate; Rule 290-3-2-.20 (Certificate Reciprocity) does not list a separate Alabama Praxis passing score for teaching fields, but Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) requirements — ACT WorkKeys basic-skills, prescribed Praxis II subject test(s), and the Pearson performance assessment — apply as prescribed 'for this approach', and a 6-month window is allowed to submit any required passing scores.. Holding a Michigan license does not by itself waive Alabama's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Alabama right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Alabama certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Michigan-to-Alabama transfer cost and how long does it take?
$30 ($30.00 nonrefundable application fee per Ala. Code 16-23-4; additional fee for each extra area; fingerprint/background-check costs additional); processing Not stated; rule allows a 60-day window to complete an incomplete application and a 6-month window to submit any required AECAP scores.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- ALSDE — Out of State Certificate (Certificate Reciprocity approach) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama Administrative Code 290-3-2 (Educator Certification) — Rule 290-3-2-.20 Certificates Issued by Another State Approach and 290-3-2-.02 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MDE — Out-of-State Applicants (Standard, Professional, and Temporary Teaching Certificates; MTTC testing; three-year experience exemption; reading methods coursework) [michigan.gov intermittently blocks automated clients; read via the Internet Archive capture of 2026-08-03] ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- MDE — Certificate Evaluation Fees (out-of-state fee table: $210 Standard and Professional Teaching Certificate, $160 in-state, $50 additional endorsement; fees valid two years) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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