Teaching License from Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan to Minnesota: your Michigan 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 Michigan license waives Minnesota's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Michigan → Minnesota
| Michigan (current) | Minnesota (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) | $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 | 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 | 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 authority | Michigan Department of Education (MDE) — Office of Educator Excellence (Educator Certification) | 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
- Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- 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.
- Hold a bachelor's degree and document a state-approved teacher preparation program including 12 or more weeks of field-specific student teaching.
- 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.
- 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.
- Include a completed FD-258 fingerprint card with the packet if this is your first Minnesota educator license.
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Minnesota accept a Michigan teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan-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.
- PELSB — Application for a Tier 3 Minnesota Educator License, April 2026 ($89.00 first-time fee including fingerprint card, $57.00 existing holders; Section 4 licensure pathways incl. out-of-state license plus two years of experience; Section 6A out-of-state test verification scope) [PDF] ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PELSB — Application for a Tier 4 Minnesota Educator License, April 2026 (three years of teaching experience required for all initial Tier 4 applications; five-year validity; same $89.00/$57.00 fees) [PDF] ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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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