Teaching License from Michigan to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Michigan to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB), verify your Michigan license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. North Dakota honors the out-of-state program and its tests — an applicant who completed an approved program including student teaching and met the sending state's testing requirements faces no additional North Dakota testing; those licensed after 2002 in the sending state without completing North Dakota's tests get two years to complete them, and holders of an out-of-state alternative certification must pass Praxis I and Praxis II in their content area(s) before an OSEL is issued.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Michigan to North Dakota: your Michigan teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. North Dakota 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 North Dakota's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Michigan → North Dakota
| Michigan (current) | North Dakota (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) | $85–$190 (Other State Educator License: $85 for the initial 2-year OSEL, $190 for the initial 5-year OSEL. Additional and not included in this range: a $30 initial application fee, a $5 maintenance charge added to every new ESPB application since 2019-06-01, $44.50 fingerprinting, and $80 per endorsement. Applicants without a current out-of-state license use the Out-of-State Reciprocal License at $85 instead.) |
| 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 | ESPB publishes no license-processing estimate. The only official timing figures are collateral: fingerprint/background results returning from the FBI/BCI 'averages 3 weeks', and ESPB asks that you allow 5 to 7 working days for a response to emailed questions. |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Department of Education (MDE) — Office of Educator Excellence (Educator Certification) | North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply for the Other State Educator License (OSEL) through a ND Teach online account.
- Submit official transcripts, a copy of the current valid out-of-state teaching license, and the Confirmation of Other State Educator License form completed by the issuing state's licensure agency.
- Complete a fingerprint-based FBI/BCI background check processed by ESPB — print and mail the fingerprinting forms to the ESPB office in Bismarck.
- Complete the ND Health and Human Services mandated reporter training for suspected child abuse or neglect and upload the certificate of completion (required of all initial-license applicants effective 2025-08-01 under HB 1562 / NDCC 15.1-07-34).
- Pay the non-refundable initial application fee plus the OSEL license fee.
- Pay the fees ($85–$190 (Other State Educator License: $85 for the initial 2-year OSEL, $190 for the initial 5-year OSEL. Additional and not included in this range: a $30 initial application fee, a $5 maintenance charge added to every new ESPB application since 2019-06-01, $44.50 fingerprinting, and $80 per endorsement. Applicants without a current out-of-state license use the Out-of-State Reciprocal License at $85 instead.)) and allow ESPB publishes no license-processing estimate. The only official timing figures are collateral: fingerprint/background results returning from the FBI/BCI 'averages 3 weeks', and ESPB asks that you allow 5 to 7 working days for a response to emailed questions..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Dakota accept a Michigan teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Michigan to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB), verify your Michigan license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. North Dakota honors the out-of-state program and its tests — an applicant who completed an approved program including student teaching and met the sending state's testing requirements faces no additional North Dakota testing; those licensed after 2002 in the sending state without completing North Dakota's tests get two years to complete them, and holders of an out-of-state alternative certification must pass Praxis I and Praxis II in their content area(s) before an OSEL is issued.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Michigan to North Dakota?
North Dakota honors the out-of-state program and its tests — an applicant who completed an approved program including student teaching and met the sending state's testing requirements faces no additional North Dakota testing; those licensed after 2002 in the sending state without completing North Dakota's tests get two years to complete them, and holders of an out-of-state alternative certification must pass Praxis I and Praxis II in their content area(s) before an OSEL is issued. Holding a Michigan license does not by itself waive North Dakota's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in North Dakota right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year North Dakota certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Michigan-to-North Dakota transfer cost and how long does it take?
$85–$190 (Other State Educator License: $85 for the initial 2-year OSEL, $190 for the initial 5-year OSEL. Additional and not included in this range: a $30 initial application fee, a $5 maintenance charge added to every new ESPB application since 2019-06-01, $44.50 fingerprinting, and $80 per endorsement. Applicants without a current out-of-state license use the Out-of-State Reciprocal License at $85 instead.); processing ESPB publishes no license-processing estimate. The only official timing figures are collateral: fingerprint/background results returning from the FBI/BCI 'averages 3 weeks', and ESPB asks that you allow 5 to 7 working days for a response to emailed questions..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- ND ESPB — Types of Licenses (OSEL and Out-of-State Reciprocal License) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — Licensing Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — Background Checks ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — Mandated Reporter Training for Initial Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — License FAQs ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]