Teaching License from Michigan to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Michigan to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services, verify your Michigan license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period..
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Michigan to South Carolina: your Michigan teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. South Carolina 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 South Carolina's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Michigan → South Carolina
| Michigan (current) | South Carolina (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) | $105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages) |
| 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 | SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Department of Education (MDE) — Office of Educator Excellence (Educator Certification) | South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, valid, standard credential from another US state, the District of Columbia, or DoDEA — temporary, emergency, provisional, and conditional out-of-state credentials are not accepted for reciprocity.
- Create a My SC Educator Portal account and complete the Standard Application for Out-of-State Educators before any other step.
- Complete the SCDE fingerprinting process and criminal records review — fingerprinting completed for another state, agency, or purpose cannot be used.
- Submit official transcripts from each regionally accredited college attended, a copy of all pages of the existing out-of-state credential, and score reports for any certification exams completed.
- Submit an Experience Verification Form from each employer; at least 27 months of qualifying experience earned in the last seven school years in the state of the transferred certificate is required for a Professional rather than an Initial certificate.
- Pay the fees ($105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages)) and allow SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina accept a Michigan teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Michigan to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services, verify your Michigan license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period..
Will I have to retake tests moving from Michigan to South Carolina?
South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period.. Holding a Michigan license does not by itself waive South Carolina's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in South Carolina right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year South Carolina certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Michigan-to-South Carolina transfer cost and how long does it take?
$105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages); processing SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- SCDE — Out-of-State Educators / Reciprocity (NASDTEC Interstate Agreement; eligible credential requirements; $105 fee; application procedures; Initial vs Professional certificate and the 27-month experience threshold; pedagogy assessment during Initial validity) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SCDE — Application Checklist: Out-of-State Educators ($105 non-refundable processing fee; My SC Educator Portal steps; fingerprint card request for out-of-state applicants) [PDF served at this URL] ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- SCDE — Questions Regarding the South Carolina Certificate Issued by Reciprocity (30-day window to dispute an issued certificate; 90-day window to submit additional experience for a Professional certificate) ↗ (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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