Teaching License from New York to Minnesota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
A teaching certificate transfers from New York 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 New York 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.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from New York to Minnesota is an application, not a transfer: Minnesota reviews your New York certificate and issues a Minnesota certificate of its own. The tests and requirements below are what Minnesota still asks — gather them before you apply, because gaps are what slow a review.
What changes, New York → Minnesota
| New York (current) | Minnesota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 per certificate title or extension for an Initial/Professional classroom teaching certificate awarded on alternate requirements (transcript/individual evaluation) — the route interstate applicants use. The $50 rate applies only to certificates based on completion of a New York State-registered approved program requiring a college recommendation. Additional: $104.50 fingerprint fee as of 2026-02-02 (DCJS $75.00 + FBI $12.00 + IDEMIA $17.50). An application is valid for three years or two evaluations, whichever comes first, and the fee is non-refundable once evaluated.) | $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 | NYSED publishes no processing-time estimate for certification applications. The Office of Teaching Initiatives states only that it 'can not determine eligibility for certification until an application has been submitted, and a review of your credentials has been completed.' | 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 | New York State Education Department (NYSED) — Office of Teaching Initiatives | 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)). Processing time: 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 New York teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from New York 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 New York 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 New York 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.
Can I teach in Minnesota right away?
Not until the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) issues your Minnesota certificate, so build its processing time into your start date.
What does the New York-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 time: 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)
- NYSED OTI — Applicants from Other States (Interstate Reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED OTI — Application Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED OTI — Workshops Required for Educator Certification ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED — Fingerprinting (fee effective 2026-02-02) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]