Teaching License from New York 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 New York 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 New York 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.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of New York to North Dakota: your New York 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 New York license waives North Dakota's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, New York → North Dakota
| New York (current) | North Dakota (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.) | $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 | 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.' | 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 | New York State Education Department (NYSED) — Office of Teaching Initiatives | 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 New York teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from New York 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 New York 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 New York 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 New York 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 New York-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)
- 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 Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]