Teaching License from North Dakota to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from North Dakota to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), verify your North Dakota license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. Georgia reviews out-of-state credentials individually under GaPSC Rule 505-2-.21; GACE content and literacy assessments apply unless exempted. An out-of-state professional certificate holder who passed the out-of-state content assessment required for that certificate field may exempt the GACE content assessment, and five full years of successful out-of-state experience exempts the content assessment and the special education course (but never the literacy assessment). A comparable out-of-state literacy assessment may exempt the GACE literacy assessment, which applies to reciprocity teaching certificates issued after July 1, 2026. Applicants with fewer than three years of experience receive an Induction certificate and must pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of North Dakota to Georgia: your North Dakota teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Georgia 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 North Dakota license waives Georgia's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, North Dakota → Georgia
| North Dakota (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $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.) | $0–$20 ($20 processing fee payable via MyPSC for all certification transactions; waived for an applicant's first Georgia certificate when the application is supported by an employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). GACE exam fees and fingerprinting costs are additional.) |
| Processing time | 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. | ~2 weeks (GaPSC publishes no fixed range; it posts a live queue date and asks applicants to 'wait at least two weeks after completing your application' before contacting the office. On 2026-08-07 the site stated it was processing complete application packages received on or before July 27, 2026.) |
| Licensing authority | North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) | Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply through MyPSC and submit Verification of Lawful Presence documentation.
- Submit official transcripts and your out-of-state professional certificate.
- Submit an Experience Verification Form to claim three or more years of out-of-state experience for the Standard Professional Teaching certificate.
- Pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment if issued a 5-Year Induction certificate (fewer than three years of experience).
- Complete a GaPSC-accepted special education (exceptional child) course before the initial reciprocity certificate can be renewed or converted.
- Complete an FBI fingerprint background check, required for employment in Georgia public schools.
- Pay the fees ($0–$20 ($20 processing fee payable via MyPSC for all certification transactions; waived for an applicant's first Georgia certificate when the application is supported by an employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). GACE exam fees and fingerprinting costs are additional.)) and allow ~2 weeks (GaPSC publishes no fixed range; it posts a live queue date and asks applicants to 'wait at least two weeks after completing your application' before contacting the office. On 2026-08-07 the site stated it was processing complete application packages received on or before July 27, 2026.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia accept a North Dakota teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from North Dakota to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), verify your North Dakota license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. Georgia reviews out-of-state credentials individually under GaPSC Rule 505-2-.21; GACE content and literacy assessments apply unless exempted. An out-of-state professional certificate holder who passed the out-of-state content assessment required for that certificate field may exempt the GACE content assessment, and five full years of successful out-of-state experience exempts the content assessment and the special education course (but never the literacy assessment). A comparable out-of-state literacy assessment may exempt the GACE literacy assessment, which applies to reciprocity teaching certificates issued after July 1, 2026. Applicants with fewer than three years of experience receive an Induction certificate and must pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment..
Will I have to retake tests moving from North Dakota to Georgia?
Georgia reviews out-of-state credentials individually under GaPSC Rule 505-2-.21; GACE content and literacy assessments apply unless exempted. An out-of-state professional certificate holder who passed the out-of-state content assessment required for that certificate field may exempt the GACE content assessment, and five full years of successful out-of-state experience exempts the content assessment and the special education course (but never the literacy assessment). A comparable out-of-state literacy assessment may exempt the GACE literacy assessment, which applies to reciprocity teaching certificates issued after July 1, 2026. Applicants with fewer than three years of experience receive an Induction certificate and must pass the GACE Educator Ethics Assessment.. Holding a North Dakota license does not by itself waive Georgia's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Georgia right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Georgia certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the North Dakota-to-Georgia transfer cost and how long does it take?
$0–$20 ($20 processing fee payable via MyPSC for all certification transactions; waived for an applicant's first Georgia certificate when the application is supported by an employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). GACE exam fees and fingerprinting costs are additional.); processing ~2 weeks (GaPSC publishes no fixed range; it posts a live queue date and asks applicants to 'wait at least two weeks after completing your application' before contacting the office. On 2026-08-07 the site stated it was processing complete application packages received on or before July 27, 2026.).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- GaPSC Rule 505-2-.21 Certification by Interstate Reciprocity (eff. July 1, 2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- GaPSC Rule 505-2-.24 Special Georgia Requirements (eff. July 1, 2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- GaPSC Rule 505-2-.28 Certification Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- GaPSC Certification Division — Common Documents Required for Each Certification Transaction Type ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- GaPSC home page — current application processing status ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]