Teaching License from Ohio to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-08 · source: Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) - Division of Educator Licensure and Quality (administered with the Kentucky Department of Education) ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Ohio to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) - Division of Educator Licensure and Quality (administered with the Kentucky Department of Education), verify your Ohio license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. Kentucky's required Praxis tests (ETS, KY code 7283) apply, but are waived if the applicant verifies two years of out-of-state teaching experience; out-of-state test scores do not substitute for Kentucky's Praxis tests unless they carry the exact same test code, and credentials earned in another state solely by passing an assessment are not recognized (16 KAR 4:030).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Ohio to Kentucky: your Ohio teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Kentucky 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 Ohio license waives Kentucky's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Ohio → Kentucky
| Ohio (current) | Kentucky (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | NOT VERIFIED — Ohio publishes licensure fees inside the CORE application system rather than on a public fee page, and every public Ohio licensure URL (education.ohio.gov and sboe.ohio.gov) rejected automated retrieval on 2026-08-08: education.ohio.gov returns an F5 WAF 'Request Rejected' page to all clients including full browser headers, and sboe.ohio.gov returns 404 to every educator-licensure path tried. No fee figure is asserted rather than publishing an unverified number. Ohio waives licensure fees for honorably discharged veterans and current service members. | $85 ($85.00 application fee paid online through the EPSB account (ePay)) |
| Processing time | NOT VERIFIED — no processing timeframe could be read; the Ohio licensure pages were unreachable to automated retrieval on 2026-08-08 (see fees notes) | Not stated on the reviewed EPSB out-of-state page |
| Licensing authority | Ohio Department of Education and Workforce — Office of Educator Licensure | Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) - Division of Educator Licensure and Quality (administered with the Kentucky Department of Education) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) - Division of Educator Licensure and Quality (administered with the Kentucky Department of Education) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) - Division of Educator Licensure and Quality (administered with the Kentucky Department of Education).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Complete a state-approved teacher preparation program at a regionally accredited institution (or a state-approved alternative route).
- Submit application 'A' (CA-1, Application for Kentucky Certification) through the EPSB Online Document Submission portal.
- Provide a copy of your valid out-of-state teaching certificate (16 KAR 4:030).
- Meet Kentucky ancillary requirements - GPA, testing (Praxis via ETS), and internship.
- Submit official bachelor's (and graduate, if applicable) transcripts to KDE Certification.
- Pay the fees ($85 ($85.00 application fee paid online through the EPSB account (ePay))) and allow Not stated on the reviewed EPSB out-of-state page.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky accept a Ohio teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Ohio to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) - Division of Educator Licensure and Quality (administered with the Kentucky Department of Education), verify your Ohio license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. Kentucky's required Praxis tests (ETS, KY code 7283) apply, but are waived if the applicant verifies two years of out-of-state teaching experience; out-of-state test scores do not substitute for Kentucky's Praxis tests unless they carry the exact same test code, and credentials earned in another state solely by passing an assessment are not recognized (16 KAR 4:030).
Will I have to retake tests moving from Ohio to Kentucky?
Kentucky's required Praxis tests (ETS, KY code 7283) apply, but are waived if the applicant verifies two years of out-of-state teaching experience; out-of-state test scores do not substitute for Kentucky's Praxis tests unless they carry the exact same test code, and credentials earned in another state solely by passing an assessment are not recognized (16 KAR 4:030). Holding a Ohio license does not by itself waive Kentucky's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Kentucky right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Kentucky certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Ohio-to-Kentucky transfer cost and how long does it take?
$85 ($85.00 application fee paid online through the EPSB account (ePay)); processing Not stated on the reviewed EPSB out-of-state page.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-08.
- Kentucky EPSB - Candidates Trained Outside of Kentucky (out-of-state certification, NASDTEC, CA-1, $85 fee, Praxis) [accessed via Internet Archive; live epsb.ky.gov unreachable/migrating, content dated 2020] ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio Department of Education and Workforce — Teaching (educator licensure hub; domain confirmed live but serves an F5 WAF rejection to automated clients) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-08)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-08
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]