Teaching License from Pennsylvania to Iowa: Does It Transfer? (2026)
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE), Iowa Department of Education, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. Out-of-state applicants submit verification of any required assessments; where a Bureau of Educational Examiners transcript review finds coursework deficiencies, a 2-year Regional Exchange Teaching License is issued so the applicant can teach (full authority, including long-term substitute) while completing the deficient Iowa coursework, then converts to full licensure.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Pennsylvania to Iowa: your Pennsylvania teaching license gets you in the door, not an Iowa license on its own terms. Iowa reviews your credential and, if you still owe its requirements, can issue a 2-year Regional Exchange Teaching License so you can teach while you complete them. Plan those requirements into your first year.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Iowa
| Pennsylvania (current) | Iowa (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $150 ($150 total for an out-of-state applicant's new credential (program completed outside PA: Instructional, Career and Technical, Educational Specialist, Administrative/Supervisory, LOE, CQL) per PDE's Fees and Forms schedule effective 11/12/25 — a $50 standard certification fee (capped at $50 by Act 47 of 2025) plus the separate $100 Professional Educator Discipline fee, which Act 47 did not waive. Charged inside TIMS at submission. Veterans and their spouses are exempt from both fees. Separate from this: Praxis/PECT test fees paid to the testing provider, transcript costs, and background-check clearances. Adding an endorsement is billed separately ($100). On the same PDE schedule, experience-based credentials and their add-ons are $0, but testing add-ons (Instructional I/II, Career and Technical Instructional I/II, Administrative) are $150 — add-ons are not uniformly free, so check which kind yours is.) | First-time applicants pay a $35 background-check fee within the online application plus a separate Fieldprint fingerprinting fee (or $75 for paper fingerprint cards); the license fee is assessed in the online application and was not published as a fixed figure on the reviewed pages |
| Processing time | NOT VERIFIED — PDE publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state certification applications on the reviewed page | up to 6 weeks (Board states applications may take up to six (6) weeks to process; Fieldprint results usually within one week; paper fingerprint cards 4-6 weeks) |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) — Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality | Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE), Iowa Department of Education |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Iowa sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Iowa's current requirements on the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE), Iowa Department of Education website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE), Iowa Department of Education (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Complete a full state-approved teacher preparation program for college-credit at a regionally accredited out-of-state institution.
- Submit official transcripts and verification of program completion for a Bureau of Educational Examiners transcript review.
- Provide a valid or expired out-of-state teaching license.
- Complete a fingerprint-based background check (Fieldprint) as a first-time applicant.
- Provide verification of required assessments and experience where applicable.
- Pay the fees (First-time applicants pay a $35 background-check fee within the online application plus a separate Fieldprint fingerprinting fee (or $75 for paper fingerprint cards); the license fee is assessed in the online application and was not published as a fixed figure on the reviewed pages) and allow up to 6 weeks (Board states applications may take up to six (6) weeks to process; Fieldprint results usually within one week; paper fingerprint cards 4-6 weeks).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Iowa accept a Pennsylvania teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE), Iowa Department of Education, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. Out-of-state applicants submit verification of any required assessments; where a Bureau of Educational Examiners transcript review finds coursework deficiencies, a 2-year Regional Exchange Teaching License is issued so the applicant can teach (full authority, including long-term substitute) while completing the deficient Iowa coursework, then converts to full licensure.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Pennsylvania to Iowa?
Out-of-state applicants submit verification of any required assessments; where a Bureau of Educational Examiners transcript review finds coursework deficiencies, a 2-year Regional Exchange Teaching License is issued so the applicant can teach (full authority, including long-term substitute) while completing the deficient Iowa coursework, then converts to full licensure.
Can I teach in Iowa right away?
Possibly. Iowa can issue a 2-year Regional Exchange Teaching License so you can teach while you complete its remaining requirements; ask the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE), Iowa Department of Education whether you qualify for it.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Iowa transfer cost and how long does it take?
First-time applicants pay a $35 background-check fee within the online application plus a separate Fieldprint fingerprinting fee (or $75 for paper fingerprint cards); the license fee is assessed in the online application and was not published as a fixed figure on the reviewed pages. Processing: up to 6 weeks (Board states applications may take up to six (6) weeks to process; Fieldprint results usually within one week; paper fingerprint cards 4-6 weeks).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.
- Iowa BoEE - Regional Exchange Teaching License (Out-of-State Applicants) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Iowa BoEE - More Application Information (processing times, background checks & fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Pennsylvania Department of Education — Out-of-State Educators (TIMS application, transcripts, test-score reporting, PDE338V/PDE338A forms, citizenship requirement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-08)
- Pennsylvania Department of Education — Certification Fees and Forms (fee schedule effective 11/12/25: out-of-state new credential $50 standard + $100 Professional Educator Discipline fee = $150; veteran/spouse exemption) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-01
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