Teaching License from Pennsylvania to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) - Office of Educator Certification, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. South Dakota certifies out-of-state educators by reciprocity: the department recognizes an educator certificate issued by another state on completion of an approved educator preparation program and issues an equivalent South Dakota certificate, so South Dakota's own state-designated content/pedagogy tests are not re-taken for endorsements already held on the valid out-of-state certificate; endorsements NOT carried on that certificate must be earned under South Dakota's own endorsement rules (ARSD 24:28), which the DOE certification pages did not spell out on the date accessed.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Pennsylvania to South Dakota: your Pennsylvania teaching license gets you in the door, not a South Dakota license on its own terms. South Dakota reviews your credential and, if you still owe its requirements, can issue a one-year provisional certificate so you can teach while you complete them. Plan those requirements into your first year.
What changes, Pennsylvania → South Dakota
| Pennsylvania (current) | South Dakota (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.) | $35–$60 ($35 provisional certificate (1-year term) issued first to allow time to complete the South Dakota Indian Studies course, then $60 Initial Educator Certificate (5-year term) once the coursework is done, per the DOE Certification FAQ fee list. The fingerprint-based DCI/FBI background-check cost is charged separately and is not published by the certification office) |
| Processing time | NOT VERIFIED — PDE publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state certification applications on the reviewed page | 4–6 weeks (DOE Certification FAQ: applications are reviewed 'in approximately 4-6 weeks'; the same FAQ warns 'Processing can take up to 10 weeks so it is important to plan ahead') |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) — Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality | South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) - Office of Educator Certification |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) - Office of Educator Certification website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) - Office of Educator Certification (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid out-of-state educator certificate issued on completion of an approved educator preparation program.
- Register an Educator Profile and apply through the South Dakota Educator Portal.
- Complete a department-approved three-credit-hour South Dakota Indian Studies course with a grade of C or higher to convert the one-year provisional certificate to the full certificate.
- Complete a fingerprint-based DCI and FBI criminal background check for school employment.
- Pay the fees ($35–$60 ($35 provisional certificate (1-year term) issued first to allow time to complete the South Dakota Indian Studies course, then $60 Initial Educator Certificate (5-year term) once the coursework is done, per the DOE Certification FAQ fee list. The fingerprint-based DCI/FBI background-check cost is charged separately and is not published by the certification office)) and allow 4–6 weeks (DOE Certification FAQ: applications are reviewed 'in approximately 4-6 weeks'; the same FAQ warns 'Processing can take up to 10 weeks so it is important to plan ahead').
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Dakota accept a Pennsylvania teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) - Office of Educator Certification, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. South Dakota certifies out-of-state educators by reciprocity: the department recognizes an educator certificate issued by another state on completion of an approved educator preparation program and issues an equivalent South Dakota certificate, so South Dakota's own state-designated content/pedagogy tests are not re-taken for endorsements already held on the valid out-of-state certificate; endorsements NOT carried on that certificate must be earned under South Dakota's own endorsement rules (ARSD 24:28), which the DOE certification pages did not spell out on the date accessed.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Pennsylvania to South Dakota?
South Dakota certifies out-of-state educators by reciprocity: the department recognizes an educator certificate issued by another state on completion of an approved educator preparation program and issues an equivalent South Dakota certificate, so South Dakota's own state-designated content/pedagogy tests are not re-taken for endorsements already held on the valid out-of-state certificate; endorsements NOT carried on that certificate must be earned under South Dakota's own endorsement rules (ARSD 24:28), which the DOE certification pages did not spell out on the date accessed.
Can I teach in South Dakota right away?
Possibly. South Dakota can issue a one-year provisional certificate so you can teach while you complete its remaining requirements; ask the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) - Office of Educator Certification whether you qualify for it.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-South Dakota transfer cost and how long does it take?
$35–$60 ($35 provisional certificate (1-year term) issued first to allow time to complete the South Dakota Indian Studies course, then $60 Initial Educator Certificate (5-year term) once the coursework is done, per the DOE Certification FAQ fee list. The fingerprint-based DCI/FBI background-check cost is charged separately and is not published by the certification office). Processing: 4–6 weeks (DOE Certification FAQ: applications are reviewed 'in approximately 4-6 weeks'; the same FAQ warns 'Processing can take up to 10 weeks so it is important to plan ahead').
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.
- South Dakota DOE - Certification FAQ (fee list: $35 provisional 1-year, $60 Initial Educator Certificate 5-year; 4-6 week review, up to 10 weeks) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- South Dakota DOE - Educator Certification Requirements (three-credit-hour South Dakota Indian Studies course, grade C or higher, for educators certified on or after July 1, 2025) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- South Dakota DOE - Out-of-State Reciprocity Options (pathway documents) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- South Dakota DOE - Educator Certification Application (Educator Portal / Educator Profile registration) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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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