Teaching License from Pennsylvania to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) - Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation (OELP), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. Two-tier. An applicant holding a full, valid, continuously renewable PROFESSIONAL-level out-of-state license is issued a Tennessee Professional 6-Year license (policy effective July 1, 2021). An applicant holding an active INITIAL-level out-of-state license is issued a 3-year Practitioner license and, per TDOE, 'are not required to submit assessments' at initial application, but must pass Tennessee's required content assessment(s) to renew or advance. Out-of-state scores count only when the score report is sent directly from the testing agency to TNCompass.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from Pennsylvania to Tennessee is an application, not a transfer: Tennessee reviews your Pennsylvania certificate and issues a Tennessee certificate of its own. The tests and requirements below are what Tennessee still asks — gather them before you apply, because gaps are what slow a review.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Tennessee
| Pennsylvania (current) | Tennessee (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.) | $0 (TDOE Licensure FAQ Guide states plainly: 'There is no fee associated with applying for licensure in Tennessee.' Third-party costs are separate - ETS/Praxis registration, re-sending score reports, and transcript delivery) |
| Processing time | NOT VERIFIED — PDE publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state certification applications on the reviewed page | TDOE publishes no fixed turnaround. Applications 'are processed in the order in which they are received' and current processing times appear on a 'Now Processing' chart updated weekly. TDOE asks applicants to wait at least ten business days after submitting before contacting the office; Tennessee districts that hire an applicant may request expedited or priority processing |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) — Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality | Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) - Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation (OELP) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) - Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation (OELP) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) - Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation (OELP) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Register a TNCompass account and submit the out-of-state educator licensure application.
- Hold a bachelor's degree and have official transcripts sent directly to [email protected].
- Meet Tennessee Literacy Success Act requirements through a qualifying training or assessment where the endorsement applies.
- Pass Tennessee's required content assessment(s) before renewing or advancing a Practitioner license.
- Pay the fees ($0 (TDOE Licensure FAQ Guide states plainly: 'There is no fee associated with applying for licensure in Tennessee.' Third-party costs are separate - ETS/Praxis registration, re-sending score reports, and transcript delivery)). Processing time: TDOE publishes no fixed turnaround. Applications 'are processed in the order in which they are received' and current processing times appear on a 'Now Processing' chart updated weekly. TDOE asks applicants to wait at least ten business days after submitting before contacting the office; Tennessee districts that hire an applicant may request expedited or priority processing.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a Pennsylvania teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) - Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation (OELP), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. Two-tier. An applicant holding a full, valid, continuously renewable PROFESSIONAL-level out-of-state license is issued a Tennessee Professional 6-Year license (policy effective July 1, 2021). An applicant holding an active INITIAL-level out-of-state license is issued a 3-year Practitioner license and, per TDOE, 'are not required to submit assessments' at initial application, but must pass Tennessee's required content assessment(s) to renew or advance. Out-of-state scores count only when the score report is sent directly from the testing agency to TNCompass.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Pennsylvania to Tennessee?
Two-tier. An applicant holding a full, valid, continuously renewable PROFESSIONAL-level out-of-state license is issued a Tennessee Professional 6-Year license (policy effective July 1, 2021). An applicant holding an active INITIAL-level out-of-state license is issued a 3-year Practitioner license and, per TDOE, 'are not required to submit assessments' at initial application, but must pass Tennessee's required content assessment(s) to renew or advance. Out-of-state scores count only when the score report is sent directly from the testing agency to TNCompass.
Can I teach in Tennessee right away?
Not until the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) - Office of Educator Licensure and Preparation (OELP) issues your Tennessee certificate, so build its processing time into your start date.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Tennessee transfer cost and how long does it take?
$0 (TDOE Licensure FAQ Guide states plainly: 'There is no fee associated with applying for licensure in Tennessee.' Third-party costs are separate - ETS/Praxis registration, re-sending score reports, and transcript delivery). Processing time: TDOE publishes no fixed turnaround. Applications 'are processed in the order in which they are received' and current processing times appear on a 'Now Processing' chart updated weekly. TDOE asks applicants to wait at least ten business days after submitting before contacting the office; Tennessee districts that hire an applicant may request expedited or priority processing.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.
- Tennessee DOE - Out-of-State Educators (Practitioner 3-year vs Professional 6-Year; assessments not required at initial application on an active out-of-state initial license; Literacy Success Act) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee DOE - Licensure FAQ Guide PDF ('There is no fee associated with applying for licensure in Tennessee'; 'Now Processing' chart updated weekly; ETS score-report rules) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee DOE - Educator Licensure & Preparation hub (wait ten business days after submission before contacting the office) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Tennessee DOE - Educator Licensure Operating Procedures PDF (priority processing requests by directors of schools; no fee schedule) ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]