Transfer Your Teaching License to South Carolina: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services ↗

A South Carolina teaching license is not automatically exchanged for your out-of-state one. Under the NASDTEC agreement, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services reviews your credential, issues a provisional certificate so you can start teaching, and requires its exams and any missing coursework within a set window before the full license. Application fee: $105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages).

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The framing that saves relocating teachers real trouble: South Carolina is giving you a runway, not a transfer. The provisional credential lets you take a classroom immediately, but the clock on South Carolina's tests and coursework starts with it. Map the requirements below to a timeline the day you accept a position — the deadline inside your provisional window is the thing that trips people, not the difficulty of any single requirement.

Reciprocity is a misnomer — South Carolina recognizes a comparable out-of-state credential through the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement but issues its own certificate after review, and only standard, current, in-good-standing credentials qualify. An applicant with fewer than 27 months of qualifying experience in the last seven years receives an Initial certificate (valid up to three school years, not renewable, extendable at an employing district's request), during which the educator must document a pedagogy assessment and complete South Carolina's ADEPT summative evaluation process to advance to a Professional certificate. An applicant with 27+ months receives a Professional certificate directly but must still complete ADEPT to reach a continuing contract. Leadership and administrative fields cannot be added at the Initial level. ed.sc.gov refused connections from this network, so the official pages were read through Internet Archive captures made on 2026-08-07 (the date of research).

South Carolina requirements at a glance

Out-of-state teaching certificate transfer requirements for South Carolina, verified 2026-08-07
Exam	South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period.
Additional requirements	Hold a current, valid, standard credential from another US state, the District of Columbia, or DoDEA — temporary, emergency, provisional, and conditional out-of-state credentials are not accepted for reciprocity Create a My SC Educator Portal account and complete the Standard Application for Out-of-State Educators before any other step Complete the SCDE fingerprinting process and criminal records review — fingerprinting completed for another state, agency, or purpose cannot be used Submit official transcripts from each regionally accredited college attended, a copy of all pages of the existing out-of-state credential, and score reports for any certification exams completed Submit an Experience Verification Form from each employer; at least 27 months of qualifying experience earned in the last seven school years in the state of the transferred certificate is required for a Professional rather than an Initial certificate
Fees	$105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages)
Processing time	SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application

Step by step

Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state.
Hold a current, valid, standard credential from another US state, the District of Columbia, or DoDEA — temporary, emergency, provisional, and conditional out-of-state credentials are not accepted for reciprocity.
Create a My SC Educator Portal account and complete the Standard Application for Out-of-State Educators before any other step.
Complete the SCDE fingerprinting process and criminal records review — fingerprinting completed for another state, agency, or purpose cannot be used.
Submit official transcripts from each regionally accredited college attended, a copy of all pages of the existing out-of-state credential, and score reports for any certification exams completed.
Submit an Experience Verification Form from each employer; at least 27 months of qualifying experience earned in the last seven school years in the state of the transferred certificate is required for a Professional rather than an Initial certificate.
Pay the fees ($105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages)) and allow SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application.

Official links

South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services ↗South Carolina application ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into South Carolina:

California → South Carolina Florida → South Carolina Georgia → South Carolina Illinois → South Carolina Michigan → South Carolina New York → South Carolina North Carolina → South Carolina Ohio → South Carolina Pennsylvania → South Carolina Texas → South Carolina

Frequently asked questions

Does my teaching license transfer to South Carolina?

Is teaching reciprocity automatic in South Carolina?

No. South Carolina reviews your out-of-state credential and issues a provisional certificate; you complete its tests and coursework within a set window before the full license. It is the right to apply, not an instant swap.

What tests or requirements does South Carolina add?

South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period..

What does a South Carolina out-of-state teaching certificate cost and how long does it take?

$105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages); processing SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

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