Teaching License from Texas to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure, verify your Texas license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. Kansas content and pedagogy assessment requirements apply to out-of-state applicants but may be exempted by accepting the applicant's out-of-state test scores or verified teaching experience; where requirements remain outstanding, an Out-of-State Provisional license is available while they are completed.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Texas to Kansas: your Texas teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Kansas 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 Texas license waives Kansas's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Texas → Kansas
| Texas (current) | Kansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $160–$164 (19 TAC Sec. 230.101 (SBEC rules currently in effect) sets the nonrefundable fee for 'Review of a credential issued by a jurisdiction other than Texas' at $160, the standard certificate at $75, and the 'One-year certificate based on a credential issued by a jurisdiction other than Texas' at $50. TEA's out-of-state application materials state $164 is collected for the credentials review; the $4 difference is not explained on any TEA page reviewed, so the range is reported rather than a single figure. The national criminal history check fee (a $10 criminal history review fee plus the current DPS/FBI fingerprint scanning and processing cost) and TExES exam fees are additional) | KSDE assesses a nonrefundable application processing fee in KLAS; a fixed amount was not published on the reviewed pages; fingerprinting is additional for first-time out-of-state applicants |
| Processing time | 6–8 weeks (TEA: 'Applicants should allow 6 to 8 weeks for processing.' Reviews and test-exemption determinations run longer in the busy season, which TEA pages describe variously as March-October and April-September. TEA's out-of-state certification page reported 531 applications awaiting review as of August 5, 2026 with four specialists assigned) | Not stated on the reviewed KSDE pages |
| Licensing authority | Texas Education Agency (TEA) - Educator Certification | Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a valid full or standard out-of-state teaching license issued after completing a state-approved preparation program.
- Hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and have completed a teacher preparation program.
- Meet the 'recency' requirement - teaching experience and/or college credit within the last six years.
- Submit the Form 2 Initial Out-of-State application with a fingerprint card through the Kansas Licensure Applications System (KLAS).
- Pay the fees (KSDE assesses a nonrefundable application processing fee in KLAS; a fixed amount was not published on the reviewed pages; fingerprinting is additional for first-time out-of-state applicants) and allow Not stated on the reviewed KSDE pages.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kansas accept a Texas teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure, verify your Texas license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. Kansas content and pedagogy assessment requirements apply to out-of-state applicants but may be exempted by accepting the applicant's out-of-state test scores or verified teaching experience; where requirements remain outstanding, an Out-of-State Provisional license is available while they are completed.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Texas to Kansas?
Kansas content and pedagogy assessment requirements apply to out-of-state applicants but may be exempted by accepting the applicant's out-of-state test scores or verified teaching experience; where requirements remain outstanding, an Out-of-State Provisional license is available while they are completed. Holding a Texas license does not by itself waive Kansas's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Kansas right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Kansas certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Texas-to-Kansas transfer cost and how long does it take?
KSDE assesses a nonrefundable application processing fee in KLAS; a fixed amount was not published on the reviewed pages; fingerprinting is additional for first-time out-of-state applicants; processing Not stated on the reviewed KSDE pages.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- KSDE - License Information and Applications (KLAS; license structure and content assessments) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Certified Educators (no reciprocity; Review of Credentials; certificate must be valid and active; 6-8 weeks) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Educator Test Exemption Review (1 year classroom / 2 years administrative-student services / 3+ years verifiable; STR not exemptible by experience or Reading Academies) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas SBEC rules currently in effect - 19 TAC Chapter 230 Subchapter G PDF, Sec. 230.101 Schedule of Fees ($160 review of an out-of-jurisdiction credential; $75 standard certificate; $50 one-year certificate; $10 criminal history review fee plus fingerprint costs) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Certifications overview (ECOS account required; 6 to 8 weeks in busiest months April-September; current review backlog) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Application Instructions (three-step TEAL sequence: Review of Credentials, One-Year Certificate, Standard Certificate) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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