Teaching License from Texas to Minnesota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB), verify your Texas license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. Minnesota's exams are the MTLE. An out-of-state applicant who qualifies on a professional teaching license from another state in good standing plus two years of teaching experience as teacher of record must have passed the applicable MTLE content and pedagogy exams before applying — PELSB does not accept out-of-state test scores on that pathway. Only an applicant who completed a state-approved preparation program outside Minnesota but did NOT hold licensure in that same state may submit Section 6A, a certifying officer's verification of the testing required at the time of preparation, for review in lieu of Minnesota testing. Related-services (non-teaching) fields require no testing..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Texas to Minnesota: your Texas teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Minnesota 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 Minnesota's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Texas → Minnesota
| Texas (current) | Minnesota (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) | $89 ($89.00 initial/first-time Minnesota educator license application fee, which includes the fingerprint card fee; $57.00 for existing Minnesota license holders. Non-refundable, paid by check or money order payable to PELSB — no cash. This supersedes the $90.25 fee printed on the February 2025 application forms) |
| 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) | PELSB publishes no processing timeframe on the Tier 3 or Tier 4 application forms; it warns only that partial or incomplete applications will be returned |
| Licensing authority | Texas Education Agency (TEA) - Educator Certification | Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Minnesota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Minnesota's current requirements on the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Submit one complete Tier 3 (or Tier 4) license application packet to PELSB, or apply through the online licensing system if you have never held a PELSB license.
- Hold a bachelor's degree and document a state-approved teacher preparation program including 12 or more weeks of field-specific student teaching.
- Submit a copy of the valid out-of-state professional license plus a Verification of Teaching Experience form — two years for the Tier 3 license route, three years for an initial Tier 4 license.
- Submit passing MTLE content and pedagogy scores, or Section 6A verification of out-of-state testing if you did not hold a license in the state where the preparation program was completed.
- Include a completed FD-258 fingerprint card with the packet if this is your first Minnesota educator license.
- Pay the fees ($89 ($89.00 initial/first-time Minnesota educator license application fee, which includes the fingerprint card fee; $57.00 for existing Minnesota license holders. Non-refundable, paid by check or money order payable to PELSB — no cash. This supersedes the $90.25 fee printed on the February 2025 application forms)) and allow PELSB publishes no processing timeframe on the Tier 3 or Tier 4 application forms; it warns only that partial or incomplete applications will be returned.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Minnesota accept a Texas teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Minnesota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB), verify your Texas license, and meet Minnesota's endorsement requirements. Minnesota's exams are the MTLE. An out-of-state applicant who qualifies on a professional teaching license from another state in good standing plus two years of teaching experience as teacher of record must have passed the applicable MTLE content and pedagogy exams before applying — PELSB does not accept out-of-state test scores on that pathway. Only an applicant who completed a state-approved preparation program outside Minnesota but did NOT hold licensure in that same state may submit Section 6A, a certifying officer's verification of the testing required at the time of preparation, for review in lieu of Minnesota testing. Related-services (non-teaching) fields require no testing..
Will I have to retake tests moving from Texas to Minnesota?
Minnesota's exams are the MTLE. An out-of-state applicant who qualifies on a professional teaching license from another state in good standing plus two years of teaching experience as teacher of record must have passed the applicable MTLE content and pedagogy exams before applying — PELSB does not accept out-of-state test scores on that pathway. Only an applicant who completed a state-approved preparation program outside Minnesota but did NOT hold licensure in that same state may submit Section 6A, a certifying officer's verification of the testing required at the time of preparation, for review in lieu of Minnesota testing. Related-services (non-teaching) fields require no testing.. Holding a Texas license does not by itself waive Minnesota's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Minnesota right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Minnesota certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Texas-to-Minnesota transfer cost and how long does it take?
$89 ($89.00 initial/first-time Minnesota educator license application fee, which includes the fingerprint card fee; $57.00 for existing Minnesota license holders. Non-refundable, paid by check or money order payable to PELSB — no cash. This supersedes the $90.25 fee printed on the February 2025 application forms); processing PELSB publishes no processing timeframe on the Tier 3 or Tier 4 application forms; it warns only that partial or incomplete applications will be returned.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- PELSB — Application for a Tier 3 Minnesota Educator License, April 2026 ($89.00 first-time fee including fingerprint card, $57.00 existing holders; Section 4 licensure pathways incl. out-of-state license plus two years of experience; Section 6A out-of-state test verification scope) [PDF] ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PELSB — Application for a Tier 4 Minnesota Educator License, April 2026 (three years of teaching experience required for all initial Tier 4 applications; five-year validity; same $89.00/$57.00 fees) [PDF] ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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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