Teaching License from Texas to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB), verify your Texas license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. North Dakota honors the out-of-state program and its tests — an applicant who completed an approved program including student teaching and met the sending state's testing requirements faces no additional North Dakota testing; those licensed after 2002 in the sending state without completing North Dakota's tests get two years to complete them, and holders of an out-of-state alternative certification must pass Praxis I and Praxis II in their content area(s) before an OSEL is issued.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Texas to North Dakota: your Texas teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. North Dakota 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 North Dakota's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Texas → North Dakota
| Texas (current) | North Dakota (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) | $85–$190 (Other State Educator License: $85 for the initial 2-year OSEL, $190 for the initial 5-year OSEL. Additional and not included in this range: a $30 initial application fee, a $5 maintenance charge added to every new ESPB application since 2019-06-01, $44.50 fingerprinting, and $80 per endorsement. Applicants without a current out-of-state license use the Out-of-State Reciprocal License at $85 instead.) |
| 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) | ESPB publishes no license-processing estimate. The only official timing figures are collateral: fingerprint/background results returning from the FBI/BCI 'averages 3 weeks', and ESPB asks that you allow 5 to 7 working days for a response to emailed questions. |
| Licensing authority | Texas Education Agency (TEA) - Educator Certification | North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Apply for the Other State Educator License (OSEL) through a ND Teach online account.
- Submit official transcripts, a copy of the current valid out-of-state teaching license, and the Confirmation of Other State Educator License form completed by the issuing state's licensure agency.
- Complete a fingerprint-based FBI/BCI background check processed by ESPB — print and mail the fingerprinting forms to the ESPB office in Bismarck.
- Complete the ND Health and Human Services mandated reporter training for suspected child abuse or neglect and upload the certificate of completion (required of all initial-license applicants effective 2025-08-01 under HB 1562 / NDCC 15.1-07-34).
- Pay the non-refundable initial application fee plus the OSEL license fee.
- Pay the fees ($85–$190 (Other State Educator License: $85 for the initial 2-year OSEL, $190 for the initial 5-year OSEL. Additional and not included in this range: a $30 initial application fee, a $5 maintenance charge added to every new ESPB application since 2019-06-01, $44.50 fingerprinting, and $80 per endorsement. Applicants without a current out-of-state license use the Out-of-State Reciprocal License at $85 instead.)) and allow ESPB publishes no license-processing estimate. The only official timing figures are collateral: fingerprint/background results returning from the FBI/BCI 'averages 3 weeks', and ESPB asks that you allow 5 to 7 working days for a response to emailed questions..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Dakota accept a Texas teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB), verify your Texas license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. North Dakota honors the out-of-state program and its tests — an applicant who completed an approved program including student teaching and met the sending state's testing requirements faces no additional North Dakota testing; those licensed after 2002 in the sending state without completing North Dakota's tests get two years to complete them, and holders of an out-of-state alternative certification must pass Praxis I and Praxis II in their content area(s) before an OSEL is issued.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Texas to North Dakota?
North Dakota honors the out-of-state program and its tests — an applicant who completed an approved program including student teaching and met the sending state's testing requirements faces no additional North Dakota testing; those licensed after 2002 in the sending state without completing North Dakota's tests get two years to complete them, and holders of an out-of-state alternative certification must pass Praxis I and Praxis II in their content area(s) before an OSEL is issued. Holding a Texas license does not by itself waive North Dakota's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in North Dakota right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year North Dakota certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Texas-to-North Dakota transfer cost and how long does it take?
$85–$190 (Other State Educator License: $85 for the initial 2-year OSEL, $190 for the initial 5-year OSEL. Additional and not included in this range: a $30 initial application fee, a $5 maintenance charge added to every new ESPB application since 2019-06-01, $44.50 fingerprinting, and $80 per endorsement. Applicants without a current out-of-state license use the Out-of-State Reciprocal License at $85 instead.); processing ESPB publishes no license-processing estimate. The only official timing figures are collateral: fingerprint/background results returning from the FBI/BCI 'averages 3 weeks', and ESPB asks that you allow 5 to 7 working days for a response to emailed questions..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- ND ESPB — Types of Licenses (OSEL and Out-of-State Reciprocal License) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — Licensing Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — Background Checks ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — Mandated Reporter Training for Initial Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ND ESPB — License FAQs ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]