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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) - Educators & Licensure ↗

A Vermont teaching license is not automatically exchanged for your out-of-state one. Under the NASDTEC agreement, the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) - Educators & Licensure 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: $200 (Level I (Initial) license, 3-year term - $200.00, made up of a $50.00 non-refundable application processing fee plus $50.00 per year of the license term (AOE Licensing Fee Schedule, dated November 18, 2025). Charged on top: $12.00 criminal record check (as of January 1, 2025) and a $10.00 per-license download fee. Level II (5-year term) is $300.00 but is only reachable after three years teaching in Vermont, so it is not an entry cost for a transferring educator. The $1,200.00 per-endorsement Peer Review alternate-route fee is waived by the legislature through June 30, 2029).

Moving to Vermont from a specific state?

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The framing that saves relocating teachers real trouble: Vermont is giving you a runway, not a transfer. The provisional credential lets you take a classroom immediately, but the clock on Vermont'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 - Vermont does not auto-exchange an out-of-state license; you apply through VLSE for a comparable Vermont credential. Regardless of experience, an educator holding a non-conditional, non-expired out-of-state professional educator license is licensed in Vermont at Level I (3-year, $200), and becomes eligible for Level II only after teaching three years in Vermont. Vermont's own materials conflict on non-signatory states: an undated AOE FAQ still carries a 9/1/15 statement that New York, New Mexico and South Dakota licensees must instead use Transcript Review and meet Vermont testing, while the current reciprocity and traditional-route pages both say Vermont accepts professional teaching licenses from all US jurisdictions 'including jurisdictions that have not signed the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement.' The current pages govern; the non-signatory exclusion is treated as stale and is not published here as fact. Applicants without a comparable license still use Transcript Review or the Peer Review alternate route.

Vermont requirements at a glance

Out-of-state teaching certificate transfer requirements for Vermont, verified 2026-08-07
Exam	Vermont's AOE Interstate Agreement FAQ states that holding an out-of-state professional educator license from a state that has signed the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement exempts the applicant from Vermont's testing requirement for the endorsement carried on that license. Vermont otherwise requires most candidates to pass Praxis Core and Praxis II, and applicants routed to Transcript Review or Peer Review must satisfy those tests (qualifying SAT/ACT/GRE scores can substitute for Praxis Core). The current AOE reciprocity page adds that Vermont accepts professional teaching licenses from all US jurisdictions, including jurisdictions that have not signed the Interstate Agreement
Additional requirements	Hold a current, non-expired, comparable professional educator license from a US jurisdiction (Vermont accepts all US states, commonwealths, districts, territories and DoDEA) Apply online through the Vermont Licensing System for Educators (VLSE) Complete a fingerprint-supported criminal record check, done within the online application Meet Vermont's Praxis Core and Praxis II requirements unless exempted under the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement
Fees	$200 (Level I (Initial) license, 3-year term - $200.00, made up of a $50.00 non-refundable application processing fee plus $50.00 per year of the license term (AOE Licensing Fee Schedule, dated November 18, 2025). Charged on top: $12.00 criminal record check (as of January 1, 2025) and a $10.00 per-license download fee. Level II (5-year term) is $300.00 but is only reachable after three years teaching in Vermont, so it is not an entry cost for a transferring educator. The $1,200.00 per-endorsement Peer Review alternate-route fee is waived by the legislature through June 30, 2029)
Processing time	The AOE publishes no processing-time range for reciprocity applications on the reciprocity, traditional-route, or online-licensing pages reviewed

Step by step

Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) - Educators & Licensure website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) - Educators & Licensure (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Hold a current, non-expired, comparable professional educator license from a US jurisdiction (Vermont accepts all US states, commonwealths, districts, territories and DoDEA).
Apply online through the Vermont Licensing System for Educators (VLSE).
Complete a fingerprint-supported criminal record check, done within the online application.
Meet Vermont's Praxis Core and Praxis II requirements unless exempted under the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement.
Pay the fees ($200 (Level I (Initial) license, 3-year term - $200.00, made up of a $50.00 non-refundable application processing fee plus $50.00 per year of the license term (AOE Licensing Fee Schedule, dated November 18, 2025). Charged on top: $12.00 criminal record check (as of January 1, 2025) and a $10.00 per-license download fee. Level II (5-year term) is $300.00 but is only reachable after three years teaching in Vermont, so it is not an entry cost for a transferring educator. The $1,200.00 per-endorsement Peer Review alternate-route fee is waived by the legislature through June 30, 2029)) and allow The AOE publishes no processing-time range for reciprocity applications on the reciprocity, traditional-route, or online-licensing pages reviewed.

Official links

Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) - Educators & Licensure ↗Vermont application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Vermont:

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

Frequently asked questions

Does my teaching license transfer to Vermont?

Is teaching reciprocity automatic in Vermont?

No. Vermont 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 Vermont add?

Vermont's AOE Interstate Agreement FAQ states that holding an out-of-state professional educator license from a state that has signed the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement exempts the applicant from Vermont's testing requirement for the endorsement carried on that license. Vermont otherwise requires most candidates to pass Praxis Core and Praxis II, and applicants routed to Transcript Review or Peer Review must satisfy those tests (qualifying SAT/ACT/GRE scores can substitute for Praxis Core). The current AOE reciprocity page adds that Vermont accepts professional teaching licenses from all US jurisdictions, including jurisdictions that have not signed the Interstate Agreement.

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

$200 (Level I (Initial) license, 3-year term - $200.00, made up of a $50.00 non-refundable application processing fee plus $50.00 per year of the license term (AOE Licensing Fee Schedule, dated November 18, 2025). Charged on top: $12.00 criminal record check (as of January 1, 2025) and a $10.00 per-license download fee. Level II (5-year term) is $300.00 but is only reachable after three years teaching in Vermont, so it is not an entry cost for a transferring educator. The $1,200.00 per-endorsement Peer Review alternate-route fee is waived by the legislature through June 30, 2029); processing The AOE publishes no processing-time range for reciprocity applications on the reciprocity, traditional-route, or online-licensing pages reviewed.

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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