Licensure Information

Alternative Licensure Options and Information

Teaching candidates who have a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education and have not completed a teacher preparation program may pursue a North Carolina alternative teacher certification. Alternative certification programs are designed for individuals who are otherwise qualified to teach.

NC list of approved Educator Preparation Programs (EPP) for Alternative Certification

NC Department of Public Instruction Approved Programs

Graduates of an accredited North Carolina college/university will work through their school to obtain an NC license. The school will notify the student of the college and state requirements for a license. Steps to obtaining a N.C. license

Graduates will need to register for an online licensure account in order to finalize details and make payment for the application for a license created by the college/university. This requires the employee to pay a non-refundable licensure processing fee made payable by a debit or credit card.

If the graduate has previous teaching or non-teaching work experience, they should provide the college/university with the appropriate experience forms for completion to upload to their licensure application when making the initial request to save the graduate money.

Forms You May Need:

Form E

Form NE

Form CE

Form V

Form ME

Educators who are licensed or have met requirements for licensure in another state should be eligible for a license in North Carolina. This is due to reciprocity. While North Carolina has reciprocity agreements with most states in the U.S. for licensure, reciprocity does not exist for testing.

North Carolina will issue a license to out-of-state applicants based on their degree program completed and/or license that is held from another state. The license will be issued in the area(s) as close to the other states as possible, but it may not be exact. For example, a license from New York for grades K-2 will be issued in North Carolina as a K-6 license because that is the closest area North Carolina issues. Also, some other areas may require additional course work or testing for licensure in North Carolina than another state may require, thus requiring the applicant to meet a few more requirements to get fully licensed in a certain area(s).

Applications for an NC license are made through the online licensure system. The educator must register for an account and then applications can be created. Documents such as transcripts, test scores, experience forms, etc. must be scanned and uploaded with the application.

This requires the employee to pay a non-refundable licensure processing fee made payable by a debit or credit card.

Forms You May Need:

Form E

Form NE

Form CE

Form V

Form ME

To be eligible for an Initial Professional License, an individual must have done the following:

• Completed a state teacher education program from a regionally accredited college or university, OR
• Completed another state's approved alternative route to licensure, met the federal requirements to be designated as "Highly Qualified," and earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college/university.
• OR qualify for an alternative teaching license
• AND participate in the Beginning Teacher Support Program. All IPLs are required to participate in this program. Failure to participate could result in not being eligible to convert the Initial license to a Continuing license, which is a five-year license.

Effective July 1, 2019, if an IPL did not complete the state-required testing before the issuance of their license, they must ATTEMPT all the required tests during their first year of licensing and PASS all the required tests by the end of their third year of licensing to be eligible to convert their license to continuing.

If all tests are not attempted and passed according to State policy, the license will expire.

License areas can be added provisionally to an existing, non-expired, teaching license or for student support services areas. Pre-requisites may be required for some of these areas.  Contact your Human Resource Specialist for specific requirements.

Provisional licenses are issued on a year-by-year basis for a maximum of three years in some areas and five years in other areas. The educator must complete one of the following:

1. Obtain and complete a plan of study from a state-approved regionally accredited college or university in a teacher education program or from a Regional Alternative Licensing Center (RALC) if offered.
2. Earn passing score(s) on the required North Carolina licensure test(s), if applicable.

If the educator holds a non-restricted teaching license the provisional teaching area can be cleared with a passing score(s) on the required North Carolina State Board of Education-approved test(s).

A provisional license expires annually and the HR Department will request a license extension for the next year if the educator continues to qualify for the provisional area.  Upon completion of the program, the college/university will recommend clearing the provisional license to DPI through the Human Resource Specialist. This requires the employee to pay a non-refundable licensure processing fee made payable by a debit or credit card.

Lateral entry ended on JUNE 30, 2019. It was replaced with Residency beginning July 1, 2019.

Qualifying

Residency Licenses are only issued at the A-level and may be awarded experience credit and graduate pay in compliance with LICN-006.

A Residency License must be requested by a North Carolina public school system and accompanied by a certification of supervision from the recognized Educator Prep Program (EPP) in which the individual is enrolled. At the request of an employing Public School Unit (PSU), an individual, including one who holds a Permit to Teach or Emergency License, may qualify for a one-year Residency License in a teaching area, provided the individual:

1. meets all of the following requirements as stated in GS 115C-269 and G.S. 115C-270; and
2. completes 24 hours of coursework in the requested licensure area; or passes the NCSBE required content area examination(s) for the requested licensure area.

An individual who holds, or previously held, a Residency License is not eligible for a Permit to Teach or Emergency License.

Individuals who did not fulfill the requirements of a prior lateral entry license may be eligible to be issued a Residency License in the same teaching area provided that the following conditions are met:

1. pass the required NCSBE-required content exam(s), and;
2. meet eligibility requirements for a Residency License

Renewing

The employing PSU shall be responsible for verifying the candidate's enrollment in an approved EPP. A Residency License is issued for one year and renewable twice within three years of the effective date of the original Residency License.

In order to renew a Residency License for the second or the third year, the PSU must verify:

1. the license holder earned at least six months of teaching experience during the prior school year, and;
2. enrollment in an EPP, and;
3. employment as a teacher in a PSU, and;
4. the license holder completed 10 days of required professional development (in the first year of the residency license) as described in Section 1.60e of the NCSBE Board Policy Manual.

If an individual fails to renew the Residency License for either the second or third year, the current Residency License will expire. Within three years of the effective date of the original Residency License, a Residency License may be reinstated at the request of an employing PSU if conditions two and three above are met.

Converting

Individuals must complete all requirements, including NCSBE-required licensure tests, and receive the recommendation of an EPP to convert the Residency License to an Initial or Continuing Professional License within three years of the effective date of the Residency License.

All requirements to convert a Residency License to either an IPL or CPL must be completed before the expiration of the second renewal of the Residency License.

Once the Residency License expires, the license may be converted to an IPL or CPL upon the recommendation of the SBE-approved EPP and completion of current licensure requirements, including testing, at the time of the conversion request.

Teachers assigned to multiple subject areas shall be issued a Residency License for one licensure area and may add the additional Residency License area at the request of the employing PSU. The additional Residency License areas may be cleared in accordance with the requirements found in the "Qualifying" section above. Note:  All Residency Licensure areas must be cleared through an EPP.

Adding Residency Licenses for Currently Licensed Educators

At the request of the employing PSU, an individual who holds a clear (non-restricted) license in a teaching, administrative, supervisory, or student services area may be issued a Residency License in a teaching area provided the individual meets the state requirements to hold a Residency License in the teaching area. Licensed educators who are issued a Residency License shall be subject to the requirements detailed in the "Qualifying" section above.

Residency Licenses Subsequent to a Previous Residency License or Lateral Entry License

Individuals who did not fulfill the requirements of a prior lateral entry license may be eligible to be issued a Residency License in the same teaching area provided that the following conditions are met:

1. pass the required NCSBE-required content exam(s), and;
2. meet eligibility requirements for Residency License

Individuals who did not clear a prior lateral entry license, or a Residency License (RL), may apply for a RL in a different teaching area (as defined in section 1.10 of the NCSBE Board Policy Manual) provided that the following conditions are met:

1. meets all of the following requirements as stated in G.S. 115C-269 and G.S 115C-270; and
2. completes 24 hours of coursework in the requested licensure area, or, passes the NCSBE required content area examination(s) for the requested licensure area.

Professional Development Requirements for Residency License

Teachers in the first year of their Residency License must receive 10 days of professional development from the PSU designed to support a successful classroom experience. The required 10 days of professional development may be completed through one of the following options:

1. The PSU may choose to provide all 10 days during the preservice period, OR,
2. The PSU may provide five days of preservice training with a commitment to provide an additional five days of professional development throughout the teacher's first year of Residency Licensure.

Military personnel and military personnel spouses whose residency licensure program is interrupted by a call to active duty or relocation to an out-of-state duty station shall be eligible to resume the program of study at the point of separation upon documented return to a duty station and employment in North Carolina public schools.

Helpful Links

NC Approved EPP Licensure Areas

NC DPI Residency License

Effective July 1, 2019, an individual who is currently licensed as a professional educator who meets one of the following requirements, may be issued a Lifetime License, which shall require no renewal:

1. Completed 30 or more years of creditable service with the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System (TSERS).
2. Completed a combined total of 30 or more years of employment as a licensed teacher, administrator, or student services personnel in one or more public school units in North Carolina.

An individual, who plans to convert his/her continuing professional license (CPL) to a lifetime license, will not be required to complete continuing education credits (CEUs) for the renewal period immediately preceding the conversion to a lifetime license. If the individual fails to meet the requirements to hold a lifetime license, the individual's license shall expire and the required CEUs must be completed in advance of reinstating the license.

**Note: Although lifetime licenses do not require CEUs, PSUs have the discretion to require professional learning activities of lifetime license holders as a condition of employment.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction moved to an online licensure system on August 1, 2015. This new system is accessible to the general public, as well as educators, who will be able to view educator's license areas and the effective and expiration date of the license.

Educators are able to view more details about their own license(s) than can be viewed by the general public. By registering with the online licensure system, educators will have access to their own information. Registration begins by clicking on the 'NCDPI Registration' in the bottom, left corner. Please use your personal email address for this account as this will be the contact for continued access to the NC educator licenses, regardless of employment status. Once the account is created and logged into, the educator can view their license data, as well as make applications for licensure changes directly to the Licensure Section. Employed educators need to affiliate with the school system and will need to maintain this affiliation throughout their employment.

A couple of changes that have occurred due to the system being online include: all licensure area codes are now five digits instead of six and an educator's social security number is no longer their licensure number. Licensure numbers are now automatically generated by the online system.

Most applications require a licensure processing fee. This fee is non-refundable and must be paid by either a debit or credit card.

Questions about the online system should be directed to your Human Resource Specialist.

NC DPI On-line Licensure System Tutorials

Licensure Fees

A clear teaching license is either a continuing professional license (CPL) or an Initial professional license (IPL) with coursework requirements completed. A teaching license may not be added to any of the following license types: Permit to Teach, Emergency, Limited, Provisional, Residency, CTE-Restricted (except as allowed by the CTE Licensure Manual), or International Faculty. A teaching license may not be added to an instructional support license or an administrative license unless the license also holds an IPL or CPL in a teaching area.

Individuals who hold a clear teaching license in one area can add an additional teaching area to the license through one of the following options:

1. completing an NCSBE-approved Educator Preparation Program in the additional area, or;
2. satisfying NCSBE-required exams for the additional area, or;
3. completing 24 semester hours in the subject area with a grade of C or better in each course, or;
4. earning a rating of at least "Advanced Low" proficiency on the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Oral Proficiency Test, and, if available, the Writing Proficiency Test, or, if the language is American Sign Language (ASL), by earning a rating of a least "Advanced" proficiency on The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) (World Languages content areas only).

Note: For a teaching area that does not have an NCSBE-required exam, the individual must complete one of the above options to add the additional teaching area to the clear teaching license.

Adding an area to an existing license requires a non-refundable licensure processing fee paid by debit or credit card. Contact your Human Resource Specialist to request assistance with adding an area to your license.

Contracts are normally extended/renewed based on the performance of the educator and the continuation of funding for the position. However, licensure status also affects eligibility for extension/renewal of a contract.

The law states that all educators must hold a valid, current teaching license. Therefore, educator contracts stipulate this as well. This means that if an educator does not meet licensure renewal requirements or provisional/alternative licensure requirements, a contract may not be extended/renewed. 

Contract issues are handled by the Board each year. The Human Resource Services Department determines what teachers have/have not met licensure requirements, considers principal/supervisor recommendations and performance, verifies the position allotments for the new school year, and makes recommendations for contract renewal or contract non-renewal based on these criteria.

Contracts are normally offered to educators prior to school ending each year.

Educators can request a name change on their license by making an application through the online licensure system. If the educator is employed, the human resource specialist for your school can assist in making this request. A social security card or driver's license with the new name will have to be scanned and uploaded with the application.  

You should also notify your Human Resource Specialist of any name change.

There is a licensure processing fee to request a name change for educators. The fee must be paid by debit or credit card and is non-refundable. The educator can track the request through their online license account.

General Requirements

Continuing Professional Licenses shall be issued with five-year renewal cycles. Holders must renew their licenses at the end of each five-year period. Credit earned for renewal purposes shall apply to the person's license field(s) and professional duties.

Renewal or reinstatement of a license shall be based on 8.0 units of renewal credit. A unit of credit shall be equal to one quarter-hour or two-thirds of a semester hour of Institute of Higher Education (IHE) credit, or ten clock hours of professional development.

Five-year renewal cycles shall be initially based on the requirements to qualify for licensure. A new five-year renewal cycle is established for a Continuing License when an expired license is renewed. A new five-year renewal cycle is also established upon the completion of requirements for converting an Initial License to a Continuing License.

Requirements for renewal of continuing license

1. Teachers must provide evidence of a rating of at least proficient on the most recent annual evaluation to maintain current licensure status. Teachers who are not deemed proficient may be eligible for an initial license if the teacher has been placed on a mandatory improvement plan and the teacher satisfies all other licensure requirements. Proficient shall be defined as achieving a rating of proficient, or higher, on three of the five standards of the NC Educator Evaluation System, providing that the standard related to pedagogy (Standard IV) is rated at the level of proficient, or higher. The mandatory improvement plan must be 90 days for teachers working in low-performing schools and 60 days for teachers working in schools not identified as low-performing.  A teacher seeking a continuing license who is deemed not proficient and has not been placed on a mandatory improvement plan is deemed to have an "expired" teaching license. A teacher whose license has expired is eligible to apply for an initial license upon receipt of official notification from the State Board of Education and after a 30-day waiting period.
2. All employees renewing a teaching license must pay a fee determined by NCDPI. The fee will be collected through the online licensure system.

Individuals with expired, non-provisional North Carolina licenses shall be eligible for a three-year Initial or Continuing license based on the need of the employing LEA. At least 8 renewal credits must be completed during the three years. At the end of the three-year cycle, if all 8 credits have been completed, the license will be issued with a new five-year dating cycle, or the license will remain expired until all renewal credits have been earned. Only an employing school system can request reinstatement of a license for a person who holds an expired license.

Literacy Credit Defined

Literacy renewal credits shall include evidence-based assessment, diagnosis, and intervention strategies for students not demonstrating reading proficiency. Oral language, phonemic and phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension shall be addressed in literacy-related activities leading to license renewal.

Renewal Criteria

• A unit of renewal credit (CEU) is equal to 10 clock hours of professional development
• 8 units of renewal credit are required to renew both a current and expired CPL
• For a CPL to remain current, all renewal credits must be earned by the expiration date of the license.

Activities Accepted for Renewal Credit

• College or university courses (official transcripts are required as documentation; grade reports are not accepted)
• Local in-service courses or workshops (The administrative unit certifies credits)
• Classes and workshops approved by PSU (Documentation of completion is provided by the agency sponsoring the activity)

A licensed employee can access their renewal credits through LINQ Time Keeper. The table below illustrates the licensure renewal requirements totaling 8.0 credits (80 clock hours) outlined in the NCSBE Board Policy Manual LICN-005. To view how many credits are needed for your license please visit the NCDPI website.

How to calculate course contact hours to CEU credits:

• one contact hour is equivalent to 0.1 renewal credit
• ten contact hours is equivalent to 1.0 renewal credit
• a quarter-hour is the equivalent of 1.0 renewal credit
• a semester hour is equivalent to 1.5 renewal credits

National Board Certification and Renewal

Teachers completing the National Board Certification process may earn all 8.0 credits for completion of the process and certification.  Those who are in the national board renewal cycle may earn two credits.

Speech Language Pathologists/Audiologists

Speech language pathologists and audiologists must submit a current active license in their respective fields issued by the NC State Board of Examiners at the time of license renewal.

School Administrator Executive role credits

Should align with the expectations of the North Carolina School executive standards 2,4, and 5, focused on the school executive's role as instructional, human resources, and managerial leader.

North Carolina Retired Employees

1. In accordance with G.S. 115C-270.20, the retirement license has been replaced by the Lifetime License.  See LICN-001 for requirements to hold the Lifetime License. A CPL shall remain in effect for five years after retirement.
2. A local board of education may select a retired principal or retired assistant principal to serve as an interim principal for the remainder of any school year, regardless of licensure status.

Non-North Carolina PSU Employees

Persons who hold an NC license but who are not currently employed in the North Carolina PSUs or by governing boards of approved nonpublic schools may earn renewal credit through college or university coursework, or local courses and workshops on the same basis as currently employed persons. The Department of Public Instruction shall determine if the credits meet the criteria as outlined.

There is a non-refundable licensure processing fee required for renewals and can only be paid by debit or credit card through the online licensure system.

Testing Requirements for a North Carolina License

Individuals seeking a North Carolina professional educator's license must meet the testing requirements established by the State Board of Education. The Initial Professional License may be converted to a clear Continuing Professional License provided the State Board of Education required exam is taken at least once during the first year of the license, and passed before or during the third year of the license.

Pedagogy Assessment Requirement

The pedagogy assessment requirement may be fulfilled by either the edTPA or PPAT assessments. The Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) assessment 5624 (required score:157) may fulfill this requirement if the following conditions are met:

• The EPP does not support the PPAT assessment, and;
• There is no edTPA workbook for the candidate's licensure area at the time of admission to the EPP

The Praxis Series tests are still used for all licensure areas with the exception of Elementary Education and Special Education. Go to the Praxis Website for a list of tests. Elementary Education and Special Education require the Pearson and Praxis tests. The Pearson tests can be found at NC Foundations of Reading General Curriculum.

Employed educator's seeking to add an area to their teaching license should contact their Human Resource Specialist for their school. Adding an area requires a licensure processing fee. This requires the employee to pay a non-refundable licensure processing fee made payable by a debit or credit card. Educators not employed by an NC school system must create an application through the online licensure system along with an uploaded copy of their test scores and the licensure processing fee.

Please visit the State Board Policy on testing requirements. The Policy includes the tests required for each area as well as the score required.

State Board Information on Licensure

State Board Licensure Testing Requirements Policy

Testing Preparation

Pearson Test Prep for Potential Teachers

Regional Assistance Licensing Center (RALC)

Senate Bill 744/Session Law 2014-100 Section 8.3 "Section 8.22"

Notwithstanding Section 35.11 or S.L. 2013-360, any other provision of law, only the following teachers and instructional support personnel shall be paid on the "M" salary schedule or receive a salary supplement for academic preparation at the six-year degree level or at the doctoral degree:

1. Certified school nurses and instructional support personnel in positions for which a master's degree is required for licensure;
2. Teachers and instructional support personnel who were paid on the salary schedule or received that salary supplement prior to the 2014-201 school year;
3. Teachers and instructional support personnel who (i) complete a degree at the master's, six-year, or doctoral degree level for which they completed at least one course prior to August 1, 2013, and (ii) would have qualified for the salary supplement pursuant to State Board of Education policy TCP-A-006, as it as in effect on June 30, 2013."

Graduate Degrees:

The Licensure Section will continue adding the graduate degree level designation on the Educator's license if the following criteria are met:

1. A state-approved education program that leads to licensure has been completed and verified with the required Form V, degree-dated transcripts and the completed application has been submitted to the online licensure system...AND
2. The college or university is regionally accredited.

NOTE:  The graduate degree designation will be on the license, however, the individual may not be eligible to be paid on the graduate salary schedule unless at least one of the graduate degree courses is completed prior to August 1, 2013.

Graduate Pay Approvals:

Graduate pay approvals will be considered if one of the following criteria is met:

1. An individual was paid on the graduate salary schedule prior to July 1, 2014; OR
2. At least one of the graduate degree courses was completed prior to August 1, 2013; AND
3. The individual would have qualified based on the SBE Graduate Pay policy TCP-A-006 in effect June 30, 2013.

There is a licensure processing fee to request the first masters (or higher) level pay based on a non-education degree but meets the criteria above. Contact a Human Resource Specialist for further information.

Due to NC General Statue 115C-296(b), NCDPI's Licensure Section has established a 5-year window, immediately following the retirement date, during which a teacher is not required to obtain CEUs, regardless of when the teacher's license actually expires. The 5-year window begins at retirement. If a teacher otherwise licensed at retirement applies for a renewal of a license during the 5-year window, the Licensure Section will issue a "new" or renewed license notwithstanding the absence of CEUs during the 5-year period. If seeking renewal based on this option, documentation from the Retirement System of the educator's retirement date is required and will need to be scanned and uploaded when making this request.

Example:

• 5-year license cycle is 7/1/2000 to 06/30/2005
• Retirement date is 7/1/2002
• Eligible for renewal without CEUs from 07/1/2002 to 06/30/2007
• Any renewals for this license after 6/30/2007 will require CEUs

A retired educator is responsible for applying for this renewal through the online licensure system. If renewal is based on meeting the CEU requirements in place at the time of renewal, then proof of credits must be uploaded. The application will also require a non-refundable licensure processing fee which must be paid by a debit or credit card.

Teachers with 30 or more years of teaching experience in North Carolina may qualify for a lifetime license.

Educators who have an expired teaching license can still be employed if the hiring school district is willing to request a validated license for them. A validated license is issued for 3 years to allow the educator time to complete the required 8 renewal credits to renew the license. The eight renewal credits must be earned by the end of the 3-year license.

A validated license must be requested by a school system. There is a licensure processing fee and can only be paid by a debit or credit card. The fee is non-refundable.