How to Become a Teacher in North Dakota: Tests, Fees and Routes

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Every fact on this page was checked against the source linked beside it on November 7, 2026.

No degree yet: the traditional route

For high school students, college students and anyone without a bachelor's degree. You earn the degree and the teacher preparation in one program.

Initial In-State License

First-time applicants who complete a North Dakota state-approved teacher preparation program and meet all North Dakota licensure requirements receive a two-year Initial In-State License. Applicants complete a fingerprint background check processed by ESPB and submit Praxis score reports with the online application. After 18 months of successful full-time contracted teaching in North Dakota, a teacher can move to the First Five Year License.

1. Complete a North Dakota state-approved teacher preparation program.
2. Pass the required Praxis tests and save the score reports to upload.
3. Complete the ESPB fingerprint background check by mailing the fingerprinting forms to ESPB.
4. Apply for the Initial In-State License through your ND Teach account and pay the fees.
5. Teach 18 months full time in North Dakota to qualify for the First Five Year License.

Source: nd.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

For people who already hold a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.

Alternate Access License

The Alternate Access License lets a school hire a person without a teaching license for a content area where it could not find a fully licensed teacher. The applicant needs a bachelor's degree, preferably in the content area, or at least 30 credits in that or a closely related area, plus a written request from the school documenting its unsuccessful search. The license is issued one year at a time for up to three years while the teacher completes college coursework toward a regular license or completes American Board in the first year.

1. Confirm you hold a bachelor's degree and the required content-area credits (at least 30 if the degree is not in the area).
2. Have the hiring school prepare a signed request letter documenting its unsuccessful search for a licensed teacher.
3. Complete the ESPB background check before July 1.
4. Apply online through ND Teach before July 1 and upload the school's letter.
5. Make yearly progress on a college plan of study or complete American Board in the first year; the school requests each renewal.

Source: nd.gov

Changing careers into teaching in North Dakota

If you already have a bachelor's degree and some years in another job, start with the alternative route described above. It is built for people who did not study education. The 2 programs below are on the state's approved list, and one of them says its coursework is online.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in North Dakota was $61,210 in May 2025, according to the BLS OEWS state estimates. If your background matches a subject on the state's shortage list, that list is further down this page.

State-approved alternative certification programs

Programs shown are a selection from the state's approved list, checked November 7, 2026. "Online" reflects what the program or the state says about its coursework; teaching practice is always in a real school. The full, current list is on the agency's approved-program page.

Licensed in another state

For teachers who hold a license from another state and want to teach in North Dakota.

Other State Educator License (OSEL)

Teachers who hold a valid license from another state and completed an approved teacher education program with student teaching can receive an Other State Educator License, issued for two or five years. Applicants submit their out-of-state license or the Confirmation of Other State Educator License form, test score reports, official transcripts and a background check. Those who were licensed in the other state after 2002 without testing there have two years to complete North Dakota tests, and graduates of out-of-state programs who hold no license may receive an Out-of-State Reciprocal License with up to five years to meet requirements.

1. Gather a copy of your current out-of-state license or the Confirmation of Other State Educator License form.
2. Collect official transcripts and your standardized test score reports.
3. Complete the ESPB fingerprint background check.
4. Apply for the OSEL through ND Teach and pay the fee.
5. Complete any North Dakota tests within two years if you were licensed after 2002 without testing in your previous state.

Source: nd.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

North Dakota uses Praxis for teacher licensure. The table lists the core tests by license area, with the qualifying score and fee exactly as the source publishes them. Which tests you take depends on the license area you are seeking, so check the full list for your subject before you register.

Scores and fees change. Confirm both on the testing company's page before you register.

Fees, background check and license validity

Background check

Applicants for an initial North Dakota educator license must complete a background check processed by ESPB. Applicants print and complete the fingerprinting forms and mail them to ESPB in Bismarck, which sends the information to the FBI and the North Dakota BCI. Results usually take about three weeks. Fee: $44.50. Source

Your first license

License: Initial In-State License. It is valid for 2 years. Issued to first-time applicants who meet all North Dakota requirements. It renews as a Two Year Renewal or leads to the First Five Year License once the teacher has taught 18 months (full-time equivalent) in North Dakota. Source

Renewal

Five-year licenses are renewed with 6 semester hours of college coursework completed during the five-year license period and related to education or the licensed teaching area, and the holder must be under contract at least thirty days of the period. Renewal can begin 6 months before expiration, and a $100 late fee applies if the application is not complete before the license expires. Teachers who have held a North Dakota license for 25 years may move to a 25-year life license. Requirement: 6 semester hours of re-education every 5 years. Source

Teacher pay in North Dakota

Elementary teachers in North Dakota earned a median of $60,030 a year in May 2025, $3,940 below the national median of $63,970. Half of teachers in each occupation earn more than the median and half earn less. What you earn in a given district depends on its salary schedule, your experience and any graduate credits.

Annual wages, cross-industry estimates, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 state tables, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on November 7, 2026. Special education teachers are shown separately; our guide to the online master's in special education covers the add-on and initial-license options.

Teacher shortage areas, 2026-27

North Dakota reported these subject areas to the US Department of Education as teacher shortage areas for the 2026-27 school year.

• Career and Technical Education (statewide)
• General Shortages: Education General (statewide)
• Special Education (statewide)
• Support Staff: Counseling, Speech language pathologist/audiologist (statewide)

Source: US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas report, retrieved November 7, 2026.