How to Become a Teacher in Wisconsin: 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.

Wisconsin Educator Preparation Program (EPP)

Most candidates complete a Wisconsin-approved educator preparation program at a college or university, which leads to a full Tier II license. DPI issues the license based on the endorsement (recommendation) of the program's certification officer. Applicants must be prepared to teach science-based reading and language arts, and program completers before July 1, 2025 submit a Reading and Language Arts Verification Form (PI-1626). Applications are filed and paid in the Educator Licensing Online (ELO) system.

1. Decide what to teach and find an approved program with the DPI Find a Prep Program list.
2. Complete all requirements of the approved teacher licensure program, including any required tests.
3. Confirm with the program that your endorsement has been submitted to DPI.
4. Check the fingerprint decision tree and, if required, submit fingerprints through Fieldprint.
5. Apply in ELO, answer the Conduct and Competency questionnaire, and pay the application fee.

Source: dpi.wi.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

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

Nontraditional programs and the American Board (ABCTE) route

Wisconsin-approved preparation programs include nontraditional programs run by approved non-profits, school districts and for-profit entities, which require applicants to already hold a bachelor's degree and do not grant a degree. The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence is not an approved program but is authorized under Wisconsin Statutes section 118.197 as leading to licensure in English language arts, elementary/middle (K-9), math, science, social studies and cross-categorical special education. Both pathways lead to a full Tier II license. Districts can also sponsor certain Tier I permits, such as the Professional Teaching Permit for career changers in specific subjects.

1. Confirm a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
2. Choose a nontraditional program from the DPI approved program list, or enroll with ABCTE.
3. Complete all program requirements (ABCTE candidates pass the Professional Teaching Knowledge and Content Knowledge exams).
4. Apply in ELO; ABCTE completers use the Out-of-State [1025] application with a transcript, form PI-1612, the ABCTE certificate and exam results.
5. Complete fingerprints if required and pay the application fee.

Source: dpi.wi.gov

Changing careers into teaching in Wisconsin

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 11 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 Wisconsin was $62,870 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 Wisconsin.

License Based on Reciprocity

Teachers who hold a valid license in good standing from another state can apply for a Wisconsin license based on reciprocity. They document at least one year of teaching experience in another state, or in Wisconsin while holding a valid Wisconsin teaching license, on form PI-1613. Applicants who completed an out-of-state program but are not pursuing reciprocity must verify coursework for all Wisconsin statutory requirements and provide passing scores on the tests required in their program's state and in Wisconsin. The out-of-state educator application fee is $190.

1. Use the fingerprint decision tree and submit fingerprints through Fieldprint if required.
2. Gather a copy of your valid out-of-state license and a PI-1613 Employment Verification form.
3. Log in to ELO and select the Out of State Program [1025] application, choosing the reciprocity option.
4. Submit the application and complete the Conduct and Competency questionnaire.
5. Pay the out-of-state application fee by credit or prepaid card.

Source: dpi.wi.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Wisconsin uses Praxis and Foundations of Reading Test for Wisconsin 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

State law requires DPI to conduct a background investigation on each applicant each time they apply. Applicants who in the last twenty years (after age 17) worked, lived or attended classes in another US state, listed US territories, Canada or Great Britain must also submit fingerprints, which are taken by the state vendor Fieldprint and sent to the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the FBI. The fingerprinting service is paid online to Fieldprint when booking; DPI does not publish that amount on its licensing pages. Source

Your first license

License: Tier II Provisional Educator License. It is valid for 3 years. The provisional license can be reissued if the holder has not yet completed six semesters of successful experience or has remaining statutory stipulations. After six semesters of successful experience in the license area, educators advance to the Tier III Lifetime License. Source

Renewal

Provisional license holders advance to a Tier III Lifetime License after completing six semesters of successful experience in Wisconsin in the license area within the five years before the license start date, plus all statutory requirements. A Lifetime License is maintained by requesting a background check through ELO at least once every five years (by June 30 of the fifth year) and by having been regularly employed in education during the last five years. Requirement: Lifetime License: background check at least once every 5 years plus regular employment in education during the last 5 years. Source

Teacher pay in Wisconsin

Elementary teachers in Wisconsin earned a median of $61,210 a year in May 2025, $2,760 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

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

• Art and Music Education: Art (statewide)
• Core Subjects: Elementary Education (statewide)
• English as a Second Language: Bilingual/Bicultural, English as a Second Language (statewide)
• Health and Physical Fitness: Physical Education (statewide)
• Mathematics (statewide)
• Science: General Science (statewide)
• Special Education: Cross Categorical, Early Childhood (statewide)
• Support Staff: Guidance and Counseling, Psychologist (statewide)

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