Indiana Teacher Certification Cost

The True Cost Nobody Adds Up for You

Indiana's teacher certification costs are spread across multiple agencies, vendors, and timelines. The IDOE lists its fees on one page, ETS lists exam fees on another, and background check vendors publish theirs somewhere else entirely. Nobody gives you the total. Here it is.

State Licensing Fees (LVIS 360)

Credential evaluation fee: $35 (non-refundable) — required for out-of-state transcript reviews. In-state candidates from approved EPPs may not need this if their program submits the institutional recommendation directly.

License application fee: $35 (non-refundable) — paid when you submit your final application after all requirements are met.

Substitute permit fee: $15 — significantly less than a standard license.

Both the evaluation and application fees are strictly non-refundable. If the IDOE returns your application for missing documents and you don't fix it within 90 days, you lose both fees and start over.

Praxis Exam Fees

Testing costs depend on your license type. Here are the most common scenarios:

Secondary teacher (one content area): $120 (content exam) + $146 (PLT pedagogy) = $266

Elementary teacher (K-6): $85 + $85 (content subtests) + $146 (PLT K-6) + $156 (Teaching Reading 5205) = $472. Or $209 if you take the combined content exam instead of separate subtests, bringing the total to $511.

Special education: $120 (foundational knowledge) + $146 (PLT) + $156 (Teaching Reading 5205) = $422

Multiple content areas: add the listed fee for each additional content exam.

Each retake costs the full exam fee again, with a mandatory 28-day wait between attempts. The bright spot: ETS's "Free After 3" policy gives you unlimited free retake vouchers after three paid attempts on the same exam code (for first attempts taken after October 1, 2025).

Fee waivers are available for eligible college students — each waiver covers up to three Praxis Core subtests or one Praxis Subject Assessment per testing year.

Background Check Costs

State licensing check: $15 (Access Indiana subscribers) or $16.32 (non-subscribers) — the Indiana State Police name-based Limited Criminal History search. You run this yourself online.

Employer fingerprint check: $28-$65 — the Expanded National Criminal History Check and Child Protection Index Check, conducted after a school district hires you. Vendors include Safe Hiring Solutions and IdentoGO. The district typically coordinates this, and costs vary by vendor and district.

Safety Training Costs

CPR/AED/Heimlich: $0-$100. Many community organizations, fire departments, and hospitals offer low-cost or free sessions. The American Heart Association and Red Cross programs that include hands-on mannequin practice typically cost $40-$75. Remember: online-only CPR won't be accepted.

Suicide prevention, human trafficking, child abuse/neglect: Often $0. The IDOE links to free approved online modules for each of these trainings. The Jason Foundation's suicide prevention training and the state's human trafficking and child abuse modules are all available at no cost.

T2T Program Tuition

If you're going the alternative certification route, program tuition is your largest single cost:

Total Cost Scenarios

Cheapest path — secondary license via online T2T:

• Program: ~$4,700
• Testing: $266
• LVIS fees: $70
• Background checks: ~$50
• CPR training: ~$50
• Total: ~$5,136

Mid-range — K-6 license via university T2T:

• Program: ~$8,500
• Testing: $511
• LVIS fees: $70
• Background checks: ~$50
• CPR training: ~$50
• Total: ~$9,181

Traditional route — education degree already complete:

• Testing: $266-$511 (depending on license type)
• LVIS fees: $35-$70
• Background checks: ~$50
• CPR training: ~$50
• Total: ~$401-$681 (tuition already covered by your degree program)

Out-of-state reciprocity:

• Testing: $0-$511 (depends on deficiency requirements)
• LVIS fees: $70
• Background checks: ~$50
• CPR training: ~$50
• Total: ~$170-$681 (plus any gap coursework)

Where People Waste Money

Taking unnecessary exams. If your out-of-state Praxis scores are still on file with ETS, check whether Indiana accepts them before registering for new exams. Many out-of-state teachers pay for tests they didn't need.

Paying for a more expensive T2T program than necessary. The license issued is identical regardless of provider. If cost is your primary constraint and you're comfortable with self-directed study, the online providers save $3,000-$6,000 over university programs.

Losing LVIS fees to the 90-day closure. A $70 loss might not sound devastating, but it happens more often than you'd think — and it adds weeks to your timeline along with the dollar cost.

Getting the wrong CPR certification. That $25 online CPR card is worthless for Indiana licensing. You'll pay again for a hands-on session and lose the time spent on the first one.

The Indiana Teacher Certification Guide includes a cost calculator worksheet that maps every fee to your specific pathway, plus a fee-deadline reference card so nothing gets missed.

See more Indiana guides →