Transfer Teaching License to Utah

Moving to Utah with a teaching license from another state doesn't automatically transfer your credentials — but the process is more streamlined than most states, especially if your home state participates in the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. The key is knowing which of the two transfer pathways applies to your situation and which documents must come from third parties rather than from you.

Two Transfer Pathways

The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact

If your current state is an active member of the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, and you hold a standard, unencumbered professional teaching license, you qualify for an expedited transfer. The compact aligns participating states' credentials so that a qualifying license from one member state converts to an equivalent Utah Professional Educator License without a full course-by-course review.

Check the compact map at teachercompact.org to verify whether your state has enacted the compact legislation. Membership is growing, but not all states have joined.

To qualify through the compact, your license must be:

• Standard — full professional, not emergency, alternative, or intern
• Renewable — not expired or one-time-only
• Unencumbered — no active suspensions, restrictions, or disciplinary actions

If your credential doesn't meet all three conditions, it won't qualify through the compact; check whether you qualify for the standard LER or another Utah licensing route.

License Equivalency Review (LER)

The LER is the full-review pathway for a standard, renewable professional credential that does not qualify for the compact because the home state has not joined.

The LER process evaluates your education, testing history, and professional experience against Utah's licensing standards to determine what equivalent credential and endorsements to issue.

The Application Process

Both pathways share the same front-end steps:

1. Create your USIMS account. Register at usims.schools.utah.gov to generate your CACTUS ID and complete the 30-minute timed Educator Ethics Review.

2. Complete the background check. Out-of-state applicants must complete a physical FD-258 fingerprint card because digital out-of-state fingerprint records cannot be shared with Utah. Visit a local police department, write your CACTUS ID in the OCA box, include your SSN and physical description, and mail the card to USBE Educator Licensing at PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200. Processing takes up to 25 business days from receipt.

3. Coordinate direct document submissions. This is where the process requires careful coordination, because the core supporting documents listed below must come from their source institutions or employers — not from you. Since August 1, 2026, USBE enforces strict "direct-from-source" rules:

• Transcripts: Request your college registrar to send official transcripts directly to [email protected]
• Test scores: If you took Praxis or other ETS exams, request score reports be sent to the USBE (state code 8375). If automatic reporting was missed during your original registration, contact ETS support for a manual transfer
• Verification of Experience: Your former employer's school administrator must complete and email the official form directly to [email protected] — you cannot submit it yourself

4. Submit the LER application through SM Apply. Upload a PDF of your current, valid out-of-state professional license and complete the application at usbelicensing.smapply.us.

Endorsement Alignment

One of the biggest concerns for transferring teachers is losing endorsements. When the USBE reviews your credentials, they map your existing endorsements to Utah equivalents. For most standard subject areas, this is straightforward — a secondary math endorsement from another state typically aligns to Utah's secondary math endorsement.

Where it gets more nuanced:

School counselors receive a professional license paired with an associate College and Career Readiness (CCR) endorsement. Utah requires all school counselors to obtain the CCR endorsement, so out-of-state counselors get a three-year window to complete the state-specific CCR requirements after transferring.

CTE endorsements are being restructured. Utah is phasing out career cluster CTE endorsements in favor of Occupational Experience-Based (minimum 3 years of full-time industry experience) and Competency-Based pathways. New endorsement additions will follow the new framework. If you hold an existing career-cluster CTE endorsement, confirm with USBE how it applies to your transfer before relying on it.

Testing gaps: If your out-of-state exams don't meet Utah's equivalency standards for a particular endorsement area, you must take the corresponding Utah exam before the endorsement is activated. The USBE maintains out-of-state testing equivalency tables to determine what counts.

International Credentials

If your teaching credential was earned outside the United States, you'll need a course-by-course transcript evaluation from a NACES or AICE member agency. My International Education Evaluation (MyIEE) offers expedited three-day processing with a standard discount for Utah educators. The evaluation report must be sent directly from MyIEE to the USBE — under the direct-from-source rule, you can't submit it yourself.

What Won't Transfer

A few credential types are explicitly excluded from both the compact and the LER:

• Alternative, provisional, or temporary licenses from other states
• Substitute teaching permits
• Expired credentials
• Credentials with active disciplinary restrictions

If your only credential is one of these, you'll need to pursue Utah certification from scratch — either through a university EPP or through the AEL/APPEL alternative route.

For a complete transfer checklist with document tracking and timeline planning, the Utah Teacher Certification Guide includes a dedicated section for out-of-state educators covering both the compact and LER pathways.

See more Utah guides →