The usual steps
- Create a My SC Educator Portal account and submit the Standard Application
- Pay the published application fee
- Complete South Carolina fingerprinting and criminal-record review
- Arrange official transcripts from every regionally accredited institution
- Submit all pages of the valid out-of-state credential and prior exam evidence
- Have each qualifying employer submit an Experience Verification Form
What can change your path
- • The source credential must be current, valid, standard and in good standing; temporary, emergency, provisional and conditional credentials are not accepted for reciprocity
- • Alternative-route educators must have advanced to the source state's standard certificate
- • South Carolina determines comparable fields and grade spans
- • The Initial certificate is nonrenewable and carries advancement requirements
What the state says
These facts come from official sources. The state agency still makes the final licensing decision.
Experience threshold
A qualified out-of-state educator with less than twenty-seven months of qualifying recent experience is generally issued an Initial certificate; at least twenty-seven months in the last seven years can support a Professional certificate.
Prior exams are evaluated
Applicants submit prior certification-exam evidence; if subject and pedagogy assessments were not completed for the source credential, SCDE may require South Carolina testing.
Core evidence
The application requires South Carolina fingerprints, official transcripts, the complete valid out-of-state credential, prior score reports and employer-completed experience forms.
Published application fee
SCDE lists a non-refundable $105 application processing fee, separate from fingerprinting or document-delivery costs; confirm the amount when filing.
Why your details matter
State websites describe the possible routes. The right one for you can depend on your license, preparation, experience, subjects, grades, tests, National Board status and compact eligibility. TeachPassport uses those details to build your checklist and keeps checking the state’s rules.
One thing to know: Less than twenty-seven months of qualifying experience in the last seven years generally leads to an Initial certificate; at least twenty-seven months can support a Professional certificate, while National Board certification can independently support the Professional level.