New Teachers (Out of State Applicants)
Information for All Applicants
A criminal background check is a requirement of all applicants for Nevada Department of Education licensure pursuant to NRS 391.033. In all cases, you will also have to background for your employer. Please note that your employer and the NDE do not share your information and you will (in most cases) be required to do two separate background checks. Failure to background check for the NDE will result in denial of licensure and then you will need to reapply and repay the fees.
You must meet all requirements for academic preparation, student teaching, and competency testing for the specific area of licensure for which you are applying. In some cases, full-time contracted teaching experience may waive student teaching requirements, please see NAC 391.042 for more information.
Out-of-State Applicants Checklist
Nevada offers reciprocity for current, valid, non-provisional, and non-conditional licensees coming from other states. If you are applying for any Nevada educator license for the first time from out-of-state, including a substitute teaching licenses, you will need to first register for your online profile through OPAL and follow the checklist below:
Information on Adding Additional Endorsements
If you are applying for an additional endorsement or area of licensure to your existing Nevada educator license, you will need to register for your online profile through OPAL add these endorsements on during the application process please make sure to include:
- Proof of completion of all academic requirements for licensure in the specified area(s), in the form of original transcripts issued by a regionally accredited college or university and bearing the college or university seal. Electronic transcripts are acceptable if sent directly to the Department of Education from the issuing institution or a recognized clearinghouse such as eScript. Our email address for electronic transcripts is: transcripts@doe.nv.gov.
- Competency testing score reports, if required.
- Verification of teaching experience or work experience (for Administrators, Business & Industry and Special Qualifications applicants only), if applicable.
- Additional endorsements are $50.00 each and payable with a credit or debit card through OPAL.
Reciprocity of Licensure from Other States
If you are applying for licensure with Nevada and currently have a valid, non-conditional, non-provisional license from another state, you may be eligible for reciprocal licensure. Reciprocal licensure, in most cases, will waive the testing requirements for Nevada and allow NDE staff to do the evaluation based on a license-for-license basis. Staff will reciprocate licenses and endorsements applied for to the closest available through Nevada Regulations. When applying for reciprocal licensure, original transcripts are still required as well as a valid copy of any/all current licenses applicants hold through other states. The license(s) held must be uploaded during the application process into the OPAL system as PDF document(s) in the “experience” section under the “out of state licensure” area in OPAL.
Areas of Licensure
Please go back to the home page and look at the types of licenses and endorsements which the Nevada Department of Education offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I know what testing is required for Nevada licensure.
A: Please visit the Competency Testing link for more information on this.
Q: Which licenses or endorsements should I apply for?
A: All licenses and endorsements are covered by clicking on the links from the main webpage under the standard license requirements, special license requirements, or licensed personnel requirements.
Q: How is reciprocity determined?
A: Our analysts attempt to match your currently valid licenses and/or endorsements to what our state has available and issue them based on Nevada’s licenses and/or endorsements.