51±¬ÁÏ

Program Completer Phase

• Applying for Licensure
  • List of Programs and Ohio Licenses
  • What Needs to be on File in 304 White Hall Before Applying for Licensure
  • When to Apply for a License
  • Fingerprinting Information
• Assessments Required for Licensure
  • Praxis II and OAE (Ohio Assessments for Educators)
  • ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages)
• Letters of Completion
• Alumni Surveys
  • Ohio Resident Educators' Survey
  • EHHS Alumni Survey
• Applying for a License in Another State

Program Completer Phase

Preparing for licensure

Applying for Licensure

Congratulations on completing your licensure program at KSU. Graduation/program completion is the first step toward eligibility for licensure, but there are important steps to follow to get your Ohio license. Please email licensure@kent.edu with any questions about this process.

To apply for an initial license in the State of Ohio:

1. Create an OH/ID Account: Before accessing the online licensure application, you must first let ODEW know who you are by creating an OH/ID account. This is a secure web portal account that allows users to access the ODEW in a secure and streamlined way.
   1. What is OH/ID?
      
   2. How to Create an OH/ID Account:
      
2. Licensure Pre-application: Once all final grades are posted for your licensure program and all licensure exams are passed, you are now ready to complete the online which, once complete, will link to the online licensure application on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce website. You must complete the pre-application before the Vacca Office of Student Services can review and process your licensure application.

List of Programs & Ohio Licenses

Please review this table to determine what license to apply for and its cost:

What Needs to be on File in 304 White Hall before Applying for Licensure?

• Completion of the appropriate teacher education modules based on the licensure in which you seek to obtain.
• Licensure Pre-application on the which, once complete, will link to the online licensure application on the State Board of Education’s website.
• Passing test scores (Praxis II, OAE, ACTFL) required for licensure.
• Copy of prospectus or plan of study (not a transcript) listing licensure course requirements for graduate and non-degree students.
• Principal applicants must provide a letter from your school district verifying a minimum of 2 years of employment and indicating the specific grade levels in which you have taught.
• Superintendent applicants must provide a letter from your school district verifying 3 years of employment.

Any of the above items can be uploaded through the online

NOTE: We cannot process your application if any of these items are incomplete or missing.

When to Apply for a License

The State Board of Education and the Vacca Office of Student Services always recommends that you apply for licensure immediately following completion, regardless of whether you have secured a job in Ohio. If you wait more than 12 months to apply for your license, you may be required to take additional coursework to meet any new state requirements that are in place. This means that students who apply after the 12-month deadline may have to take additional coursework if the content, methods courses, program requirements, or Licensure requirements have changed from the catalog.

If it has been more than 12 months since program completion, you must complete the Applying for Licensure 12 Months or Later After Program Completion form and forward it to the program coordinator (undergraduate or graduate) prior to applying for licensure.

If you do not apply for your license within 6 years, you are subject to any additional state licensure requirements and are also subject to additional coursework based on changes in areas such as content, age of coursework and changes in program requirements. A minimum of 9 credit hours will be required to apply for licensure after 6 years of program completion. (Please see the form under Appendix I).

Adding an Endorsement or Teaching Field to an Existing License

If coursework is completed to add an Endorsement to an existing license (e.g., Reading K-12, Transition to Work, Middle Childhood Generalist, etc.) or a teaching field within the same licensure area and grade levels as a current license (e.g., want to add a third or fourth concentration area to a Middle Childhood License), then complete the online Pre-application for licensure on the Student Portal which, once complete, will link to the online licensure application on the SBOE website. The Pre-application MUST be completed for processing and review of the licensure application. On the SBOE web site, click on ‘My Credentials’ (not My Applications). Then, click the check box on the right under ‘add an area.’ Choose the endorsement you are applying to add. The cost is $20 and the effective year matches the current license.

Applying for a Second License

If you are already licensed and applying for licensure in a different teaching area and/or grade level(s) from a current license (e.g., current license is an Early Childhood license and want to add Intervention Specialist, or Integrated Language Arts and want to add Library/Media), please review this chart to figure out the license and cost:

*If current license was renewed with the same effective year, cost is $20.

Complete the online Pre-application for licensure on the Student Portal which, once complete, will link to the online licensure application on the State Board of Education website. The Pre-application MUST be completed for processing and review of the licensure application.

Fingerprinting Information

First Ohio License: When you apply for your very first license issued by SBOE, a BCI and FBI background check report, completed within 365 days of the date your application is received, must be on file with the State Board of Education.

Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Electronic Fingerprinting (for the State of Ohio)

• This can be done in the Instructional Resource Center (IRC) in room 221 White Hall during operating hours and by appointment only. For current hours, contact the IRC at 330-672-2353.
• The cost is approximately $30.00 and can be paid with cash or online credit payment (a 3% fee will be applied to all card purchases).
• You must bring current, state issued identification (driver's license or ID card).

The results will be mailed to the address you give at the time of fingerprinting. This is your only official copy of your results.  The IRC and the Vacca Office of Student Services do not have access to your results. You can obtain additional official copies for a fee from BCI (740845-2375). BCI electronic fingerprinting can also be done at any WebCheck location in Ohio.

FBI Electronic Fingerprinting (Federal)

• This can be done in the IRC in room 221 White Hall during operating hours and by appointment only.  For current hours, contact the IRC at 330-672-2353.
• The cost is approximately $30.00 and can be paid with cash or online credit payment (a 3% fee will be applied to all card purchases).
• You must bring current, state issued identification (driver's license or i.d. card).
• The State Board of Education does not accept BCI or FBI paper and ink fingerprints. All BCI and FBI fingerprint information must be submitted electronically. 
• On the SBOE website, there is a general and how they affect licensure.
• SBOE

Assessments Required for Licensure

Praxis II and OAE (Ohio Assessments for Educators) 

Licensure Requirement (not required for graduation): Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments to apply for licensure. See the for more information on assessments specific to licensure type. 

Please pay close attention to the chart on the website - some licensure areas require Praxis II and/or OAE, or other test(s). Taking and passing the licensure tests prior to graduation is strongly encouraged (but not required).

ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages)

If you are completing a licensure program for a World Language (e.g., Spanish, French, etc.), you are required to take a content knowledge test and a test on your education knowledge.  Your content test will be taken through ACTFL - a system of assessing and ensuring the spoken and written language proficiency of candidates for licensure to teach World Languages. Visit the for more information about World Language tests.  See above for information about the test for education knowledge (Praxis II and OAE).

Letters of Completion

The licensure approval process can take some time to complete. However, we want to make sure you can still move forward with your job search while waiting for the process to happen. Thus, we offer a Letter of Completion as a special service to our students which provides verification you have successfully completed all graduation requirements and/or your licensure application is currently under review at the State Board of Education.

There are four different types of letters:

1. Letter of Intent: If you need a letter verifying you are on the graduation list and intend to graduate in an upcoming term and year, the notification you receive from our office of being ON TRACK for graduation serves this purpose.
2. Degree Completion: This letter is for students who have received the ‘Cleared for Graduation’ email from the Vacca Office of Student Services and are awaiting the arrival of their diploma.  This letter is available in the student portal.
3. Licensure Completion: This letter will be available to students three weeks after the graduation ceremony. You can request this letter by completing the Pre-application for licensure and checking the appropriate box. The letter provides verification you have successfully completed all licensure requirements and that your licensure application is currently under review at the State Board of Education. To be eligible to receive a letter of completion you must meet ALL of the following criteria: 
   1. Cleared for graduation
   2. Passing licensure test score(s)
   3. Completed pre-application for licensure in the Student Portal and licensure application completed through SBOE.
      If you have already completed the Pre-application for licensure and DID NOT mark the box to receive a Licensure Completion letter, please contact the Vacca Office of Student Services at 330-672-2862 and you will be directed accordingly.
4. Early Letter of Completion: This letter is only if you have secured a substitute or full-time teaching position, prior to being cleared for graduation. To request this letter, contact Katie Kozak, kkozak2@kent.edu.

Alumni Surveys

After you complete your degree and obtain your licensure, there are a couple of surveys that we may send to you to gather feedback.

Ohio Resident Educators’ Survey

To gather information on alumni satisfaction with the quality of preparation provided by their educator preparation programs, the Ohio Department of Higher Education administers a survey aligned with the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession (OSTP), Ohio licensure requirements, and elements of national accreditation. All Ohio Resident Educators who completed their preparation in Ohio receive an invitation to complete the survey in the fall semester as they enter Year 2 of the Resident Educator program (Ohio Educator Preparation Provider Performance Report: 51±¬ÁÏ, 2020). Survey results are reported as part of the state’s educator performance reports. . 

EHHS Alumni Survey

To gather information on job placement and alumni satisfaction with the quality of their educator preparation programs, 51±¬ÁÏ distributes a survey to graduating students. This survey will be distributed via email.

Applying for a License in Another State

We understand you may also look at other states for teaching positions. The process described above is only for your Ohio teaching license. Because each state has a different process and sets of requirements for licensure, you will need to research the requirements for each state individually. The first step is to go to that state’s Department of Education website for information and look for ‘out of state teachers. Each state is different in terms of what they require for licensure. Even if you intend to teach outside of Ohio, it is strongly recommended that you still apply for your Ohio teaching license upon program completion. This makes the process of applying out of state easier as well as if you decide to return to Ohio to teach in the future. Holding an Ohio teaching license may exempt you from another state’s licensure tests or additional coursework, but it will vary by state. 

Last updated July 23, 2025