How to Become a Principal in New Jersey

New Jersey principal requirements, step by step

Principal Certificate of Eligibility (endorsement 0200). Each requirement is stated as New Jersey Department of Education publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Hold a qualifying master’s degree or complete a graduate leadership program

   Hold a master’s in educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, or a recognized leadership or management field; or hold a master’s degree plus a graduate leadership program; or hold an out-of-state accredited educational leadership master’s degree.

   Source: nj.gov

2. 2

   Complete a 300-hour internship aligned to PSEL

   Finish a 300-hour internship aligned to the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. The internship is independent of other course requirements and cannot be folded into unrelated graduate hours.

   Source: nj.gov

3. 3

   Hold a valid instructional, educational services, or administrative certificate

   Maintain a valid New Jersey certificate—or the equivalent—in instruction, educational services, or administration. The Principal CE (0200) is an additional leadership endorsement, not a first certificate.

   Source: nj.gov

4. 4

   Document five years of successful educational experience

   Verify five years of successful educational experience under a valid certificate. Experience that was not served under a valid certificate does not meet this NJDOE requirement.

   Source: nj.gov

5. 5

   Pass SLLA 6990 at New Jersey’s passing score of 151

   Pass the School Leaders Licensure Assessment 6990. New Jersey’s official passing score is 151, as published on the NJDOE certification testing requirements page.

   Source: nj.gov

6. 6

   Apply for CE 0200 through NJEdCert; standard certification follows employment rules

   Submit the Principal Certificate of Eligibility (endorsement 0200) in NJEdCert. The CE authorizes employment as a principal. Standard certification follows the employment and residency rules the New Jersey Department of Education publishes for this endorsement.

   Source: nj.gov

New Jersey’s first principal document is a Certificate of Eligibility, not a standard license, and the endorsement number is 0200. The New Jersey Department of Education’s 0200 CE page is the checklist. Degree options are specific: a master’s in educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, or a recognized leadership or management field; a master’s in another area plus a graduate leadership program; or an out-of-state accredited educational leadership master’s. A master’s in a content field with a few leadership electives is not automatically a “recognized leadership or management field.” Candidates who guess at that phrase without program confirmation are the ones whose NJEdCert files bounce.

The internship is a 300-hour experience aligned to the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders and is independent of other course requirements. Logging 300 hours of assistant-principal shadowing that a campus already required for a grade does not automatically satisfy the independent-internship rule. Likewise, the five years of successful educational experience must have been served under a valid certificate—New Jersey or the equivalent. Years as an uncertified charter staff member or as a long-term substitute without a certificate do not convert into the five-year count just because the work felt administrative.

Testing is SLLA 6990 at a New Jersey-specific cut. The Department’s certification testing page publishes a passing score of 151. Scores that would be “close enough” in another jurisdiction are not New Jersey passes. Register for 6990, not an older SLLA form, and do not treat a superintendent or teacher-leader assessment as a substitute unless NJDOE’s testing page lists it for endorsement 0200.

The CE is what authorizes a district to employ the candidate as a principal. Standard certification is a later step that follows the employment and residency rules NJDOE publishes for this endorsement. Applicants should read the 0200 CE page and the Department’s current standard-certification instructions rather than inventing a residency calendar. All of it files through NJEdCert. Selecting a supervisor or school-administrator endorsement instead of 0200 will not place a principal CE on the certificate, even when SLLA 151 and the 300-hour internship are already complete.

Required exams and fees

New Jersey uses SLLA 6990. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Institutions with educational leadership programs

The table lists educational leadership CIP codes and award levels from IPEDS. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An award conferred does not mean the program is approved to recommend candidates for Principal Certificate of Eligibility (endorsement 0200). Verify approval with New Jersey Department of Education.

Moving an administrator credential to New Jersey

Confirm out-of-state administrator evaluation rules directly with New Jersey Department of Education. This site does not republish NASDTEC interstate-agreement text.

New Jersey Department of Education