How to Become a Principal in Virginia

Virginia principal requirements, step by step

Administration and Supervision preK-12 endorsement (Level I; Level II Principal of Distinction optional). Each requirement is stated as Virginia Department of Education publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Understand that Virginia adds an endorsement, not a stand-alone admin license

   Virginia does not issue a stand-alone administrative license. Administration and Supervision preK-12 is an endorsement added to a license. Level I is required for a building administrator. Level II Principal of Distinction is optional after five years and induction.

   Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

2. 2

   Complete the approved-program route: master’s, three years, and an approved program

   Hold a master’s degree, document three years of successful full-time experience in an instructional personnel position that required licensure, and complete an approved administration and supervision program.

   Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

3. 3

   Pass SLLA 6990 if you will serve as principal or assistant principal

   The School Leaders Licensure Assessment is required for those seeking to serve as principals or assistant principals. It is not required for candidates who will serve only as central-office instructional personnel. Virginia’s approved cut score on SLLA 6990 is 146, approved July 26, 2018, and required effective January 1, 2020.

   Source: doe.virginia.gov

4. 4

   Treat the alternate route as division-restricted

   An alternate route exists, but 8VAC20-23-620 makes it division-restricted and not portable to another Virginia school division. Do not use the alternate route if you expect to change divisions while remaining a building administrator.

   Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

5. 5

   Apply through VALO, then consider Level II after five years

   Request the Administration and Supervision preK-12 endorsement in the Virginia Licensure Online system. After five years of service and induction, Level II Principal of Distinction is an optional advancement, not a requirement to remain a building administrator.

   Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

Virginia’s administrative authority lives on the same license that already authorizes teaching or another instructional role. The Virginia Department of Education does not print a separate administrator card. Regulation 8VAC20-23-620 adds an Administration and Supervision preK-12 endorsement. Level I is what a building administrator must hold. Level II Principal of Distinction is a later, optional designation after five years and induction—it is not the credential that first puts someone in the principal’s office, and skipping it does not make Level I expire.

The approved-program route is a three-part stack: a master’s degree, three years of successful full-time experience in an instructional personnel position that required licensure, and completion of an approved program. Experience as a classified instructional aide, or as a teacher on a license that was not required for the position, does not automatically satisfy the “position requiring licensure” clause. Candidates who spent three years in a private school that did not require a Virginia license should read 8VAC20-23-620 with a licensure specialist before paying for an approved program.

SLLA 6990 is role-dependent. VDOE requires the School Leaders Licensure Assessment for people seeking to serve as principals or assistant principals. Central-office instructional personnel who will not serve as building administrators are not under that testing requirement. The cut score is not a rumor from a prep book: VDOE’s assessment document sets 146, approved July 26, 2018, and required effective January 1, 2020. A 145 is not a Virginia principal pass.

The alternate route is the trap for mobile administrators. It exists, but the regulation makes it division-restricted and not portable. An alternate-route endorsement that works in one division does not travel when the educator takes a principalship in the next county. Anyone who expects to change divisions should use the approved-program route instead. Applications file through VALO. Adding the endorsement to an expired license will fail; renew or reinstate the underlying license first, then request Administration and Supervision preK-12.

Required exams and fees

Virginia 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 Administration and Supervision preK-12 endorsement (Level I; Level II Principal of Distinction optional). Verify approval with Virginia Department of Education.

Moving an administrator credential to Virginia

Virginia’s alternate administration and supervision route is division-restricted and not portable to another school division. The approved-program route in 8VAC20-23-620 is the portable endorsement path.

Official Virginia reciprocity guidance