How to Become a Teacher in New Hampshire

New Hampshire certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Complete a New Hampshire Professional Educator Preparation Program

   Finish an approved Professional Educator Preparation Program (PEPP) at a New Hampshire institution. Eleven institutions of higher education offer one or more approved programs. Ed 600 governs program approval; Ed 500 sets the credential standards for the endorsement.

   Source: education.nh.gov

2. 2

   Complete the Criminal History Record Check Clearance

   As of January 11, 2023, all first-time applicants must complete and pass a criminal history records check and a DCYF Central Registry check before a credential is issued. Clearance is also required for PEPP candidates. Ed 505.09 lists a $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee for first-time applicants.

   Source: education.nh.gov

3. 3

   Meet endorsement assessments required by your PEPP

   New Hampshire endorsement rules in Ed 500 and PEPP requirements determine which content or professional assessments you must pass. Many teaching endorsements use ETS Praxis. Confirm the exact tests with your preparation program and the Bureau of Credentialing Knowledge Base before you register.

   Source: education.nh.gov

4. 4

   Apply for a Beginning Educator License in myNHDOE / EIS

   Create or log in to myNHDOE to reach the Educator Information System. Submit the Beginning Educator License application for your endorsement and pay the credential fee. Table 505-1 in Ed 505.09, adopted June 12, 2025 and effective July 1, 2025, sets $150 for a Beginning Educator License, Experienced Educator License, or approved-program completer credential per endorsement. Fees are non-refundable.

   Source: my.doe.nh.gov

5. 5

   Renew on the three-year cycle or advance to Experienced Educator

   BEL and EEL renew on a three-year cycle for $150. An educator with multiple endorsements may renew one or more held endorsements and pay one license renewal fee; later endorsements renewed separately require another fee. Lapsed BEL/EEL reinstatement is an additional $100 plus the renewal fee.

   Source: nhdoepm.atlassian.net

New Hampshire splits the profession into Beginning Educator and Experienced Educator licenses rather than a single initial-plus-professional stack with a residency year. Traditional PEPP completers enter on a Beginning Educator License tied to a specific endorsement. The three-year renewal cycle in Table 505-1 is the same dollar amount—$150—for initial issuance and renewal, which is simple until an educator holds several endorsements and tries to renew them on different calendars. Ed 505.09 lets one renewal fee cover endorsements renewed together; endorsements left behind become a second $150 event, and a lapsed file adds $100 more.

The January 11, 2023 clearance rule is a true first-time gate. The Bureau requires both a criminal history records check and a DCYF Central Registry check before any first credential is issued, and PEPP candidates need clearance as well. Table 505-1 prices first-time applicant Criminal History Record Check Clearance at $100 (designated volunteers and PEPP candidates are listed at $20). Applicants who treat myNHDOE as only an academic upload will stall even after the PEPP recommendation arrives. Transportation monitors are no longer in that clearance set; school bus drivers still are.

Fee amounts moved in 2025. The State Board adopted Ed 505.09 on June 12, 2025, and the Bureau Knowledge Base publishes Table 505-1 effective July 1, 2025 at $150 for BEL/EEL/Master Teacher and approved-program completers. Older printouts that still show $120 are out of date. Payments are non-refundable and may be made electronically in EIS or by cash, money order, cashier's check, or a school employer check payable to Treasurer, State of New Hampshire. Personal checks are not the listed method in the adopted rule text.

New Hampshire does not publish a single Praxis-for-all chart the way some Praxis-primary states do. Ed 500 endorsement rules and the eleven approved PEPP providers determine which assessments attach to elementary, secondary, and specialist credentials. Traditional candidates should get the test list from the licensing advisor at their institution and confirm it in the Credentialing Knowledge Base, because registering for a generic Praxis battery can miss an endorsement-specific requirement—or add an exam the PEPP no longer uses. The Bureau's help desk, not a phone queue, is the official way to resolve those mismatches.

Required exams and fees

New Hampshire uses Endorsement-specific assessments as required by Ed 500 (commonly ETS Praxis); PEPP completers follow program and endorsement rules. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to New Hampshire

Out-of-state educators use Bureau of Credentialing pathways in Ed 505, including demonstrated competencies based on experience under an out-of-state license ($150 per endorsement in Table 505-1). First-time applicants still complete the criminal history and DCYF Central Registry clearance. Servicemembers and spouses may also have federal license-portability rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which the Bureau describes on its credentialing page.

Official New Hampshire reciprocity guidance