Licensure
Getting your license to teach
To teach, by law you must be licensed. Completing your degree puts you in position to apply for an Iowa teaching license (and, no worries, there are steps you can take if you want to teach in another state).
The University of Northern Iowa Educator Preparation Program -- via the Registrar's Office -- is responsible for recommending you for licensure. Upon confirming you've met all requirements, the state grants you your license for an initial two years.
Throughout your journey at UNI, dedicated staff in the College of Education Advising and Teacher Education Success (CATS) Office will work with you to ensure the necessary paperwork, reviews and recommendations are ready when you achieve this milestone.
Recommendation for Licensure
To be recommended for licensure to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE), you must:
- Successfully complete student teaching requirements
- Ensure all major and minor GPA requirements are met
- Resolve any existing “Teacher Education Referral" (TER)
- Complete High Risk Behaviors and Substance Abuse training
- Complete application for license with BOEE
The BOEE issues licenses specific to ages or grades based on the focus of your degree or minors. Strictly meeting these requirements is not a guarantee of a recommendation for a teaching license.
You will receive instructions the semester prior to your student teaching outlining the steps to apply for initial licensure and fingerprinting. We recommend you apply at the beginning of your student teaching semester. Upon confirmation by the CATS Office that you’ve met program and graduation requirements, the Registrar's Office recommends licensure to the BOEE. The BOEE notifies you of your licensure by email.
Questions? Contact the CATS Office (SEC 151) at 319-273-2265 or email teachereducation@uni.edu.
Foundations of Reading Test
Teacher education students in these endorsements/majors/minors are now required by the state of Iowa to take the Foundations of Reading Test, or FoRT:
- elementary education major (endorsement #102)
- early childhood education major (endorsement #1001) and minor (endorsement #103)
- literacy education/reading K-8 endorsement (endorsement #148)
- special education minor: K-8 instructional strategist I: mild/moderate (endorsement #260)
You will not be recommended for licensure unless the test has been completed.
If your student teaching is coming up, take the test the semester before student teaching. If you are student teaching in the fall, register for the test by June 1; if your student teaching is in the spring, register before November 1. This test is sometimes referred to as the "FoRT".
This requirement took effect in July 2024 after Iowa House File 2618 was passed by the Iowa legislature.