Alternative Teacher Certification in South Carolina

South Carolina alternative certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as South Carolina Department of Education — Office of Educator Services publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Confirm a bachelor’s degree in an approved PACE field

   The Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE) is South Carolina’s primary classroom alternative route. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college with a major in an approved PACE field, or a major equivalency (30 or more semester hours in the content area with a grade of C or better, including 21 at the junior/senior level or above, or 24 or more graduate semester hours). Individuals who started but did not finish another South Carolina alternative program are not eligible.

   Source: ed.sc.gov

2. 2

   Apply, pass Praxis, fingerprint, and obtain a Statement of Eligibility

   Submit an Alternative Route Application for PACE through My SC Educator Portal without paying at first. After a transcript evaluation approves PACE eligibility, pass the ETS Praxis subject-area assessment and have scores reported to SCDE (code 8108). Complete fingerprinting, then pay the non-refundable $105 processing fee. SCDE issues a Statement of Eligibility that districts request in interviews.

   Source: ed.sc.gov

3. 3

   Secure public-school employment and complete the 10-day PACE I Institute

   The hiring district submits a Confirmation of Employment. First-time 2026–27 participants join PACE Cohort 2026. Candidates must attend and pass the ten-day PACE I Institute (summer or winter, conducted online for 2026–27) before SCDE issues the first one-year Alternative Route certificate. PACE I and PACE II each require a non-refundable $250 registration fee.

   Source: ed.sc.gov

4. 4

   Teach on a one-year Alternative Route certificate while completing PACE

   Alternative Route certificates are valid for one school year, expire June 30, and may be renewed each year with successful program progress and continued employment—typically three years, with a possible fourth-year extension except in special education. Participants cannot switch programs after the first certificate is issued. Complete PACE II, seminars, and three pre-approved college courses with a grade of B or better.

   Source: ed.sc.gov

5. 5

   Request advancement to the Professional certificate

   After all program requirements and three certified years of participation, submit the Alt Route Professional Certification Request through My SC Educator Portal. Professional teaching certificates are valid for five years and renew with 120 credits.

   Source: ed.sc.gov

PACE is employment-gated twice: first for the Statement of Eligibility (you may seek a job) and again for the Confirmation of Employment that actually seats you in a cohort. The 10-day PACE I Institute is not optional orientation—it is the issuance trigger for the first Alternative Route certificate. Candidates hired too late for summer or winter PACE I can be placed on a district-requested PACE Adjunct certificate for the remainder of that school year only. That adjunct does not renew and does not lead to a Professional certificate; continued employment requires attending the next PACE I.

Official PACE costs stack. The SCDE processing fee is $105. Cohort training is a non-refundable $250 for PACE I and $250 for PACE II, covering those institutes plus the spring and fall seminars. Participants also buy assigned textbooks. The $105–$605 fee range on this page reflects the state processing fee alone versus processing plus both published training registration fees; it does not include Praxis, fingerprinting, or college coursework.

The three-year program clock is rigid. Alternative Route certificates expire every June 30. Participants must complete three certified years and cannot switch to another approved alternative program after the first certificate is issued. Special education fields are ineligible for the optional fourth-year extension. Coursework rules are equally specific: three pre-approved college courses at a grade of B or better, with Read to Succeed content-area reading/writing allowed through approved professional development, and only one professional-development graduate course eligible as pass/fail.

PACE is the flagship but not the only alternative on-ramp. SCDE’s alternative-certification guidance covers multiple approved providers, all of which lead to a renewable Professional certificate if completed. The Noncertified Teacher Pilot, authorized through June 30, 2030, is a separate statutory experiment that lets participating schools hire noncertified teachers who must enroll in a traditional or alternative preparation program within three years. Career changers should confirm whether a posting expects a PACE Statement of Eligibility, another approved alternative provider, or the pilot registration—those documents are not interchangeable.

Required exams and fees

South Carolina uses ETS Praxis subject-area and pedagogy assessments (Principles of Learning and Teaching). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to South Carolina

PACE and other South Carolina alternative programs are in-state employment pathways, not reciprocity vehicles. Out-of-state licensed teachers follow the Office of Educator Services reciprocity application. Alternative-route participants may not switch programs after their first Alternative Route certificate is issued.

Official South Carolina reciprocity guidance