Welcome to the Division of Educator Licensure! Our mission is to assist all Mississippi current and prospective educators to obtain and maintain standard certification and to implement licensure guidelines set by the Mississippi State Board of Education. Applicants for educator licensure shall meet all requirements for the selected approach in effect on the date the complete application is received in the Division of Educator Licensure. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you as you serve the children of Mississippi.
Click here for the frequently asked questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on certification requirements.
**REMINDER**: Please be mindful effective with completed application packets received July 1, 2021, and thereafter, Citizens of the United States are required to submit appropriate documentation for verification once during their next most immediate licensure application submission. Non-US citizens are required to submit appropriate documentation for verification with each licensure application submission, or when their United States Citizenship and Immigration Services documents expire, whichever comes first. Required forms and additional information found therein, can be accessed via the following web link: Forms.
Now processing:
• Open renewal applications received the week of June 4, 2022
• All other open applications received the week of May 23, 2022
To prevent the delay of licensure issuance, please review the Licensure Application Checklist to identify the documents required for obtaining licensure in your desired area of certification. If you did not submit the Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP) form and required identification with a previously submitted licensure request, it must be uploaded with your next most immediate licensure application submission. Applications that are submitted without supporting documents will be considered incomplete and the educator will be emailed a “requirements” letter stating which documents are needed to process the licensure request.
Please note that we are experiencing an enormous increase in the number of application requests received. This has caused an increase in the application processing time. To help us in our efforts to process your application more efficiently, we ask that you please allow at least three to five weeks of processing time before contacting the Division of Educator Licensure to inquire about the status. You may also continue to visit your ELMS account to review the status. As always, we value and appreciate the opportunity to serve you.
Application Statuses
All application statuses are placed in one of four categories: Open, Pending, Closed, or Re-Opened. Each category is defined as follows:
Open: Application received, but not yet reviewed by a licensure specialist.
Pending: Application received and reviewed by a licensure specialist. It was determined that additional documentation is required for further review and the application is considered incomplete. Please refer to the requirements letters submitted to you by email or view the letter on the “Correspondence” page of your ELMS account. See the comment section of the pending application(s) on the “Credentials” page of your ELMS account for updates.
Closed: Application received and reviewed by a licensure specialist. Closed requests should result in an issuance of license. If your licensure application is more than 180 days old, your application will be closed with no further action taken by the MDE. Should you desire, you may submit a new licensure application for review.
Reopened: Incomplete application previously received and reviewed by Licensure Specialist. Additional documentation was received from you by request of your Licensure Specialist via a requirements letter, which was sent to you by email, postal mail and/or accessed via your ELMS account. Your application will be re-opened for further review according to the original date of application; however, it will be processed in order of the date the last document required for licensure issuance was received.
All application statuses are placed in one of four categories: Open, Pending, Closed, or Re-Opened. Each category is defined as follows:
Open: Application received, but not yet reviewed by a licensure specialist.
Pending: Application received and reviewed by a licensure specialist. It was determined that additional documentation is required for further review. Please refer to the requirements letters submitted to you by email or view the letter on the “Correspondence” page of your ELMS account. See the comment section of the pending application(s) on the “Credentials” page of your ELMS account for updates.
Closed: Application received and reviewed by a licensure specialist. Closed requests should result in an issuance of license. If your licensure application is more than 180 days old, your application will be closed with no further action taken by the MDE. Should you desire, you may submit a new licensure application for review.
Reopened: Application previously received and reviewed by Licensure Specialist. Additional documentation was received from you by request of your Licensure Specialist via a requirements letter, which was sent to you by email, postal mail and/or accessed via your ELMS account. Your application is open for further review.
Educator Licensure Management System (ELMS)
PIN for ELMS Account Holders
A four-digit PIN will be required when seeking ELMS related information from a Licensure Call Center customer service representative. Click here for instructions on creating and resetting your PIN.
Contact Us
Email: teachersupport@mdek12.org
Call: 601-359-3483
Call Center Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 8:00am- 5:30pm CST
When calling the Division of Educator Licensure to speak with a member of the Licensure Team, please note that the average hold time is between four (4) to seven (7) minutes. Please do not hold the line for longer than ten (10) minutes. Click teachersupport@mdek12.org and request a call back, or try your call again later.
To check the status of your application, log into your ELMS account.