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How to substitute teach in North Dakota without a degree
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
You can substitute teach in North Dakota without a degree. ESPB issues an interim substitute license to people with 48 semester hours of college coursework, or with a high school diploma or GED plus its roughly 20-hour online training. Without a bachelor's degree, you may not stay more than 30 consecutive days in the same classroom.
The two routes
North Dakota's rule, NDAC 67.1-02-04-02, sets two ways in for people without a degree. The table shows them side by side. Both routes end in the same interim substitute license, valid for at least two years and covering grades K-12.
| Route | What you need | Extra cost |
|---|---|---|
| College | Official transcript with 48 semester hours | None beyond fees |
| Training | High school diploma or GED plus ESPB's online course (about 20 hours) | $99 for the course |
Step by step
First, decide your route by counting your semester hours. Second, create an account on ND Teach and start the online application. Third, complete the fingerprint background check; ESPB will not issue the license until it clears. Fourth, send your official transcript, or the training certificate plus your diploma, GED or college transcript. Finally, pay the fees: ESPB lists $95 for the license and a one-time $30 application fee.
Once licensed, apply to districts or to a staffing agency that places substitutes. Districts set their own pay, training and onboarding, so ask each one what it needs from you.
- Count your hours
- Apply on ND Teach
- Fingerprint background check
- Send transcript or training certificate
- Pay the fees
The 30-day rule
The rule limits substitutes without a bachelor's degree to 30 consecutive days in the same classroom. It applies on both routes, so 48 college hours do not change it. For most day-to-day substitute work this does not matter. It matters for long-term assignments, such as covering a full maternity leave.
If long-term work interests you, the path is a bachelor's degree, which also leads toward a full North Dakota teaching license through an approved programme or an alternative route. That is a longer plan, and general-education courses are the first step on it.
Is the training or college route better?
For the license alone, the training route is cheaper and faster for most people with fewer than 48 hours. The course is online, takes about 20 hours and costs $99, and you need only a high school diploma or GED alongside it. The college route is better when you already have 48 hours, or when you plan to earn a degree anyway.
Taking college courses only to reach 48 hours rarely makes sense when the training exists. Taking them because you want an associate or bachelor's degree, and reaching 48 on the way, does.
Using college courses toward a degree
If a degree is your goal, choose general-education courses most degree plans need: composition, college algebra, psychology, history and sociology. Courses with ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations reach a transcript only after a college posts them. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, and Newlane is a third; North Dakota University System colleges decide their own transfer credit.
Ask the college you plan to finish with, and ESPB, in writing before you enrol. Keep their replies with your application records.
After you are licensed
Keep track of the expiry date, which falls on your birthday, and ask ESPB what renewal needs well ahead of time; the application page does not describe renewal. Keep copies of your transcripts, certificate and background check confirmation, because districts and agencies may ask for them.
Many substitutes find they enjoy teaching. If that happens to you, talk with ESPB and a North Dakota educator preparation programme about the route to a full license.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask ESPB in writing whether the official transcript you plan to send, including any transfer credit on it, meets the 48 semester hour requirement before you take more courses.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Can I substitute teach in North Dakota with a GED?
Yes, on the training route. ESPB asks for a high school diploma or GED, or an official college transcript with any credit, plus the completion certificate from its online substitute training and the fingerprint background check.
How long does the North Dakota substitute training take?
ESPB's page says the online Frontline course takes about 20 hours and costs $99. It is for applicants with fewer than 48 college credits. Send the completion certificate with the rest of your application.
Can I work as a long-term substitute without a degree?
Only up to 30 consecutive days in the same classroom. The rule sets that limit for interim substitutes without a bachelor's degree, on both the 48-hour and the training route.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Educational Psychology
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Psychology
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Add general-education courses with ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations toward a degree, moved via a college transcript, once ESPB confirms in writing how it treats transfer credit.
Sources
- ESPB: Substitute License Requirements and Application (official)Official transcript documenting a minimum of 48 semester hours of college coursework, plus an ESPB background check and an online application; applicants with fewer than 48 credits take a Frontline online course ($99, about 20 hours) and send the completion certificate, fingerprint packet and a high school diploma, GED or college transcript; license fee $95 plus a one-time $30 application fee; valid 2 years, expires on the applicant's birthday; covers grades K-12. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- NDAC 67.1-02-04: Alternative Access Licenses (section 67.1-02-04-02, Interim licenses for substitute teachers) (official)Interim licensure for substitutes with two years of postsecondary education (48 semester hours), or a high school diploma plus the state-approved substitute training, when a shortage exists; no more than 30 consecutive days in the same classroom without a bachelor's degree; fingerprint background check; fee stated as ninety dollars for two years; valid a minimum of two years; last amended January 1, 2024; authority NDCC 15.1-13-09, 15.1-13-10. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.