Principal License Admissions

Principal License

Admissions

Before applying to our program, applicants must:

  • Possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in the highest degree earned.
  • Possess a current Oregon (or Washington) teaching or personnel service license
  • Have three years of successful licensed teaching or personnel service experience
  • Possess a master’s degree from an accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 unless you are applying to the Master's plus Principal License program

Enrollment in each cohort is limited. The earlier you apply, the better your chance of being admitted.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring all application materials are received by the department! Faculty will review applications only after all application materials have been received. You will be notified of your official admission status via email from the Graduate School. After you are officially admitted you will be able to register for courses. The whole admission process may take a minimum of up to four weeks to complete. Please plan accordingly.

Tuition and fees

The cost for the program follows graduate tuition and fees. These fees do not include the cost for any required course reading materials. You may wish to review information on available scholarships, financial aid, and estimated program costs. Only the Master's plus Principal License program is eligible for federal financial aid.


Admissions instructions

  1. Check the application deadline for your program.
  2. Make sure you have everything ready from the Application Checklist.
  3. Create an account or sign into the Portland State University Admissions Application system.
  4. Select "Start New Application" and then "Graduate Application." Do not select "Non-degree". You will not be able to upload the necessary documents with the non-degree application, and your application will not be considered.
  5. For the college, select "College of Education"
  6. For the program of study, select "Educational Leadership and Policy: Principal License, License Only"

To validate your admission you must take a course during the term in which you have requested to be admitted. Should you not take a course in that term, your application will be cancelled and you will need to reapply to the next cohort.

Questions about the application process?

If you have questions prior to submitting your application, contact askcoe@pdx.edu.
If you have questions about the application process or your application status once you have submitted your application, contact elpadmit@pdx.edu.

Application checklist

  • Program-specific application
  • Unofficial transcripts are accepted by the College of Education for the program application. You only need to submit transcripts from institutions that you earned a degree from and where any graduate coursework was taken. Additional unofficial transcripts may be sent in if it significantly improves your application GPA. If admitted, you must send in official transcripts from each degree-granting school and any graduate school. More information on submitting official transcripts can be found on the Graduate Admissions page.
  • After you are admitted, you must submit official transcripts to:
    • The Graduate School
      Portland State University
      PO Box 751
      Portland, OR 97207 - 0751
      Electronic official transcripts should be sent to graddocs@pdx.edu
  • Personal goal statement (writing prompt located within the application)
  • Résumé
  • Two electronic recommendation forms from current licensed administrators (forms are provided within the application)
  • Copy of teaching or personnel service license, or a screenshot of your information from the TSPC system
  • Designation of Mentor form

Retention of Student Documents

All application documents submitted to PSU become the property of the University and may not be copied or returned to a student. Transcripts from other institutions cannot be copied.