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Certification & Licensure - Frequently asked questions

TEACH

The TEACH system is used to track certification requirements for those seeking or currently holding NYS certification in the areas of teaching, pupil personnel services and administration. NYSED provides a list of TEACH services on their website.

Anyone wishing to obtain NYS certification in teaching, pupil personnel services (includes school counseling) and administration needs to establish a TEACH account. To self-register for a TEACH account visit  NYSED’s Office of Teaching Initiatives.

We suggest that students set up a TEACH account at the start of their program. Certification requirements such as workshops, fingerprinting and exams will be completed during your time at Warner and the providers will load completion to your TEACH account. Without it, the completion will not be recorded until a TEACH account is established, at which time you’d then need to reach out to the providers an additional time.

Visit Teach Online Services and select “Forgot your Username or Password?”

The TEACH website has a detailed list of frequently asked questions to assist you. 

Workshops

Contact the Financial Aid office to explore loan programs that meet your needs. Your financial aid package that was awarded upon admission to your program offers the latest scholarships that are available through Warner. Your employer, if you are working, may also have employee assistance programs for you to explore. 

Pay your tuition and fees through UR Student. Choose Finances under your applications to view your balance, make payments and select a payment plan. On the right-hand side of the screen, choose View Account Activity to see a detailed statement or to download your invoice.. If you have questions about your bill or need additional assistance, contact the Bursars Office at (585) 275-3931 or bursar@admin.rochester.edu

Previous account charges become due on the 10th of each month. To avoid late fees and holds on delinquent accounts, pay your bill promptly or enter a payment plan agreement. Notifications will be sent via email to your home email address and can sometimes be categorized as spam. To avoid any late charges, log into UR Student to check your charges, even if you do not receive an email.
 
To sign up for a payment plan, log into UR Student and look under Payments. You can choose the plan that allows for you charged in two installments. If you have additional activity that changes your balance, UR Student will recalculate your installments within a business day. Once a semester, you will have to sign up for a payment plan in UR Student after your charges have been assessed.

Please review Tuition and other costs

The tuition rate generally increases by approximately 3-4 percent each year.

If your employer pays your tuition but cannot pay on time, contact the Bursars Office at (585) 275-3931 or bursar@admin.rochester.edu.

If paying with a check or money order, make the check payable to the University of Rochester and include your Student ID on the check or money order to ensure correct processing. Mail your payment to:
University of Rochester
Office of the Bursar
330 Meliora Hall
PO Box 270037
Rochester  NY  14627

If you require a receipt or verification of tuition payment for reimbursement or other reasons, contact the Bursar's Office at (585) 275-3931.

The University always tries to accommodate student requests and needs but there are many things that factor into the decision. You should start by contacting the international student financial aid advisor in Financial Aid to review your situation and to explore the options available to assist you. 

If you have questions regarding the University of Rochester employee tuition benefits process, contact the Office of Total Rewards. You should wait until one day after registration to apply for benefits, and you have to apply within 30 days of the course start date by logging into HRMS and navigating to Self Service > Benefits > Tuition > Apply Employee Tuition Waiver.

Refunds may be available but the amount depends on the date you withdraw from your class(es). Review the Refund Policy

certification exams

We strongly recommend that classroom teaching candidates take the content specialty test (CST) before your first student teaching experience. The Educating All Students exam is also recommended to be taken prior to your first student teaching. Talk to your program advisor about specific timing. Administrative students should consult with their academic advisor about preparedness for exams and suggested timing.

Consult the Certification Requirements page of the TEACH system to see which exams are required for the certification that you’re seeking. Note that each certificate may require a different set of exams so be sure to search the requirements for all subject areas.

Exams are administered by NYSTCE . For information on certification exams, including details about how to register for tests, finding test dates and sites, refer to their website.

Exams are administered by NYSTCE . For information on certification exams, including details about how to register for tests, finding test dates and sites, refer to their website.

There a few things that you can try: 1) expand the region that you’re willing to travel; 2) if you’re registering for an exam that has two parts (SBL1, SBL2 and SDL1, SDL2) search for each exam separately, rather than combining the times; that allows for a lesser amount of seat time; 3) keep in mind that you don’t have to do the multiple-part exams sequentially; you can do SDL2 before SDL1, as they don’t build on each other.

Yes. All exams required for the certification that you’re seeking are required for NYS certification.

Institutional Recommendation for NYS Certification

The Warner School recommendation (also referred to as “Institutional Recommendation” or “College Recommendation” on the TEACH site) means that we are certifying to NYS that you have completed all of the requirements for a NYS registered program and it is just one of the requirements for certification.

The Warner School submits the college recommendation to your TEACH account after all of the requirements for program completion are met.

Students who have completed all program requirements and who need documentation before the degree/certificate becomes official can complete this form to request a confirmation letter: Degree/Certificate Confirmation Letter Request. The Warner School Registrar will send it to the email address provided, unless otherwise indicated.

Yes. The workshops are part of the NYS-registered program and they need to be completed prior to program completion, in order for the college recommendation to be added to your TEACH account.

No. The certification exams are not included in NYS-registered programs and are not required for institutional recommendation in TEACH.

No. The college recommendation is just one of the requirements for certification. To view a list of certification requirements, consult the NYS certification requirements. You must also complete the application for certification in the TEACH system.

No. Be sure to choose the “NYS-approved program pathway” in the application process and that will allow the college recommendation to serve as confirmation of completion of the academic work and workshop required.

Fingerprinting

Fingerprinting is a New York State requirement for certification applicants in teaching, counseling, and administration as well as anyone who is intending to work with children, either through ABA or LMHC licensure

Fingerprinting is done through IdentoGO. Students will need to set up an account before scheduling an appointment. Consult the NYSED Fingerprinting Process from Start to Finish . A service code is required for registering for the fingerprinting process. You can find information about the service codes here.

Candidates that anticipate seeking NYS certification should complete the fingerprinting process as soon as possible. Fingerprinting may also be required prior to internship or student teaching placements.

If you have previously completed the fingerprinting process through the NYS Department of Education, you do not have to be fingerprinted again.

That would depend on where you had fingerprinting completed. If you’ve had fingerprinting done through MorphoTrust, contact them directly at www.IdentoGo.com or 877-472-6915. If you completed the fingerprinting process elsewhere, you will need to contact that agency.

MorphoTrust transmits fingerprinting results directly to the TEACH system.

In the TEACH system, at the home page, choose “Fingerprinting” and then submit. If your fingerprints have been submitted to your TEACH account, you will see this message: “Your DCJS and FBI results have been received.” or “We have received your fingerprint information from NYC.” will appear if you had your fingerprinting completed by NYCDOE.

Contact NYSED Fingerprint Helpdesk; ospra@nysed.gov or call (518) 473-2998.

Review NYS frequently asked questions about fingerprinting. 

Applying for Certification

Apply for NYS certification through the TEACH system. For help on how to apply, consult the Instructions for Application.

Email the NY State Education Department at tcert@mail.nysed.gov to request a pathway change. You can also consult the Change Application Path page on the Office of Teaching Initiatives website.

You can begin the application process at any time, but certification will not be awarded until all of the requirements are met. College recommendation of program completion is just one of the requirements for certification. To view a list of certification requirements, consult the NYS certification requirements.

Yes. The exams are just one of the requirements for certification. You can begin the application process at any time, but certification will not be awarded until all of the requirements are met. To view a list of certification requirements, consult the NYS certification requirements.

Information about certification and licensure, including NYS program codes for the TEACH application process can be found on our website.

It’s advisable to apply for certification upon program completion, but that’s up to each graduating student to decide. Changes to NYS certification requirements could have an impact on eligibility and it’s the candidate’s responsibility to determine what’s best. You may also want to consult the Types of Certificates and Licenses on the NYSED website, and research how long your particular certificate is valid, and if you’d be eligible for a (one-time) extension.

The university does not evaluate applications for certification. To find out about questions such as timing, go to the Office of Teaching Initiatives website and select “Certification”.

Certificate Issuance

For the university to recommend a student for certification in an additional subject area(s), they must be enrolled in program(s) related to the addition subject area(s). To add an additional certificate to your program, contact Warner admissions at admissions@warner.rochester.edu

NYS does not issue printed copies of time-limited certificates, such as initial, provisional or internship certification. If you wish to have a copy of a time-limited certificate, log into your TEACH account and select “I would like a printed certificate”. There will be a fee associated with this request.

Alternately, you can log into your TEACH account and select “Account Information” and make a printed copy of this page.

Log in to your TEACH Account. Click "TEACH Online Services” and select “Account Information”. Click on “Certificates” and click GO. The information displayed includes all of your certificate applications and all issued certificates. NYSED offers further information about Checking the Status of Your Application.

NYS does not issue printed copies of time-limited certificates, such as initial, provisional or internship certification. If you wish to have a copy of a time-limited certificate, log into your TEACH account and select “I would like a printed certificate”. There will be a fee associated with this request.

NYS automatically mails printed copies of professional and permanent certificates and mails them to the address listed in the TEACH account. For this reason, it’s important to keep your mailing address updated in your TEACH account.

Miscellaneous

The NYSED Office of the Professions provided information about NYS licensure for mental health practitioners.

Students completing programs in mental health counseling are eligible to receive a limited permit to practice under supervision at a clinical site acceptable to the NYS Office of Professions. As part of the application for limited permit, you will need to submit Form 2 to the registrar, who will finish the form and submit the documentation to NYS. Form 2 can be submitted to registrar@warner.rochester.edu, or you can drop it off to the Warner Registrar, in LeChase 246.

Transcripts that are needed as evidence for satisfying program pre-requisites can be submitted to studentservices@warner.rochester.edu.

To order a transcript, go to https://www.rochester.edu/registrar/requests/transcripts.html ; scroll down to NSC Transcript Ordering Center to view options. For questions regarding degree conferral and transcripts contact registrar@warner.rochester.edu. Note that students completing NYS-registered programs do not typically have to submit a transcript to the TEACH system. The institutional recommendation serves as evidence of completion of the academic requirements.

Students having completed all program requirements who need documentation before the degree/certificate becomes official can complete this form to request a confirmation letter: Degree/Certificate Confirmation Letter Request. The Warner School Registrar will send it to the email address provided, unless otherwise indicated.

Check with the education department of the state where you intend to work. Send any documentation that needs to be completed by the university to certification@warner.rochester.edu .