Apply for your teacher education program using your linkblue credentials through the UK Ed Prep System.

All applicants for teacher preparation programs will complete a standard application process and will be assessed through a rigorous interview procedure with a specific program admissions committee. Students who are not admitted to a teacher preparation program may apply again at a later date.

Dates for the TEP Application Deadlines can be found here – https://cepis.coe.uky.edu/ukedprep/deadlines.

Under regulations of the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB), candidates must meet two basic requirements in order to be eligible to apply for a Teacher Education Program:

  1. GPA: Candidates must have an overall GPA of 2.75 or better, or they must have a 3.0 GPA in the last thirty hours of work completed. For questions about the last 30 hours GPA, please contact your academic advisor or Christopher Reese (christopher.reese@nulluky.edu).
  2. Standardized Testing: Candidates are required to supply standardized testing results in one of the following ways:
    • If a candidate has a composite ACT score of 22 or better, then that is all that is needed.
    • If a candidate does not have a composite score of 22 or better but does have individual exam scores of 20 on Reading, 18 on English, and 19 on Math, then that is all that is needed.
    • If a candidate does not meet one of the individual ACT cut off scores, then they should take the equivalent Praxis Core exam. These would be Reading with a cut off of 150, Writing (English) with a cut off of 158, and Math with a cut off of 144. NOTE: A candidate only needs to take the exams for the area(s) that they did not meet with the individual ACT scores.
    • If a candidate does not meet the cut off for one or more of the Praxis Core exams by 5 points or fewer, and has an overall GPA of 3.0 or better, then the candidate is still eligible to apply.

NOTE: Exam scores cannot be over 10 years old in order to be used for TEP eligibility. If you have any questions about any of the eligibility requirements, please contact Christopher Reese (christopher.reese@nulluky.edu).

The various sections of the application are outlined below:

  1. Demographics: In this step, the personal information that we have for you is shown. This is recent as of your admission or transfer into the College of Education. You can note any corrections or changes in the applicable field. If we do not have your Social Security Number on file, this is where you will be asked to fill it in. This is required for registration with the Educational Professional Standards Board of Kentucky.
  2. Character and Fitness: All candidates who wish to enroll in TEP-restricted courses understand that teachers in Kentucky are held to a high standard of conduct towards the students, the community and the profession. Teachers are role models for students; illegal conduct can be grounds for revoking or denying a teaching certificate. Prospective student teachers must declare that they have not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (other than traffic violations), and that they have not had any serious problems with any legal system. If you answer Yes to any C&F questions, you must submit review and reference documentation in person at the Office of Program Documentation, Accountability, and Compliance in Taylor Education Building 166. Please contact Christopher Reese (clrees2@nulluky.edu or 859-257-4112) if you answer Yes to one of the C&F questions, and he will give you further information and instructions about what documentation will need to be submitted.
  3. Self-Assessment: This step asks you to rate yourself on the various standard sets that guide our initial teacher education programs. Please NOTE: You are not expected to have mastered these standards yet. So please be honest in your self-assessment. Your ratings will not have a negative effect on your admissions decision.
  4. Recommendations: In this step, you can enter the contact information of 3 sources from whom you can request a recommendation letter. These are required. At least one letter needs to be from a college instructor. The recommender will receive an email with an editable form along with instructions on how to submit it back to our office. Responses will be kept confidential from the candidate; however, you can go back into your application to verify that the letter of recommendation has been submitted.
  5. Transcripts: If you are a current University of Kentucky student, you must provide your current completed hours and GPA at the University of Kentucky. You must also provide an unofficial transcript from the University of Kentucky. You must also provide additional academic history and transcripts from other higher education institutions you have attended, including KCTCS schools and college work completed in high school.
  6. Test Scores: In this step, you can see which of your ACT and/or PRAXIS results we have received. If you believe that we should have received any of your missing scores, you can indicate this in the accompanying field. NOTE: When registering for the PRAXIS Core, scores must be sent to both the Office of Academic Services and Teacher Certification (code: 1837) AND to the Educational Professional Standards Board of Kentucky (code: 7283).

If you have any issues accessing the UK Ed Prep system, please contact either Christopher Reese (clrees2@nulluky.edu) or Ashwin Soerdien (ashwin.soerdien@nulluky.edu) for assistance. If you have any questions about the application itself, please contact Christopher Reese (clrees2@nulluky.edu).

There are two times to apply for TEP each year, in the Fall and the Spring.  Check UK Ed Prep for the dates for a particular semester.