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Admission Requirements

Eligibility Requirements for Admission

The following Eligibility Requirements for Admission to the ARC Program must be met by the established program year application deadline for admission consideration. We encourage applicants to begin completing the requirements as soon as possible.

  1. Degree Requirement

Bachelor’s Degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Applicants with a Bachelor's degree earned outside of the U.S. must have their credentials evaluated by agencies approved by the Connecticut State Department of Education (course by course analysis is required).

  1. GPA Requirement

A minimum grade point average (GPA) of “B” (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in either an undergraduate degree program or at least 24 semester hours of graduate study is required. If an applicant does not meet these requirements, they must apply for a GPA waiver for consideration within the online application.

  1. Praxis Core Academic Skills Test

Passing scores on the Praxis Core tests (reading 156, writing 162, math 150) or meeting the requirements for the Praxis Core Waiver based on having obtained minimum scores on the SAT, ACT, GRE, or PAA is required. Refer to the ARC Testing Requirements for all testing requirements and information.

  1. Subject Area Test(s): Praxis II or ACTFL

Passing scores on the appropriate Praxis II test or ACTFL (World Language) tests are required. Refer to the ARC Testing Requirements for all testing requirements and information.


Additionally, the CT State Department of Education requires that every candidate recommended for CT teacher certification has completed a 3.00 credit course in US History. Transcript audit occurs within the admissions process. The unsatisfied CSDE US History course requirement will not prevent the advancement in the admissions process or acceptance into the Alternate Route to Certification Program if all admission requirements have been met. However, an ARC teacher candidate cannot be recommended for certification until the requirement has been satisfied therefore, the enrolled candidate must satisfy the requirement by May 15 2024. 

To satisfy this requirement candidates can enroll in any of the Approved Courses in US History to complete the 3.00 credit course requirement. Alternatively, to meet this requirement, a candidate may take a College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam. Successful completion of a CLEP exam must be posted to an official transcript from a regionally accredited institution. Charter Oak CLEP has a test for either History of the United States I or History of the United States II to obtain the 3.00 credits. For more information concerning CLEP exams, contact Charter Oak State College at (860) 832-3800 Charter Oak Testing.

Admissions Process

  1. Eligibility Review

All required application documents and passing test scores must be received for a candidate's application to be considered complete. Only complete applications will be reviewed to determine if the candidate meets ARC’s eligibility requirements.
An Admissions Committee reviews all applications based on:

  • Academic Strength/Content Knowledge Transcript Analysis
  • Work Experience
  • Teaching and Other Experiences Involving Youth
  • Communication
  • Personal References
  • Required Testing
  1. Interview

ARC conducts virtual interviews for all qualified candidates prior to an admission decision and may also request additional evidence of English language proficiency. If you are not a native speaker of English, you may be required to submit evidence of your proficiency in the English language. See here for requirements. Failure to respond to a request for an interview or failure to attend a scheduled interview could impact admission decisions.

  1. Offer of Admission

Admission notices are sent electronically. Failure to respond to a letter of acceptance or to submit the initial deposit by the published due dates will result in the forfeiture of the applicant’s admission to the program.
The ARC Program does not have an option to defer admission to a future program year as program requirements, tuition, certification offerings, etc. are subject to change for future programs. We encourage applicants who are not offered acceptance or unable to enroll to re-apply for a future program. Application documents will not be returned to applicants. ARC maintains submitted test scores and official transcripts for two application years. Previous applicants are required to re-apply to future programs to ensure that ARC has an updated online application, resume, current references, and additional recent application documents.

How to Apply

Click here to create an application for the Alternate Route to Certification's (ARC)
2023-2024 Program Year: ARC Online Application
The online application deadline is June 29, 2023

Required Application Materials

  1. Completion of the Online Application
    1. Personal statement (between 800 and 1,200 words) briefly describing why you would like to teach in your specific content area and your experiences working with students or youth.
    2. Contact information for three references who will be contacted to comment on qualifications, work experience, and potential as a teacher. References may not be friends, neighbors, or family members. Once your application has been submitted, the references will be sent an email containing an ARC-specific reference form to complete.

    3. Current resume.
    4. If required, a GPA waiver.
    5. If applicable, Praxis Core Waiver Application.
    6. Application fee $125.00 (non-refundable).

  1. Official college transcripts must be sent directly to ARC by all institutions in sealed envelopes or electronically to ohe.arc@ct.gov. If official transcripts are sent to you and are in sealed envelopes, you may mail the sealed envelopes to the ARC Office.
  2. Passing scores on the Praxis Core Academic Skills Test Scores or meeting the requirements for the Praxis Core Waiver. Refer to the ARC Testing Requirements.
  3. Passing scores on the Subject Area Test(s): Praxis II or ACTFL. Refer to the ARC Testing Requirements. No waiver is available for the Subject Area Tests.

All application materials including completed reference forms and passing test scores must be received by the established application deadline(s) for consideration to that ARC Program year.
Applicants are responsible for monitoring the status of their application and the receipt of application documents through their online account. Applicants are able to view the status of their application once the online application and the non-refundable application fee has been received by ARC. All required application documents and passing test scores must be received for an applicant's application to be considered complete. Only complete applications will be reviewed to determine if the applicant meets ARC’s eligibility requirements.

Click here to download Admissions Action Plan