Throughout June 2026, Martin Luther College (MLC) shared information regarding the status of the licensure eligibility for all of its education programs as a result of review by the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB). As of June 26, 2026, PELSB temporarily discontinued licensure eligibility for all 16 of MLC’s teacher education programs.
As Martin Luther College (MLC) noted in a statement following this ruling, “The recent PELSB decision to discontinue the license eligibility is not debating the quality of MLC’s graduates. Rather, it relates to how MLC demonstrates, through documented assessment and evidence, that discipline-specific content standards within MLC’s teacher education programs are consistently being met and those programs continuously improved. . . . MLC graduates will continue to graduate as highly qualified Lutheran teachers, fully prepared to serve in WELS schools. They will graduate as ministry-certified and eligible for a call into the teaching ministry.”
MLC leadership has begun to take the steps necessary to resolve this situation and eventually reapply for licensure. To read the full statement from MLC, visit mlc-wels.edu/pelsb-update. Read the WELS Board of Ministerial Education’s response here.
