Pre-service teacher preparedness is a measurement of a teacher candidate’s ability to become an effective teacher (Clark, Byrnes, & Sudweeks, 2015). A growing number of Educator Preparation Providers’ (EPPs’) accrediting agencies are insisting that to improve pre-service teacher preparedness, EPPs must increase the rigor of their admission criteria. However, the research is inconclusive regarding whether a relationship exists between admission criteria and pre-service teacher preparedness. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Educator Preparation Provider’s (EPP’s) current teacher education program admission criteria and pre-service teacher preparedness measurements to determine if the EPP should increase its admission criteria. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the three independent variables of admission criteria and the dependent variable of teacher preparedness. Results indicate no significant relationship between admission criteria and teacher preparedness. Findings were used to create a recommendation regarding the EPP’s admission criteria to the teacher education program
