Educational Psychology
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →ColoradoTeachers
Colorado teaching license renewal: hours, credits and conversions
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Colorado counts 1 semester hour as 15 clock hours. A professional license needs 6 semester hours or 90 clock hours every 7 years, or any mix that adds up, under C.R.S. 22-60.5-110. A 3-credit college course stands in for 45 clock hours once it appears on a regionally accredited college transcript.
The one conversion that matters: 15 clock hours per semester hour
The Colorado Department of Education treats every semester hour of college credit as 15 clock hours. That single number lets you mix workshops, district training and college courses in one renewal.
The target is 90 clock hours, which is the same as 6 semester hours. You reach it any way that adds up, as long as every activity falls inside your current 7-year license term.
| What you completed | Clock hours | Semester hours |
|---|---|---|
| One 3-credit college course | 45 | 3 |
| Two 3-credit college courses | 90 | 6 |
| One 3-credit course + 45 workshop hours | 90 | 6 |
| 60 workshop hours + one 2-credit course | 90 | 6 |
How many clock hours do I have already?
Start by adding up what you have. Most teachers in a classroom collect clock hours from district in-service days, conferences and training without planning for them. Keep the certificate or agenda for each one, with the date and the hours.
Then subtract from 90. If you are 30 hours short, one 2-credit or 3-credit college course covers the gap. If you have nothing, two 3-credit courses cover the whole requirement.
- List each activity with its date and hours
- Drop anything dated before your current license term
- Drop volunteer work: CDE does not count it
- Convert any college credit at 15 clock hours per semester hour
Where college credit has to come from
CDE counts semester hours from a regionally accredited college or university. The proof is that college's transcript. A certificate from a course provider, on its own, is not a college transcript.
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. They count as semester hours only after a college evaluates them and posts them on its transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, and other colleges have their own transfer rules.
A worked example for a 7-year cycle
A middle-school teacher has 50 clock hours from district training across her 7 years. She needs 40 more. One 3-credit course gives 45 clock hours, which covers the gap with 5 to spare.
She asks CDE in writing whether undergraduate credit posted by a regionally accredited college through transfer will count. With a yes in hand, she takes Educational Psychology, has the credit posted to a college transcript, and uploads that transcript with her renewal.
Which courses make sense as renewal credit?
CDE looks for professional development that relates to your license or to your school's improvement goals. For most teachers that points to education and psychology courses rather than unrelated electives.
Educational Psychology covers learning, motivation and assessment. Psychology of Diversity covers culture and identity in the classroom. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence suits teachers whose schools are writing AI guidance. Ask CDE whether your chosen course fits before you start, and keep the course outline to attach if they ask.
Mistakes that slow a Colorado renewal
The usual delays come from dates and paperwork, not the hour count.
- Courses finished before the license term started
- A course certificate sent instead of a college transcript
- Leaving the transcript step until the month the license expires
- Forgetting English learner learning where CDE lists it for your endorsement
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask CDE Educator Licensing in writing whether undergraduate semester hours from a regionally accredited college, earned through transfer of ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, count toward your professional license renewal before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Is 1 semester hour 15 clock hours in Colorado?
Yes. The Colorado Department of Education converts each semester hour of college credit to 15 clock hours. That makes 6 semester hours equal to the 90 clock hours a professional license needs every 7 years, and it lets you mix courses and workshops in a single renewal.
Can I mix workshops and college courses for one Colorado renewal?
Yes. CDE adds them together after converting college credit at 15 clock hours per semester hour. Any mix that reaches 90 clock hours, or 6 semester hours, inside your current license term meets the hour requirement for a professional license renewal.
What if my Colorado teaching license already expired?
CDE then looks at activities completed within 5 years of your application date instead of the old license term. The amount stays 6 semester hours or 90 clock hours. Read the CDE renewal page for expired licenses and confirm your own case with the licensing office in writing.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Psychology of Diversity
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Self-paced online Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course (Computer Science 373). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask CDE in writing first, then take two 3-credit courses on PRO and move them to a college transcript.
Sources
- CDE: Renewing a professional license (application and checklist) (official)Renewal every 7 years with 6 semester hours or 90 clock/contact hours; 1 semester hour = 15 clock hours; activities inside the license's validity period; volunteer work does not count. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- C.R.S. 22-60.5-110, renewal of licensesThe statute sets renewal on proof of professional development and caps the requirement at six credit hours or ninety clock hours per license term. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.