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
Renewing a Colorado license when you are not in a classroom
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
You can renew a Colorado professional teacher license without teaching. CDE asks for 6 semester hours or 90 clock hours of professional development every 7 years, not classroom time. Out of the classroom, two 3-credit college courses can meet it, if they appear on a regionally accredited college transcript and CDE confirms they count.
Do you need to be teaching to renew in Colorado?
No. The renewal rule in C.R.S. 22-60.5-110 is about professional development, not employment. CDE asks for 6 semester hours or 90 clock hours inside the 7-year license term. Teachers on leave, raising children, working in another field or living out of state renew the same way.
What changes out of the classroom is where the hours come from. District in-service days and school training stop, so the easy clock hours stop too.
Three ways to collect the hours away from a school
Each route has a different cost and a different kind of proof.
| Route | Proof CDE sees | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Workshops and conferences | Certificates with dates and clock hours | You can travel or join online events |
| Community college courses | The college's own transcript | You live near a campus or want face-to-face classes |
| Self-paced courses moved to a college | The receiving college's transcript | You want to work at home on your own schedule |
How the self-paced route works
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended and run at your own pace online. They do not count by themselves. A college has to evaluate the credit and post it on its transcript, and that transcript is what CDE reviews.
TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask the college how long its evaluation takes and what it charges, then plan backwards from your license expiry date.
- Write to CDE and keep the answer
- Choose two 3-credit courses that fit your license area
- Ask the college how it will post the credit
- Upload the official transcript with your renewal
Timeline: start a year before your license expires
Two self-paced courses can take one to two months. The college transcript step adds its own time, and CDE then reviews the application. Starting 12 months before expiry leaves room for each step without paying for a rushed evaluation.
Picking courses that relate to your license
Even out of the classroom, choose courses that connect to teaching. Educational Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and Introduction to Psychology all relate to how students learn and behave, which makes the case simple if CDE asks how the course fits your license.
Keep a one-page note for each course: the title, the number of semester hours, the dates, the college that posted it and a line on how it relates to your endorsement. That note and the official transcript are all you should need when you file the renewal in COOL.
- Course title and semester hours
- Start and finish dates inside your license term
- The college that posted the credit
- One line on how it relates to your endorsement
What to ask CDE in writing
Send one short email to Educator Licensing and keep the reply with your records.
- Do undergraduate semester hours count toward my professional license renewal?
- Do semester hours posted by a regionally accredited college through transfer of ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses count?
- Does any English learner learning requirement apply to my endorsements?
- Is there anything else my renewal needs because I am not currently employed by a district?
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
Can I renew my Colorado teaching license if I am not working in a school?
Yes. Colorado renewal depends on 6 semester hours or 90 clock hours of professional development inside the 7-year license term, not on current employment. Teachers on leave, at home or in other jobs renew the same way. Confirm any special case with CDE Educator Licensing in writing.
What is the fastest way to get 6 semester hours outside a school?
Two 3-credit courses cover the full amount. Self-paced online courses can be finished in one to two months, but they count for Colorado renewal only once a regionally accredited college posts them on its transcript. Allow time for that step and for CDE's review.
Do I lose my Colorado license if I miss the renewal date?
The license expires, and you then renew using activities from the 5 years before your application date, under CDE's expired-license rules. You cannot teach in a role that needs the license while it is expired, so plan the hours well before the date on your license.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Abnormal Psychology
Self-paced online Abnormal Psychology course (Psychology 180). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Psychology
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 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.