Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
For a Georgia paraprofessional certificate, now called a license, GaPSC Rule 505-2-.18 asks for one of three things: an associate degree or higher, 60 semester hours above remedial level with a C or better at a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution, or a pass on the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment plus a high school diploma or GED. It lasts 5 years.
GaPSC Rule 505-2-.18 requires a Georgia paraprofessional to hold an associate degree or higher, or to have completed two years of college coursework (60 semester hours) above the remedial level with a grade of C or better at a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution, or to have passed the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment with a high school diploma or GED; the license is valid for 5 years and is requested by the employing school system.
The rule asks for 60 semester hours, grade C or better, above remedial level. The legal source is GaPSC Rule 505-2-.18.
| Route | What Rule 505-2-.18 says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | Associate degree or higher in any subject from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution | [1] |
| College hours | Two years of coursework, 60 semester hours, above remedial level, grade C or better | [1] |
| Test | Pass the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment and hold a high school diploma or GED | [1] |
| Who applies | The employing school system requests the license (Rule 505-2-.27) | [1] |
| Validity | 5 years; renewal while employed as a paraprofessional (Rule 505-2-.36) | [1] |
Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC); the employing local unit of administration (school district) requests the license decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC); the employing local unit of administration (school district) requests the license.
First-year writing; in almost every Georgia college core; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Second writing course in most college cores; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online English Composition 2 course (ENG 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Core mathematics above remedial level; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Social science core; ACE-recommended and NCCRS-recommended
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 →
Directly useful in the classroom and in later teacher preparation; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
History core course; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online US History 1 course (HIST 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU, UoPeople and Newlane are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; check their transfer pages and ask your district whether their transcripts meet the GaPSC accreditation rule before you plan around them.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning monthly plan | $99 a month | Monthly access to its general education courses | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine membership | $99 a month plus a course fee | Membership plus a one-time fee per course | 15 Nov 2026 |
The GACE Paraprofessional Assessment has its own test fee, set by the testing supplier; check the current fee on the GACE site. Georgia technical colleges charge per credit hour; check the college's own tuition page. Most aides need only part of the 60 hours.
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.
Ask your district's HR office in writing which route and transcript it will use for your paraprofessional license, and ask the college in writing which outside courses it will review, before you enrol.
Many people still call it the Georgia paraprofessional certificate, but GaPSC's rule now calls it the Paraprofessional License. Every paraprofessional in a Georgia public school must hold one, whether or not the job is federally funded. The rule gives three routes, and you need only one.
Each route also needs the Standards of Conduct to be met, and the license must be requested by the school system that employs you. You do not apply to GaPSC on your own.
Two years of college coursework is written as 60 semester hours. Three conditions apply. The courses must be above the remedial level, so learning-support English or maths does not count. Each course needs a grade of C or better. And the hours must come from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution, which your district checks from the transcript.
The rule does not require the hours to form a degree, which makes this route more flexible than an associate degree. Most aides who have started college already have some of the hours; the job is to fill the gap with courses at the right level.
The third route is a test: the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment, often called the ParaPro test. It checks reading, writing and mathematics and how to support classroom instruction in them. With a high school diploma or GED, a pass meets the rule without any college hours.
GaPSC says GACE testing now runs with Evaluation Systems, Pearson. Check the GACE site for the current test, fee and passing score before you register. If you plan to move on to teaching later, college hours do double duty; a test pass does not count toward a degree.
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended and self-paced, which suits aides who work school hours. They help only if a GaPSC-accepted accredited college reviews them and places them on its own transcript; the credit reaches that college via a college transcript, and the college decides. UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited, so ask the college and your district in writing first.
Under GaPSC Rule 505-2-.18 you need one of three: an associate degree or higher, 60 semester hours above remedial level with a C or better from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution, or a pass on the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment with a high school diploma or GED. Your employing school system requests the license.
Five years. If you move to another Georgia school system, you do not need a new license until the current one expires. To renew, you must be working as a paraprofessional in a Georgia school system and meet GaPSC's renewal rule, 505-2-.36.
No. The rule says the coursework must be above the remedial level, and each course needs a grade of C or better. Learning-support or developmental courses do not count, even when they appear on your transcript with hours.
No. The rule says the license must be requested by the employing Georgia school system, following GaPSC Rule 505-2-.27. Get hired, then ask HR which route and documents it will use for your request.
They can, once they sit on a transcript from a GaPSC-accepted accredited college. Our courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended and reach a college via a college transcript; the college decides whether to count them. Ask your district which colleges' transcripts it uses.
Yes, for paraprofessional duties. The rule says anyone holding a valid renewable professional certificate in any teaching, service or leadership field is in-field to do paraprofessional work in grades P-12, and GaPSC does not issue them a paraprofessional license.
Composition, algebra, psychology and history are all on PRO. Check with your district and college first.