Educational Psychology
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Does transfer credit count toward the Iowa substitute credit rule?
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Iowa's board counts semester hours on official transcripts from a U.S. Department of Education-accredited college. Transfer credit that a college has posted on its own transcript is college credit on that transcript. Whether the board counts a particular transcript is the board's decision, so ask it in writing before you take courses to close your gap.
What the board actually reads
The Board of Educational Examiners does not look at where you sat a course. It looks at official transcripts. Its substitute authorization page asks for official transcripts from a U.S. Department of Education-accredited college or university documenting 60 or more semester credit hours, or an associate degree.
So the real question is not 'does transfer credit count' but 'does the transcript show the hours, and is the college accredited'. If both are true, the hours are on a college record the board knows how to read.
How transfer credit ends up on a transcript
There are three common ways hours reach a college transcript:
- Courses you took at that college.
- Courses from another accredited college that it evaluated and posted as transfer credit.
- Credit from outside sources, such as ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses or exams, that the college evaluated and posted.
Where UPI Study fits
UPI Study courses carry ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations. They are not college credit on their own; they reach a college transcript when a college evaluates and posts them. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. For the substitute rule, the second decision is the board's.
The question to send the board
Write to the Board of Educational Examiners before you enrol. Name the college whose transcript you will send and ask: 'If my official transcript from this college shows 60 semester hours, including transfer credit that the college has evaluated and posted, will it meet the 60-hour requirement for the Substitute Authorization?' Keep the reply with your application papers.
Also ask whether quarter hours or credits from more than one college can be combined, if that applies to you. Many applicants have hours spread across two or three schools.
A worked example
Say you left a community college with 48 semester hours. You need 12 more, or four 3-credit courses. At DMACC's 2026-27 resident rate of $215 per credit, that is $2,580 in tuition. Through UPI Study PRO at $99 a month, four self-paced courses in two months cost $198, plus the partner college's own fees to post the credit. The cheaper path only helps if the board says yes to the transcript, which is why the written question comes first.
The same logic applies to the two renewal credits you will need in five years. Plan where those credits will come from and how they will be documented before the authorization runs out, and ask the board then what form of record it wants for renewal.
Mistakes that cost applicants time
Most delays come from paperwork rather than the rule itself. Watch for these:
- Sending unofficial copies or screenshots instead of official transcripts sent by the college.
- Leaving out one college, so the hours add up to less than 60 on paper.
- Counting the 15-hour substitute course toward the 60 semester hours; it is a separate requirement.
- Assuming credit counts because another state or employer counted it; Iowa's board decides for Iowa.
- Waiting for credit to post before starting the substitute course, instead of doing both together.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners in writing whether credit on your partner college transcript counts toward the 60 semester hours 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
does the iowa board count credit from more than one college
The board asks for official transcripts from each college; hours from several accredited colleges are normally added up. If your hours are split, ask the board in writing how it will total them before you take more courses.
do quarter hours count for the iowa substitute authorization
The rule is stated in semester hours. Quarter hours usually convert at two-thirds of a semester hour, so 90 quarter hours equal 60 semester hours. Confirm the conversion with the board.
will the iowa board count ace or nccrs credit
The board reads college transcripts, not ACE or NCCRS records. If a college has posted ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit on its transcript, ask the board in writing whether that transcript meets the 60 semester hours before you rely on it.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
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 →
US History 1
Self-paced online US History 1 course (HIST 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Close your credit gap, then send the board a college transcript.
Sources
- Iowa Board of Educational Examiners: Substitute Authorization (official)60 or more semester credit hours or an associate degree on official transcripts from a U.S. Department of Education-accredited college, plus the substitute authorization course; PK-12; no long-term subbing; 10 days in a row in a 30-day period in one assignment; valid 5 years; renewal 2 credits plus mandatory reporter training. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Iowa Administrative Code 282 IAC chapter 22, rule 22.2 (Substitute authorization) (official)282 IAC 22.2 (effective 26 Feb 2025): applicants meet Iowa Code section 256.165 and complete an approved workshop of at least 15 clock hours (classroom management, strategies for learning, diversity, ethics); valid five years. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Des Moines Area Community College: Tuition and Fees (official)Iowa resident tuition $215 per credit hour for Fall 2026 to Summer 2027; online courses add a $30 per credit fee. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.