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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Renewing an Iowa teaching license when you are not in a classroom
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
If you are not working in an Iowa school, you cannot use the IPDP for half your renewal, because the board says the plan must be completed in an Iowa school setting. You can still renew with six credits from approved provider courses or college courses related to education. If your license has expired, credits must be from the last five years.
Why being out of the classroom changes the plan
Teachers in Iowa schools often cover three of their six renewal credits with an individualized professional development plan signed by their evaluator. That route depends on having an evaluator and an Iowa school. The board's renewal page states that the plan must be completed in an Iowa school setting.
If you are on leave, at home with family, teaching in another state, or working outside education, plan to earn all six credits another way.
Your options
- College courses related to education or your endorsement area, graduate or undergraduate, from a regionally accredited institution: one renewal credit per semester hour.
- Renewal credit courses from approved Iowa providers such as the AEAs, ISEA or PEI, many of which run online.
- National Board certification renewal, worth four credits, if you hold it.
- If you have a master's degree or higher and at least ten years of PK-12 licensed experience, renewal by verifying the degree and experience instead of credits.
Timing rules that matter more when you are away
Teachers outside schools are the ones most likely to miss a date. Keep these in view:
| Situation | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Renewing on time | Credits must be earned during the term of the current license |
| Applying early | No earlier than one year before the license expires |
| License already expired | Credits must be within the five years before you apply |
| Need more time | A one-year Class A extension may be issued |
If your license has already lapsed
An expired license is not the end of the road. Under 282 IAC 20.1(3), credits count if completed within the five-year period immediately before your renewal application. So a teacher who left three years ago and took no courses would need six fresh credits, earned now, plus current mandatory reporter training.
If you also hold or want a substitute license, note that it has its own lighter renewal rule: one renewal credit, or 30 days of substitute teaching, or one year of classroom teaching. Substitute days do not renew the standard license, but substitute experience may count as years of experience toward the master's-plus-ten-years route, according to the standard license page.
A low-cost plan for teachers at home
Two self-paced 3-credit courses related to teaching, such as Educational Psychology and Psychology of Diversity, cover six credits. Through UPI Study PRO at $99 a month, both can be finished in about a month, and then moved via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Before you start, ask the board in writing whether that transcript meets its regionally accredited and education-related conditions for your license, and keep the reply.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners in writing whether the transcript and courses you plan to use count toward your six renewal credits 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 iowa teaching license if i am not teaching
Yes. The rule does not require current employment for the standard license. You need six renewal credits and mandatory reporter training. Without an Iowa school you cannot use the IPDP, so earn all six through approved provider courses or education-related college credit.
how do i renew an expired iowa teaching license
Earn six renewal credits within the five years before you apply, complete current mandatory reporter training, and submit the renewal application. Credits older than five years do not count once the license has expired, under 282 IAC 20.1(3).
can i renew my iowa license while teaching in another state
Yes, through credits rather than an IPDP. Approved Iowa provider courses and education-related college credit both count. Mandatory reporter training may be waived in some cases, such as practicing a licensed profession outside Iowa, with documentation; ask the board.
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 →
Research Methods in Psychology
Self-paced online Research Methods in Psychology course (Psychology 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Two education-related courses can cover six renewal credits once posted on a college transcript.
Sources
- Iowa Administrative Code 282 IAC chapter 20 (Renewals and extensions) (official)282 IAC 20.3(1)a: one renewal credit for each semester hour of college credit related to education or any endorsement area; 20.3(1)d: an IPDP can earn half the credits; 20.3(2)a: the standard teaching license needs six renewal credits; 20.1(2) child abuse training; 20.1(3) recency; 20.1(4) apply no earlier than one year before expiry; 20.3(3) master's plus ten years; 20.4 extensions (ARC 8818C, effective 26 Feb 2025). Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Iowa Board of Educational Examiners: More Renewal Information (official)Renewal credits from approved Iowa providers (AEAs, ISEA, PEI) or semester hours of college credit (graduate or undergraduate) from regionally accredited institutions, not CEUs or staff development; credits earned after the current license's issue date; credits no more than five years old for an expired license; credits relevant to education or an endorsement area; one IPDP is 3 credits and must be completed in an Iowa school setting. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Iowa Board of Educational Examiners: Standard Teaching License (official)Term 5 years; renewal needs 6 renewal credits and mandatory reporter training for child abuse; alternative route with a master's degree or higher and 10 years of PK-12 licensed experience; extension available if more time is needed. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.