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How to substitute teach in Kentucky without a degree
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
You can substitute teach in Kentucky without a degree on the one-year emergency certificate for substitute teaching. Since 8 November 2024, 16 KAR 2:030 asks for a high school diploma or equivalency and an offer of employment from a Kentucky district, which verifies your diploma to the EPSB. A bachelor's degree is needed only for the five-year certificate.
The rule in one paragraph
Kentucky's substitute teacher regulation, 16 KAR 2:030, lets the superintendent and board of a local district establish the need for emergency substitute teachers when regular teachers and substitutes are in short supply. A one-year emergency certificate may then be issued to a candidate with a minimum of a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma.
No college credit is required for this certificate under the current rule, which took effect on 8 November 2024.
Step by step
- Apply to substitute with a Kentucky school district and get an offer of employment.
- Give the district your high school diploma or equivalency record; it reviews your qualifications and transcripts.
- The district verifies your diploma to the EPSB, and the application goes in with the job offer.
- Meet the EPSB's standard application requirements in 16 KAR 2:010, which the rule cites.
- Substitute for the year the certificate covers, then repeat the process if you stay on the emergency route.
What older guides get wrong
Many websites still say a Kentucky emergency substitute needs 64 semester hours and a 2.5 GPA. That is not what the current regulation says. 16 KAR 2:030, in force since 8 November 2024, asks for a high school diploma or equivalency for the one-year emergency certificate. The 2.5 GPA in 16 KAR 2:120 now belongs to the emergency teaching certificate for full-time vacancies, which needs a bachelor's degree.
If a district posting asks for more than the regulation, ask the district which rule it is following.
Districts can still set their own hiring standards on top of the state certificate. Some ask for a background check, a short orientation, or training on their own policies before your first day. Those steps come from the district, not from 16 KAR 2:030, so ask the district's human resources office for its full list when you apply, and keep a copy of what they send you.
The trade-off: priority
The emergency route is quick, but it sits last in the hiring order the rule sets:
| Priority | Who |
|---|---|
| 1 | Teacher certified for that grade level |
| 2 | Any certified classroom teacher |
| 3 | Ten-year substitute certificate holder |
| 4 | Five-year substitute certificate holder (bachelor's) |
| 5 | One-year emergency substitute (high school diploma) |
If you later want the five-year certificate
The five-year certificate needs a bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution, in any subject. It lasts five years and moves you up the priority list. If you already have some college credit, a degree college may count it toward the bachelor's.
UPI Study courses carry ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations and count toward a degree only via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask your degree college in writing which courses it will count before you enrol, and keep its reply.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your degree college in writing which courses it will count, and ask the district or EPSB about your certificate before you rely on a plan.
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 substitute teach in kentucky with just a high school diploma
Yes. Since 8 November 2024, the one-year emergency certificate for substitute teaching under 16 KAR 2:030 needs a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalency and a job offer from a Kentucky district, which verifies your diploma to the EPSB.
do i apply for a kentucky emergency substitute certificate myself
Not alone. The application must include verification of an offer of employment in a Kentucky school district, and the district verifies your diploma to the EPSB. Start by applying to substitute with a district.
is a ged enough to substitute teach in kentucky
16 KAR 2:030 accepts a high school equivalency diploma as well as a high school diploma for the one-year emergency certificate for substitute teaching. Ask the district which records it needs to verify yours.
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.
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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 →Start when you have it in writing
Working toward the bachelor's degree for the five-year certificate? Take general education courses your degree college has agreed to count.
Sources
- 16 KAR 2:030, Substitute teachers (Kentucky Legislative Research Commission) (official)Effective 8 November 2024 (51 Ky.R. 333). One-year emergency certificate for substitute teaching: minimum of a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma; district verifies to the EPSB; application needs an offer of employment in a Kentucky district. Five-year certificate: bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited postsecondary institution, with an official transcript, issued at Rank IV. Ten-year certificate: for people eligible for or holding a teaching certificate. Priority order for hiring substitutes places five-year holders ahead of one-year emergency holders. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- 16 KAR 2:120, Emergency teaching certification and out-of-field teaching (Kentucky Legislative Research Commission) (official)Effective 16 July 2024. Emergency teaching certificate (for a vacant position): bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university with a 2.5 cumulative GPA, or 2.75 on the last 30 hours; offer of employment; valid one school year, limited to two issuances. Districts may establish the need for emergency substitute teachers. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.