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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Clock hours from college credit in Washington
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Washington converts college credit to clock hours at a fixed rate: 15 clock hours per semester credit and 10 per quarter credit (WAC 181-85-030). Seven semester credits or ten quarter credits cover the 100 hours a teacher needs to renew. The credit must be awarded by an accredited college, normally at the 100 level or higher.
The conversion table
These figures come straight from WAC 181-85-030 and OSPI's clock hour page. They apply to credit awarded by an accredited institution of higher education.
| College credit | Clock hours | Share of 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 quarter credit | 10 | 10% |
| 1 semester credit | 15 | 15% |
| 3 semester credits (one course) | 45 | 45% |
| 5 quarter credits (one course) | 50 | 50% |
| 6 semester credits (two courses) | 90 | 90% |
| 7 semester credits | 105 | covers 100 |
Which college credit qualifies
WAC 181-85-025 says the credit is college or university credit, normally 100 level or higher, awarded by an accredited institution of higher education. That last part is the one to watch. A course provider's certificate is not enough. The credit must show on an accredited college's transcript.
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. A college can evaluate them and post credit, and TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider that kind of credit. Only after the college posts it does it become credit you can convert.
The words normally 100 level or higher also matter. Remedial or pre-college courses, often numbered below 100, are not what the rule has in mind. Introductory college courses such as Educational Psychology or Research Methods in Psychology sit at the college level, but the college that transcribes them decides the level it records, so ask how the course will appear on its transcript.
Fitting credit around the equity and STEM hours
Your 100 hours include 15 Equity-Based School Practices hours, and some endorsements need 15 STEM hours. OSPI says the same hours cannot count toward two requirements. So plan the special hours first, then fill the rest with general hours, and ask OSPI in writing if you want a college course to cover a special category.
- List the special hours you still need.
- Decide which of them a clock hour provider will cover.
- Use college credit for the general hours unless OSPI confirms in writing that a course meets a special category.
Timing: when the hours must be earned
OSPI says your clock hours must have been completed after the issue date of the certificate you are renewing. If that certificate was valid for less than five years, the hours must fall within the five years before you apply. Check the date on the transcript, because that is the date OSPI will look at.
College processing adds time. Allow for the college to evaluate your coursework and issue its transcript before your renewal deadline.
A worked example
Say you have 40 clock hours from district training, including your 15 equity hours, and you need 60 more general hours. Two three-credit semester courses on an accredited transcript give 90 clock hours, which more than covers the gap. One course gives 45, which leaves 15 hours to find from a clock hour provider or a Professional Growth Plan.
Before you enrol, ask OSPI in writing whether the credit route works for your certificate, and ask the college how it evaluates the courses.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask the OSPI Certification Office in writing whether college credit from an accredited college that transcribed ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses counts toward your 100 clock hours, and which requirement it can meet, 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
Is a quarter credit worth less than a semester credit for clock hours?
Yes. WAC 181-85-030 grants 10 clock hours per quarter credit and 15 per semester credit, because a quarter term is shorter. A five-credit quarter course still gives 50 clock hours, which is more than a three-credit semester course gives.
Do I need a grade to convert credit to clock hours?
The rule speaks of credit awarded by an accredited institution, so you need credit that the college has actually posted on its transcript. Courses with no credit posted do not convert. Check the college's own grading and credit rules before you start.
Can I convert credit I earned years ago?
OSPI says the hours must be completed after the issue date of the certificate you are renewing. Credit earned before that date does not count for this renewal. Check the completion date shown on the transcript.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
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 →
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 →Start when you have it in writing
Two courses can equal 90 clock hours once an accredited college puts them on its transcript.
Sources
- OSPI: Educator clock hour information (official)Teachers and CTE educators need 100 clock hours or equivalents, including 15 Equity-Based School Practices hours and 15 STEM hours for certain endorsements; one quarter hour of college credit = 10 clock hours, one semester hour = 15; hours must be completed after the issue date of the certificate being renewed; the same hours cannot meet two requirements. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Chapter 181-85 WAC: Professional certification - continuing education requirement (official)WAC 181-85-030: fifteen hours per semester hour credit and ten per quarter hour credit; WAC 181-85-025(1): college or university credit, normally 100 level or higher, awarded by an accredited institution of higher education. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.