Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The West Virginia teacher certification renewal requirements in W. Va. Code 18A-3-3 ask for an official transcript of six semester hours of approved credit, as prescribed by the state board, within five years. WVDE decides what counts. Undergraduate courses only help if WVDE confirms they qualify, so ask the Office of Certification in writing before you enrol in anything.
Under W. Va. Code 18A-3-3, a professional teaching certificate is renewable within five years when the holder presents an official transcript of 6 semester hours of approved credit as prescribed by the state board; a holder aged 60 or older need not present renewal credit but must meet the other renewal requirements.
The rule asks for 6 semester hours of approved credit every 5 years. The legal source is W. Va. Code 18A-3-3.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal window | Within five years from the date the certificate became valid | [1] |
| Credit | Official transcript of six semester hours of approved credit as the state board prescribes | [1] |
| Age 60 | Need not present renewal credit; all other renewal requirements still apply | [1] |
| Grade and content | Coursework with a 3.0 GPA, related to the public school program under Policy 5202 | [2] |
| Other routes | Earned master's degree with a Master's +30 salary classification | [2] |
West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), Office of Certification, under West Virginia Board of Education Policy 5202 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 West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), Office of Certification, under West Virginia Board of Education Policy 5202.
Learning, motivation and assessment: the clearest link to the public school program.
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Culture, identity and bias in classrooms and communities.
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Background for teachers working with students who have mental health needs.
Self-paced online Abnormal Psychology course (Psychology 180). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Reading and judging education research and data.
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 →
For teachers bringing AI tools and computing topics into class.
Self-paced online Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course (Computer Science 373). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; see their own transfer pages. Whichever college issues the transcript, WVDE decides whether the credit counts for your renewal.
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 | $99 a month | Two courses in about a month if WVDE accepts undergraduate ACE-recommended credit | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus a one-time course fee (for example $79) | Two courses taken one at a time, each with its own fee | 15 Nov 2026 |
Graduate-credit providers for teachers (Advancement Courses, Teaching Channel, Model Teaching) price per course through partner universities; we could not confirm a dated price today, so they are left out of the table. If WVDE requires graduate credit for you, those are the route, not undergraduate courses.
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 the WVDE Office of Certification in writing whether undergraduate courses recorded via a college transcript count as approved credit for your renewal before you enrol.
West Virginia renews professional teaching certificates on a five-year cycle. The law sets the base: six semester hours of approved credit on an official transcript. WVDE's Form 4T is where you apply, and Policy 5202 is where the state board describes what approved credit means. Most teachers renew by coursework; teachers with a master's and a Master's +30 classification, and those aged 60 or older, have their own routes.
Start a year before expiry. That leaves time to ask WVDE about any course you plan to take, finish two courses at a steady pace, and wait for the college transcript.
This is the question to settle first. The statute says approved credit, and WVDE's guidance says college or university coursework related to the public school program with a 3.0 GPA. Salary classifications such as BA+15 or MA+30 are a separate matter and usually need graduate credit. Whether undergraduate coursework counts for your own renewal is WVDE's call, not ours.
If WVDE tells you in writing that undergraduate coursework related to your teaching field qualifies, a self-paced ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended course recorded via a college transcript can be a lower-cost way to renew. If WVDE says graduate credit only, choose a graduate provider.
Policy 5202 ties renewal coursework to the public school program. Courses on how students learn, on diversity in the classroom, on student mental health and on reading education research sit closest to that phrase. Pick courses you can explain in one sentence to the certification officer, and list that sentence in your email to WVDE.
Six semester hours. W. Va. Code 18A-3-3 asks for an official transcript of six semester hours of approved credit as the state board prescribes, within five years. WVDE's guidance adds a 3.0 GPA and that the coursework relate to the public school program under Policy 5202.
The statute says a holder aged 60 or older need not present renewal credit but must meet all other renewal requirements. WVDE's forms also mention teaching experience for this route, so check the current Form 4T instructions for your certificate before you file.
WVDE lists an earned master's degree with a Master's +30 advanced salary classification as one renewal option. A master's degree without that classification may not be enough on its own, so ask the Office of Certification which option fits your record.
Only if WVDE says so. The rule asks for approved credit related to the public school program, and WVDE decides what that includes. Send WVDE the course titles in writing before you enrol, and keep the reply with your renewal papers.
Through WVDE's Professional Teaching Certificate renewal, Form 4T, with the official transcript showing the qualifying coursework. Your county may also handle part of the process, so ask your county certification contact which steps it does.
WVDE's renewal guidance asks for coursework reflecting a 3.0 GPA. A lower grade may mean the course does not count for renewal, so plan to finish each course with at least a B and confirm the rule with WVDE.
Only after WVDE confirms in writing that undergraduate credit counts for your renewal.