Graduate Credits That Move Teachers Up the Salary Schedule
Cross into your next salary lane with regionally accredited graduate credit β $285 all-in per 3-credit course. One payment, everything included, no surprise fees later.
Every state's salary rules are different β start where yours lives.
100% Online & Self-Paced Quiz-Based • No Busywork Letter-Grade UMass Global Transcript
For Teachers By Teachers is an online professional development company for PreK–12 teachers, founded in 2015, with two regionally accredited university partners: UMass Global, regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), and Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo), regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). We've helped more than 10,000 educators earn graduate credit for salary advancement, license renewal, and professional development β with courses that are 100% online, self-paced, and quiz-based.
How teacher salary advancement actually works
Most U.S. school districts pay teachers on a salary schedule β a grid with two axes. Down one side are the steps: each step is another year of experience, and you move down one step a year, automatically. Across the top are the lanes (some districts call them columns): each lane is a level of education past your degree, measured in graduate credits earned β think BA, BA+15, BA+30, and up.
Moving down a step is just time. Moving across a lane is the part you control. When you earn enough graduate credits to cross into the next lane, your base pay steps up β and because it's a permanent move to a higher column, that raise repeats every year you keep teaching, stacking on top of your regular step increases. On many district schedules a single lane change adds several thousand dollars a year, so over a career one lane change can be worth far more than the credits cost.
Exact credit thresholds and dollar amounts vary by district and contract, so your own salary schedule β or your collective bargaining agreement β is always the source of truth.
Your path to the next lane, in 3 steps
Find your lane threshold
Pull up your district's salary schedule or collective bargaining agreement and find how many graduate credits move you into the next lane. Your HR office or union rep can point you to it.
Choose your credit path
Pick CSU Pueblo for the best value ($285 all-in, one payment) or UMass Global for the most flexibility (letter grade, pay for credit when you're ready). Both are regionally accredited universities.
Send your transcript to HR
Most districts set an annual cutoff β often in the fall β for lane changes to take effect. Submit your official transcript to HR before that deadline and your new lane kicks in for the year.
Two accredited paths β pick what fits your district
CSU Pueblo
Colorado State University Pueblo · Pass/Fail transcript
$285 all-in / 3-credit course
- Course and all 3 graduate credits in one payment
- Nothing else to pay later β no surprise fees
- Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Best where your district accepts pass/fail credit
UMass Global
Letter-grade transcript
$165 to start · $355 all-in
- $165 for full course access to start
- Add your 3 graduate credits for $190, paid to UMass Global whenever you're ready β even after you finish
- Regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
- The pick when your district or salary lane requires a letter grade
The honest math
Doing a full lane change? A bundle can bring the per-course cost down further β your state page shows the option built for your situation. Hawaiʻi teachers: your 5-course reclassification bundle runs $849 all-in through CSU Pueblo, with all 15 credits included β see the Hawaiʻi page.
A note on these credits: our courses carry graduate-level professional development credit β legitimate for salary lane movement, license renewal, and PD documentation where your district or state accepts them. They are not part of a degree program and don't stack toward a master's, and lane-change acceptance is always set by your district or contract. When a lane requires a letter grade, choose the UMass Global path. When in doubt, confirm with your HR office before you enroll.
Why teachers trust For Teachers By Teachers
10,000+ educators since 2015
A decade of helping teachers turn coursework into real salary movement.
Built in Hawaiʻi by teachers
Founded on Maui by classroom educators β written teacher-to-teacher, not by a marketing agency.
Two accredited university partners
UMass Global (WSCUC) and CSU Pueblo (HLC) β both regionally accredited.
Quiz-based, no busywork
100% online and self-paced. No portfolios, no live webinars, no wasted evenings.
7-day refund window
Try any course risk-free. If it's not the right fit in the first week, you're covered.
POs & reimbursement ready
We accept purchase orders and provide itemized receipts for district tuition reimbursement.
Find your state's requirements
Salary rules, deadlines, and accepted credit types are set state by state and district by district. Start on your state's page for the specifics that apply to you.
Common questions
A salary lane change is a permanent move to a higher column on your district's teacher salary schedule, earned by completing graduate credits beyond your degree (for example, moving from BA to BA+15). Because it raises your base pay for every year you keep teaching, a single lane change often returns far more over a career than the credits cost. For Teachers By Teachers offers regionally accredited graduate credit through two university partners so you can meet your district's lane threshold. Credit amounts and dollar values vary by district and contract, so check your own salary schedule for the exact numbers.
Through Colorado State University Pueblo, each 3-credit graduate course is $285 all-in β your course and all three graduate credits in a single payment, with nothing to pay later. Through UMass Global, each course is $165 to start for full course access, and you add the 3 graduate credits for $190 paid to UMass Global whenever you're ready β even after you finish β for $355 all-in. CSU Pueblo issues a pass/fail transcript; UMass Global issues a letter grade. Both are regionally accredited universities.
Most districts accept graduate credit from a regionally accredited university for salary lane movement, and both of our partners β UMass Global and CSU Pueblo β are regionally accredited. That said, the rules are set by your district or collective bargaining agreement, and some lanes specifically require a letter grade (choose the UMass Global path in that case). The safest move is to confirm two things with your HR office before you enroll: how many credits move you to the next lane, and whether pass/fail or a letter grade is required. Your state page is a good starting point for the specifics.
No β these are graduate-level professional development credits, not degree-program credits. They're built for salary advancement, license renewal, certification requirements, and PD documentation, and they don't stack toward a master's degree at either university. If you're ever weighing whether a specific credit could transfer somewhere, that decision always rests with the receiving institution, so ask them directly. We'd rather be upfront about this than have it surprise you later.
It comes down to what your district requires. If your salary schedule accepts pass/fail graduate credit, Colorado State University Pueblo is the best value at $285 all-in in one payment. If your district or salary lane requires a letter grade, choose UMass Global β you'll get a letter-grade transcript, and you can start for $165 and add the $190 graduate credit fee whenever you're ready. When your district's rules don't specify, most teachers pursuing renewal go with the lower-cost CSU Pueblo path. Confirm the letter-grade question with HR first and you can't go wrong.
Once you finish your course, you request your official transcript from the university partner and submit it to your district's HR or payroll office. Most districts have an annual deadline β often in the fall β for lane changes to take effect for the coming year, so send your transcript in before that cutoff. From there your new lane is applied to your salary. Deadlines and submission steps vary by district, so your HR office is the final word on timing; your state page can point you toward the specifics.
Ready to move up your salary schedule?
Every state's rules are different. Start on your state's page and see the exact path β then enroll and start today.
100% online & self-paced • 7-day refund window • POs accepted