If your district offers tuition reimbursement for graduate credits, you may be sitting on one of the most valuable benefits in your contract without realizing it. A majority of school districts in the United States provide some form of financial assistance for teachers pursuing graduate coursework — but the benefit goes unclaimed every year by teachers who don’t know it exists, don’t know how to access it, or assume it only applies to traditional university programs.
This guide walks through exactly how district tuition reimbursement works, how to find out what your district offers, how to get courses pre-approved, and how to make sure the credits you earn count for both license renewal and salary lane advancement. It also addresses the question that most teachers don’t think to ask: do online graduate credit providers like Credits for Teachers qualify for district reimbursement?
The short answer is: often yes — and the combination of a low-cost provider plus district reimbursement can make graduate credits effectively free.
How District Tuition Reimbursement Works
District tuition reimbursement is a benefit — typically negotiated through collective bargaining — that allows teachers to take graduate coursework and have the district cover some or all of the cost. The structure varies significantly from district to district, but most programs share a few common features.
Pre-approval is almost always required. Before you enroll in any course, you need to submit a request to your district — usually to HR or a continuing education committee — to get the course approved. The approval process typically involves submitting a course description and confirming that the course meets the district’s criteria. Completing a course without pre-approval is the most common and costly mistake teachers make: you may complete the course and earn the credit, but the district will not reimburse you if you didn’t get approval first.
Accreditation is the primary eligibility criterion. Most district reimbursement policies require that courses come from a regionally accredited institution. Regional accreditation — from bodies like HLC, SACSCOC, WASC, or NECHE — is the standard that most districts recognize. Online graduate credit providers that partner with regionally accredited universities meet this standard. When you take a course through Credits for Teachers, the credit is issued by a regionally accredited university partner, which means it typically satisfies the accreditation requirement in district reimbursement policies.
Relevance to your teaching assignment is often required. Many districts require that courses be relevant to your current teaching assignment, your licensure area, or your professional growth plan. Courses in instructional strategies, curriculum design, classroom management, special education, literacy, and STEM topics generally satisfy this requirement. Courses in unrelated fields — accounting, marketing — typically do not.
Reimbursement is paid after completion. Most districts reimburse you after you complete the course and submit proof of completion — typically a transcript or certificate showing the credit earned and the grade received. Some districts require a grade of B or better; others simply require a passing grade. A few districts pay in advance, but this is less common.
How to Find Out What Your District Offers
The fastest way to find your district’s reimbursement policy is to check your collective bargaining agreement (CBA). If you’re in a unionized district, the CBA is the contract between your union and the district, and it typically includes a section on professional development benefits, tuition reimbursement, or educational incentives. Look for sections titled “Tuition Reimbursement,” “Professional Development Assistance,” “Educational Incentive,” or “Graduate Credit Reimbursement.”
If you’re in a non-union district, check your employee handbook or the district’s HR website. Many districts post their reimbursement policies publicly. If you can’t find it, call or email HR directly and ask: “Does the district offer tuition reimbursement for graduate coursework? If so, what are the eligibility requirements and the maximum reimbursement amount?”
When you find the policy, note the following key details:
- Maximum reimbursement amount — per credit, per course, or per year
- Accreditation requirement — regional accreditation, state-approved, or other
- Relevance requirement — must relate to teaching assignment or general education
- Pre-approval process — who approves, what to submit, and the deadline
- Grade requirement — minimum grade for reimbursement eligibility
- Submission deadline — how long after course completion you have to submit for reimbursement
The Step-by-Step Reimbursement Process
Do Credits for Teachers Courses Qualify for District Reimbursement?
This is the question most teachers don’t think to ask — and the answer is often yes. Credits for Teachers courses are issued through regionally accredited university partners, which means they meet the accreditation standard that most district reimbursement policies require. The credit appears on an official university transcript from the issuing institution, just like any other graduate course.
The practical advantage of using Credits for Teachers with district reimbursement is significant. A 3-credit course through Credits for Teachers costs $199. If your district reimburses $150 per credit, that’s $450 in reimbursement for a $199 course — meaning you’d receive more in reimbursement than you paid. Even a partial reimbursement of $100 per credit ($300 total) reduces your out-of-pocket cost to zero on a $199 course.
To confirm that a specific Credits for Teachers course will be accepted by your district, the most reliable approach is to submit the course description and the issuing university’s accreditation information to your district’s continuing education committee for pre-approval. Credits for Teachers can provide the course syllabus, the university partner’s name, and accreditation documentation — all of which are typically required for the pre-approval process. Most districts that accept graduate credits from accredited institutions will approve Credits for Teachers courses.
Know Exactly How Many Credits You Need
Before you submit a reimbursement request, it helps to know exactly how many credits you need to reach the next salary lane — and what that lane change is worth. The Salary Roadmap gives you a personalized breakdown in minutes.
What Reimbursement Looks Like in Practice
To make this concrete, here are three scenarios that reflect common district reimbursement structures and how they interact with Credits for Teachers pricing.
$150/credit reimbursement
3-credit CFT course: $199
District reimburses: $450
Net to teacher: +$251 profit
Some districts reimburse more than the course costs — always check your per-credit rate.
$1,500/year annual cap
3-credit CFT courses per year: 7 courses ($1,393)
District reimburses: $1,393
Net to teacher: $0 out of pocket
A $1,500 annual cap covers 7 CFT courses — 21 graduate credits per year.
50% reimbursement
3-credit CFT course: $199
District reimburses: $99.50
Net to teacher: $99.50 out of pocket
Even 50% reimbursement makes CFT courses extremely affordable — $33/credit.
Common Mistakes That Cost Teachers Their Reimbursement
Not getting pre-approval. This is the most common and most costly mistake. If your district requires pre-approval — and most do — completing a course without it means you will not be reimbursed, regardless of how good the course was or how relevant it was to your teaching. Always get approval in writing before you enroll.
Missing the submission deadline. Most districts have a deadline for submitting reimbursement claims after course completion — often 30 to 90 days. Missing this deadline forfeits your reimbursement. Set a calendar reminder the day you complete a course to submit your claim immediately.
Submitting an unofficial transcript. Districts almost universally require an official transcript — one sent directly from the institution or provided in a sealed envelope. A screenshot of your grade or a certificate of completion is not sufficient. When you complete a Credits for Teachers course, request an official transcript from the issuing university partner before submitting your reimbursement claim.
Assuming the district won’t approve online courses. Many teachers assume their district only reimburses traditional on-campus university courses. This is rarely true. Most policies specify “accredited institution” — not “in-person” or “on-campus.” If your district’s policy doesn’t explicitly exclude online courses, ask HR directly. The answer is usually that online courses from accredited institutions are fully eligible.
Find Courses Your District Will Reimburse
Browse self-paced graduate credit courses from accredited university partners. Starting at $199 per 3-credit course — and many teachers use district reimbursement to cover all or most of the cost.
The Bottom Line
District tuition reimbursement is the most widely available and most underused path to free or heavily subsidized graduate credits for teachers. The process requires a few extra steps — finding your policy, getting pre-approval, and submitting documentation after completion — but the financial benefit is significant. For teachers who combine district reimbursement with a low-cost provider like Credits for Teachers, the out-of-pocket cost of graduate credits can be reduced to zero or even result in a net positive.
The most important step is to ask. Check your CBA, call HR, or ask your union rep what your district offers. Many teachers discover they’ve been leaving hundreds or thousands of dollars in reimbursement benefits unclaimed every year simply because they didn’t know to ask.