High School Diploma or GED

Candidates with a High School Diploma or GED

Candidates with a high school diploma, including Seattle Public Schools seniors, recent graduates, and staff can take Pathway 1 to earning their teaching certificate.

Pathway 1: The Seattle Promise Program

Once you complete your associate degree, candidates may then move into one of the other pathways that offer a bachelor’s degree and teacher certificate.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements : High school diploma or equivalent

Coursework : Eight (8) quarters

Placement During Internship : Option to work as an instructional assistant in any SPSSeattle Public Schools school

Degree Awarded : Associate degree, then advance to other pathways to complete your bachelor’s degree and obtain certification

District Support Available : The Seattle Promise scholarship covers the cost of tuition for graduating high school students. For SPSSeattle Public Schools staff, tuition is covered by Seattle Public Schools.

Additional Employee Benefit : Upon successful completion of the program, candidates may move into one of the other pathways that offer a bachelor’s degree and teacher certificate.

Apply here for ARE: Seattle Central College.

Step 1: Earn Your Associates Degree

Seattle PromiseSeattle Promise is the City of Seattle's college tuition and student success provides the first two years (or up to 90 credits) of tuition and additional financial support to those with financial need, and personal guidance to succeed in college at the Seattle Colleges. All Seattle public high school graduates are eligible regardless of grade point average (GPA), income or country of birth. Read about the Seattle Promise Program

Step 2: Complete Your Bachelor’s Degree

Once you complete your associate’s degree you will have two schools to choose from to complete your Bachelor’s of Art (BA) and teacher certification. Read more about ARE pathways 3 and 4.

Financial Aid

Seattle Public Schools provides tuition support for qualified ARE candidates contingent on which ARE Pathway you are enrolled in. If you will need financial support outside of what the district provides, explore the Federal Student Aid website.

Please use the following resources for additional information about financial aid.

• Contact the Financial Aid office at the university/pathway you want to pursue.
• WashBoard connects Washington students with scholarship providers for free.
• The Washington Student Achievement Council has grants for those who are interested in becoming teachers.  

Transcripts from Schools Outside the U.S.

If you have foreign transcripts, have them evaluated for equivalency. One agency is Foundation for International Services.