Short answer
Do graduate credits or a master's degree raise pay at Indianapolis Public Schools?
Not under the 2025-27 agreement. IPS raises base salary for an effective or highly effective evaluation, a year of IPS service and academic needs: certain special education, ENL, STEM and dual credit assignments, plus the literacy endorsement. Teachers hired before October 1, 2014 keep the lane pay their degree earned as of September 2, 2014.
Source: Agreement between IPS and the Indianapolis Education Association, 2025-27, Article VII. Checked .
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How is IPS teacher pay organized?
The 2025-27 agreement between the Board of School Commissioners of the City of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Education Association runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. It was ratified by the association on October 28, 2025 and by IPS on November 13, 2025. Article VII states a salary range for returning full-time teachers and a minimum salary for each year, and pay is spread over 26 equal installments starting the second Friday in August.
Instead of steps and lanes, Article VII adds amounts to a qualifying teacher's base salary for three factors:
- Evaluation rating: highly effective or effective in the prior school year, with a larger amount for highly effective.
- Years of experience: at least 120 contract days worked as an IPS teacher in the prior year, with amounts that vary by total years of effective IPS service.
- Academic needs: service in the prior year as a certified special education teacher, ENL teacher, school psychologist or social worker; as a certified STEM core content or STEM CTE teacher or an appropriately credentialed dual credit teacher; and possession of the literacy endorsement under IC 20-28-5-19.7.
A teacher rated ineffective or improvement necessary in the prior year, or who worked fewer than 120 contract days, is not eligible for an increase. IPS sets a new hire's salary within the range at its discretion, considering the labor market and internal pay equity (Article VII, Section 3). The 2026-27 increases take effect on the first contract day of that school year.
Which units count toward an IPS raise?
None directly. Indiana lets districts reward "possession of an additional content area degree or credit hours beyond the requirements for employment" as an education factor under IC 20-28-9-1.5, but the IPS agreement does not include one. Its factors are evaluation, experience and academic needs only.
Two exceptions are worth knowing. Article VII, Section 5 says that, as IC 20-28-9-1.5 requires, a teacher employed by IPS before October 1, 2014 who has stayed on "will continue to receive educational or 'lane' pay determined by degree status as of September 2, 2014." That amount is fixed; later degrees do not change it. And the academic needs factor pays teachers who hold the literacy endorsement or teach an appropriately credentialed dual credit course, so coursework that leads to one of those credentials can matter indirectly. The agreement does not say which courses lead to either credential. The state's IEERB guide to compensating teachers for graduate degrees and credit hours explains how other districts use the education factor.
Does IPS require approval before you take a course?
The agreement has no course approval process for salary because coursework does not change base pay. For professional development, Article VII, Section 6 of the agreement says workshop participants earn Professional Growth Points (PGP) for mandatory and voluntary professional development, with an hourly rate set in the contract. For renewal, Indiana's Professional Growth Plan rules have the direct supervisor verify points for teachers employed in an Indiana school, and IDOE says "PGPs must be verified prior to beginning an application in LVIS."
When do IPS raises take effect?
Under Article VII of the agreement, the 2025-26 increases took effect starting July 23, 2025, paid retroactively to teachers employed as of the ratification date, and the 2026-27 increases start on the first contract day of the 2026-27 school year. Each factor looks back at the prior school year: the evaluation rating, the 120 contract days, and the assignment or endorsement held. There is no transcript deadline for salary because no degree or credit factor applies.
Do units count toward Indiana license renewal?
Yes, and that is where coursework pays off for an IPS teacher. Indiana renews a 5- or 10-year license with a 90-point PGP or, under IDOE's renewal page, six hours of college coursework from a regionally accredited institution, earned after the license was issued; IDOE's experience documentation chart values one college credit hour at 15 points. The Indiana renewal section of our Indiana guide has the details, and renewal credit and salary credit explains why the two tests differ.
Where can IPS teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, IPS included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: license renewal, an added endorsement or a degree program. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from IPS's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
IPS has no education factor in its 2025-27 agreement, so graduate degrees and credit hours do not add to base salary (see units that count). Teachers employed before October 1, 2014 keep lane pay based on their degree status as of September 2, 2014. Units can still count toward the 90 PGP points or six semester hours for Indiana renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What IPS says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | IPS: None for base pay; no education factor | Semester or quarter units, graduate-level or not, and the university named on the transcript and its accreditor |
| Grade | See units that count | Letter grade or pass/fail on the transcript |
| Deadline | IPS: None for salary; factors use the prior school year | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | IPS: Not applicable; no credit-based pay | Course descriptions or syllabi you can attach to an approval form |
| Price | Not set by the district | All-in price per credit, including any university or first-course fee (compare) |
Graduate-level credit providers, listed with the same facts
For renewal, or for a future move to a district that pays for units, many providers issue graduate-level units through accredited universities. Providers listed on this site, each with the same facts:
- Teacher Friendly: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $336 first course for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Educators: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $297 for 3 credits (price notes)
- CE Credits Online: self-paced, 180 days, units through Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State or Cal Poly Humboldt; from $449 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee for 3 credits (price notes)
- Upward Teachers: self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade, units through UMass Global; $240 sale for 3 credits (price notes)
- VESi: self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction, units through University of the Pacific; $444 for 3 credits (price notes)
The provider directory lists 28 providers and programs by what teachers need them for, and Compare sets published prices for 16 of them side by side, with transcripts from 11 universities. A listing on this site does not mean IPS has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
IPS pay questions teachers ask
Does IPS pay more for a master's degree?
Not under the 2025-27 agreement, which has no education factor. Teachers employed before October 1, 2014 keep the lane pay their degree status earned as of September 2, 2014.
What raises base salary at IPS?
An effective or highly effective evaluation, a year of IPS service with at least 120 contract days, and academic needs such as special education, ENL, STEM or dual credit assignments and the literacy endorsement.
Do IPS workshops count toward license renewal?
The agreement says workshop participants earn Professional Growth Points. Indiana renews a license with 90 PGP points, verified by your supervisor before you apply in LVIS.
When does the IPS agreement end?
June 30, 2027. It took effect July 1, 2025.
Where can IPS teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
IPS does not raise pay for units short of a degree, so check the renewal rules on this page and confirm with human resources or the state agency before you enroll. Providers that teachers compare include Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, CE Credits Online, Connected Classroom Courses, Upward Teachers and VESi. They differ in format, transcript university, grading time and price; the provider directory and the Compare page list 16 providers with the same facts for each.
Sources
- Agreement between IPS and the Indianapolis Education Association, 2025-27, Indianapolis Public Schools (filed with the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board). Checked
- 2026 Compensation Plan FAQs (IC 20-28-9-1.5), Indiana Education Employment Relations Board. Checked
- 2026 guide to compensating teachers for graduate degrees and credit hours, Indiana Education Employment Relations Board. Checked
- Professional Growth Plans (PGPs), Indiana Department of Education. Checked
- Current Indiana educator: renew a license, Indiana Department of Education. Checked
- Professional growth experience documentation (updated April 6, 2020), Indiana Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error