Renew Your Maine Teaching Certificate With Accredited Online Courses
Earn the graduate-level, university-accredited credits that cover your Maine Professional Teacher Certificate renewal. Affordable, self-paced, and 100% online. We also offer salary advancement options further down the page.
Are you looking to renew your license or advance your salary?
Renew my ME certificate
Meet your 6-credit Professional Teacher Certificate renewal with accredited courses you can finish on your own schedule.
See what Maine requiresAdvance my salary
Bank graduate-level credits that may help you move up your district's salary schedule and can apply toward a master's program.
Explore salary advancementMaine Professional Teacher Certificate renewal requirements
Maine issues most experienced teachers a Professional Teacher Certificate, valid for 5 years, or 10 years if you hold National Board Certification. You renew it by completing 6 semester credits of approved study or 90 contact hours of in-service training during the term of the certificate. Maine counts 15 contact hours as 1 semester credit, so 6 graduate credits cover a full renewal.
How many credits do I need?
Maine applies the same requirement to teachers, specialists, and administrators. Select your role to confirm what you need.
What you need
6 semester credits or 90 contact hours cover a full renewal. Maine counts 15 contact hours as 1 credit.
6 semester credits or 90 contact hours cover a full renewal. Maine counts 15 contact hours as 1 credit.
6 semester credits or 90 contact hours cover a full renewal. Maine counts 15 contact hours as 1 credit.
6 semester credits or 90 contact hours, plus an approved administrator action plan if you are employed under an administrator certificate.
Our 6-credit graduate bundle covers a full renewal in one place. Education Technicians renew on 3 credits or 45 contact hours.
See the bundleWhat counts toward Maine certificate renewal
- Graduate semester credits from an accredited university. Six credits cover a full Professional Teacher Certificate renewal and may also count toward a salary-schedule lane change. (What we recommend.)
- In-service training measured in contact hours. Maine counts 90 contact hours as a full renewal, and 15 contact hours equal 1 credit.
- Approved study that fits your certificate area and your renewal plan, verified through your school's support system.
- A mix of credits and contact hours, as long as the combined total reaches 6 credits or the 90-hour equivalent.
If a Maine School Administrative Unit employs you, your Support Chair verifies your study and recommends you for renewal, and your district may add its own expectations. If no Maine unit employs you, submit documentation of 6 credits or 90 contact hours taken within the last 5 years with your renewal application.
How Model Teaching courses count toward your Maine renewal
Model Teaching partners with regionally accredited universities to award graduate-level semester credits, and 6 credits meet a full Maine Professional Teacher Certificate renewal. For every course you take, you will receive an official transcript issued directly from the partnering university, along with a letter grade, which your Support Chair and the Maine DOE need to process your renewal in MEIS. Add your courses to your renewal plan and pick topics that fit your certificate area, so the study lines up with what your support system approves. To confirm a course for your district, download its syllabus from any credit course page and share it with your Support Chair for approval before you enroll.
Read more about Maine teacher certification renewal and recertification
Maine issues teachers a certificate rather than a license. New teachers usually start on a Provisional Teacher Certificate, valid for 2 years, while they finish an induction program and an action plan with their school. After that, teachers move to the Professional Teacher Certificate, the 5-year credential that carries the renewal requirement this page covers. Teachers who earn National Board Certification renew on a 10-year cycle instead of 5.
To renew the Professional Teacher Certificate, you complete 6 semester credits of approved study or 90 contact hours of in-service training during the 5-year term. Maine treats 15 contact hours as 1 credit, so the two paths line up, and 6 graduate credits reach the full requirement. You can combine credits and contact hours as long as the total lands at 6 credits or the 90-hour equivalent.
How you file depends on where you work. If a Maine School Administrative Unit employs you, you work with your school's support system, and your Support Chair reviews your study and recommends you for renewal. Your district may set its own expectations on top of the state minimum, so check with your Support Chair early. If no Maine unit employs you, you submit documentation of your 6 credits or 90 contact hours, taken within the last 5 years, directly with your application. Administrators employed under an administrator certificate also complete an approved administrator action plan.
You apply through MEIS, the Maine Educator Information System, at mymainecertification.com. You can renew if your certificate has not been expired for more than 6 months. Past that window, you submit an application for new credentials instead, so it pays to renew on time. The teacher renewal fee is $100 for all endorsements renewed at once, with $35 for each additional endorsement.
A quick note on terms. In Maine, your credential is a "certificate," and many teachers still call renewal "license renewal" or "recertification." Whichever word you searched, the credential you renew is the Professional Teacher Certificate, and the requirement is 6 credits or 90 contact hours every 5 years. You can review the official rules on the Maine DOE Certification Renewals page.
Build your own Maine renewal bundle
Pick your credits once, then choose any university-partnered courses until you have what you need for renewal or salary advancement.
- 6 credits cover a full Maine Professional Teacher Certificate renewal
- Choose from every course in our university-partnered menu
- Regionally accredited credits with an official transcript for your Support Chair
- Self-paced, 100% online, with a full year of access
Every course is delivered through a regionally accredited university partner. Your credits and official transcript come directly from that university.
Credits and official transcripts issued directly by our university partners
Move up your Maine salary schedule with graduate credits
Maine does not run a statewide salary-increment program. Pay advancement happens at the district level, through your district's negotiated salary schedule, where graduate credits and degrees move you into a higher pay lane. Because each district sets its own steps and lanes, check your contract or your district office for how many credits shift you to the next lane and whether they need pre-approval. The graduate credits you earn for certificate renewal can do double duty here, since the same accredited transcript that satisfies your renewal may also count toward a district lane change.
Accredited transcripts that count
Every Model Teaching course sends an official transcript and letter grade from a regionally accredited university partner, which is what your Support Chair and your district need for renewal and a lane change.
Fast rolling processing
We process credits on a rolling basis, so you can request transcripts when you finish and meet your district's salary-schedule deadlines.
Cost-effective bundling
Bundle your credits once and pay as you complete courses, which keeps your per-credit cost low whether you are renewing, moving up a lane, or working toward a master's.
Choose how you earn your credits
Bundles are pay-as-you-go: a one-time fee reserves your credits, then you pay 70 dollars per credit as you finish each course. Every option is 100% online, self-paced, and includes an official transcript.
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$359 total for 3 credits.
- Covers half of your 6-credit Maine renewal
- Choose any university-partnered courses
- Official transcript, self-paced over 1 year
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$619 total for 6 credits.
- Covers a complete Maine certificate renewal
- Choose any university-partnered courses
- Official transcript and letter grade
- Often salary-advancement eligible credits
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
Renew plus bank extra graduate credits.
- Renew and stack extra graduate credits toward a district lane change or a master's
- Choose any university-partnered courses
- Official transcripts, usable toward an M.Ed.
We offer a full range of bundles, sized to exactly how many credits you need.
View bundled optionsFrequently asked questions
Common questions about Maine teacher certification renewal, contact hours, and Maine DOE requirements.
Requirements How many credits do Maine teachers need to renew?
A Professional Teacher Certificate requires 6 semester credits of approved study or 90 contact hours of in-service training every 5 years. Education Technicians need 3 credits or 45 contact hours.
Credits How do contact hours convert to credits in Maine?
15 contact hours equal 1 semester credit, so 90 contact hours equal the full 6-credit requirement. You can combine credits and contact hours to reach the total.
Renewal How long is a Maine certificate valid?
The Professional Teacher Certificate is valid for 5 years, or 10 years if you hold National Board Certification.
Process Where do I submit my renewal?
You apply through MEIS, the Maine Educator Information System. If a Maine school employs you, your Support Chair reviews your study and recommends you for renewal. If not, you submit your transcripts or contact-hour documentation with the application.
Salary Can the same credits count for salary advancement?
In many cases, yes. Maine salary advancement runs through your district’s salary schedule, and the graduate credits you earn for renewal may also move you into a higher pay lane. Check your district contract for the exact steps.
Renewal What happens if my Maine certificate expired?
You can renew if your certificate has not been expired for more than 6 months. Past that, you submit an application for new credentials rather than a renewal.
Costs What is the most affordable way to renew?
The 6-credit bundle covers a full renewal for $199 up front plus $70 per credit as you finish, which is $619 total. Bundling lowers your per-credit cost compared with single courses.
Process Do I need my school to approve my courses first?
If a Maine school employs you, your Support Chair verifies your study and recommends renewal, so share a course syllabus for approval before you enroll. If no Maine school employs you, the Maine DOE reviews your documentation directly.
Ready to renew your Maine teaching certificate?
Earn accredited credits that cover your 6-credit renewal and move you up the salary schedule, all at your own pace.
Model Teaching strives to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on renewal and salary advancement requirements for every state. Requirements can change and vary by district, so we encourage you to do your own research and confirm exactly what you need with your state licensing agency and district before you enroll.
