More Georgia teachers are getting free or cheap master’s degrees. Here’s how.

Here’s a look at some of the universities in the state partnering with school systems to get advanced degrees to teachers.

Brenau University: The small private university in Gainesville is partnering with multiple Georgia school systems to offer “significantly reduced rates” for people seeking both undergraduate and graduate degrees in teaching who are employed in certain school districts. Students in the TigerTeach program pay $450 per graduate credit hour, compared to the normal rate of $866 per credit hour. The university is partnered with Buford City Schools, Forsyth County, Gainesville City Schools and Hall County, and is hoping to add more. The first cohort started in March with seven participants.

Clark Atlanta University: The historically Black university has partnered with Atlanta Public Schools and Clayton County to help fill teacher shortages. In Clayton County, that’s STEM teachers, and in APS, it’s special education teachers. In addition to all tuition and fees being covered, participants may be eligible for a quarterly stipend and an annual salary supplement when they begin teaching. APS currently has eight scholarship recipients.

Clayton State, Kennesaw State and Middle Georgia universities: While some programs are more of a benefit for current district employees, the IGNITE DeKalb Teacher Residency is for teacher converts. The one-year program is for people with no previous teaching experience. During that time, they earn a master’s degree — tuition-free — from one of the district’s partners while working in classrooms alongside a teacher mentor and receiving a living stipend. Participants must commit to working in a high-need school in DeKalb for five years. More than 100 people have graduated from the program since it began.

Georgia State University: The Pathways to Teacher Credentialing Project currently has 180 participants who work in APS, Gwinnett, Newton or Rockdale schools. Tuition and fees toward master’s degrees are covered for both new and current teachers who work in the school systems.

University of West Georgia: Georgia’s BEST, which stands for Building Educator Success Together, is a program that dates back to 2023. Tuition and fees are covered for participants seeking master’s degrees to education specialist degrees in the Cobb, Coweta and Gwinnett school districts. Cobb, the state’s second-largest school system, reported that 750 teachers had earned their degrees or were working toward them in the program’s first two years.