NEWS RELEASE
REACH UNIVERSITY REDUCES TEACHER TUITION COSTS TO ENABLE MORE BACHELOR’S DEGREE HOLDERS TO BECOME TEACHERS IN CALIFORNIA
OAKLAND-BASED UNIVERSITY DECREASES GRADUATE-LEVEL TUITION BY 21% TO BOOST AFFORDABILITY & ACCESS TO ITS ON-THE-JOB MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM
(OAKLAND, California) – December 1, 2023 – Reach University, an accredited nonprofit university dedicated to advancing job-embedded degrees and credentials, today announced an indefinite tuition reduction for its Intern Teacher Credential and Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree program. In lessening the financial hurdle for a greater number of bachelor’s degree holders to become credentialed teachers, the two-year program, formerly priced at $9,450 per year, will now be offered at $7,500 per year, marking a 21% decrease in cost.
The tuition reduction applies to all future and currently enrolled California-based, graduate-level candidates from Fall 2024 onwards. Each Reach teacher candidate, at the undergraduate and graduate level, will also earn a living wage while working in a K-12 school as they pursue their on-the-job degree. After grants and scholarships, the expected out-of-pocket contribution for full-time undergraduate candidates is $900 per year, or $75 per month, and remains unchanged. Reach’s tuition decrease comes as the nation witnesses a 5-year average annual tuition increase of 17% across all postsecondary institutions.
“Reach’s job-embedded teacher training addresses the most significant barriers to earning a degree: access, affordability, and career alignment. Every Californian has felt the continued effects of inflation, making the cost of attending a teacher training program even more inaccessible for many. As we witness most other universities increasing tuition, we take pride in further clearing the pathway for Californians to become qualified and classroom-ready teachers at both the undergraduate and graduate level,” said Joe E. Ross, President of Reach University.
The tuition reduction also offers greater financial support for those candidates utilizing the California Student Aid Commission’s Golden State Teacher Grant Program, which allocates up to $20,000 in free grants to help candidates pursue a career as a teacher and other positions. Each grant recipient enrolled in Reach’s Intern program will now have up to $5,000 to apply towards costs of living in urban, rural and low-income areas.
“Jefferson Union is constantly on the search for outside-the-box means to remove the hurdles for those in the local community to become qualified teachers. Reach is an important partner in this effort, and we have seen the impact of Reach’s program in balancing access and affordability with rigor and preparedness. This tuition reduction enables another effective tool in connecting every passionate educator in our community with the chance to become a qualified teacher in our schools,” said Toni Presta, Superintendent of Schools at Jefferson Union High School District.
Reach University's growing graduate programs support degree-holding district and charter school employees in pursuing a California Preliminary Teaching Credential and offer the option to earn a M.A.T. degree. Enrolled candidates receive a living wage working as a teacher while engaging in graduate-level coursework that can be immediately applied to their professional practice in the classroom. Reach’s program is built to meet the needs of full-time working adults, and is intended to take two years, or 20 months, to complete.
“Together, Reach and our K-12 partners have a nearly 20-year history of placing representative and experienced teachers into California classrooms. Among our 1,000+ graduate-level, California-based alumni, 52% are teachers and school leaders of color currently working in local schools years after they completed their Reach training. I’m confident that this tuition reduction will further accelerate our shared ability to recruit, train, and grow representative and equity-focused teachers in schools across the state,” said Alison Schwartzbaum, Associate Dean of the Graduate Institute & Director of the Intern Teacher Credential Program at Reach University.
Fall 2024 admissions open today, with priority admissions closing on April 1, 2024. Reach University’s graduate-level courses are exclusively available to California-based residents working in a partner K-12 district or charter school. Undergraduate degree programs are available to classified employees of partner K-12 districts in California and across Reach’s states of operation. Prospective students and districts can learn more about the Intern and M.A.T. program and register to attend an upcoming info session here. Download the full media announcement below:
ABOUT REACH UNIVERSITY
California-based Reach University is a regionally accredited, non-profit university dedicated to advancing job-embedded degrees and credentials. Reach is actively solving America's teacher shortage by creating fully-embedded pathways for high-potential individuals to earn degrees, credentials and jobs as teachers within their own communities. By focusing on low-income, urban and rural regions, offering online tutorials and classes, and rendering academic credit for on-the-job experience, Reach University is eliminating barriers to entry in high-need professions, and building untapped pipelines of locally representative talent. Beyond California, Reach University also operates in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Media Inquiries:
Lauren Bauml
Reach University
(512) 923-6136
