Best School Psychology Programs in Alaska Rankings for 2026
Your real options for becoming a school psychologist in Alaska: the brand-new in-state UAA specialist program, NASP-accredited online programs from the Lower 48, the DEED Type C certificate and internship rules, the private-practice route, and 2026 salary data.
Key Takeaways
- Alaska has zero programs on the official NASP approval and accreditation list. The one in-state option, the University of Alaska Anchorage MS in School Psychology, launched its first cohort in Fall 2025 and is built to NASP standards, but it cannot earn NASP accreditation until 2029 at the earliest. Most Alaska school psychologists trained out of state or online.
- Alaska school psychologists earn a median of $94,460, about 1.6% below the $95,990 national median (BLS, May 2025), and the whole state employs only about 120 of them. But Alaska has no state income tax, so your take-home pay lands closer to a higher-salary mainland state than the headline number suggests, and residents also get a yearly Permanent Fund Dividend.
- You qualify to work in public schools with a Type C Special Services certificate from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED). It requires a master's or higher in school psychology, a program approved by NASP or APA (or the NCSP national certification), and a 1,200-hour internship with at least 600 hours in a school.
- To see clients in private practice, you need a separate Licensed Psychologist credential from the Alaska Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners, which requires a doctorate and the EPPP. School psychology and private practice are two different credentials from two different agencies here.
- Alaska has a severe, well-documented shortage of school psychologists, especially in the bush. The recent ratio sat near one school psychologist per 1,576 to 1,662 students against NASP's recommended 1 per 500, and many rural districts fly in contractors from the Lower 48 a few times a year just for special education testing.
Alaska is one of the smallest school psychology markets in the country, with about 120 school psychologists statewide, and until very recently it was one of only two states with no in-state training program at all. The honest starting point: the NASP program approval and accreditation list shows no approved programs in Alaska. That does not mean you cannot become a school psychologist here. It means your choices are the brand-new in-state program at UAA, a NASP-accredited online program run from the Lower 48, or moving away to train and coming back. Most of the people working in Alaska schools today took one of the last two routes.
The big change is the University of Alaska Anchorage MS in School Psychology, Specialist, which enrolled its first cohort in Fall 2025 and is marketed as a program built "by Alaskans, for Alaskans." It is a 63-credit specialist degree, delivered mostly online with a few required weekends and a summer intensive in Anchorage, and it is designed to NASP standards. Here is the catch you need to plan around: a program cannot apply for NASP accreditation until its first students graduate, so UAA cannot earn that approval until 2029 at the soonest. In the meantime, graduates reach the national standard through the program's alignment with NASP and the NCSP national certification, which Alaska accepts for the state certificate.
Whichever route you pick, you credential through the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development with a Type C Special Services certificate. Below you will find the programs that actually serve Alaska students, what the DEED certificate requires step by step, the separate private-practice license, real salary numbers including the surprising gap between Anchorage and the rest of the state, and how to weigh the in-state versus online versus mainland decision honestly.
School Psychology Programs in Alaska (In-State, Online, and NASP-Accredited Options)
All 5 programs ranked in this guide, with tuition, format, and accreditation at a glance.
| # | School | In-State Tuition | Format | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Alaska Anchorage: MS in School Psychology, Specialist | ~$513 per graduate credit (resident, 2025-26) + mandatory fees; ~$32,000+ for the 63-credit program | Distance delivered | |
| 2 | Eastern Washington University: EdS in School Psychology (Online) | ~$433 per credit (flat online rate; no in-state vs out-of-state difference) | Online | |
| 3 | Idaho State University: EdS in School Psychology (Online) | ISU graduate tuition (see program); reduced online rate for some courses | Online | |
| 4 | Fort Hays State University: MS + EdS in School Psychology (Online) | Among the most affordable online options; per-credit online tuition (see program) | Online | |
| 5 | Marshall University: EdS in School Psychology (Online) | Marshall graduate tuition (see program); paid internship year offsets cost | Online |
University of Alaska Anchorage: MS in School Psychology, Specialist
In-State
~$513 per graduate credit (resident, 2025-26) + mandatory fees; ~$32,000+ for the 63-credit program
Out-of-State
~$1,079 per graduate credit (nonresident, 2025-26) + mandatory fees
Length
3 years (MS, Specialist level; full- and part-time tracks)
Field Hours
75-hour course-embedded field experience + 300-hour practicum + 1,200-hour internship (in a school)
Concentrations
- The first and only in-state graduate program in school psychology in Alaska, launched Fall 2025
- Built to NASP standards and designed "by Alaskans, for Alaskans," with a focus on rural and Alaska Native students
- Cannot earn NASP accreditation until after its first students graduate, so 2029 is the earliest possible approval date; verify status before you enroll
- Mostly distance delivered so you can stay in your community, with three on-campus weekends and a summer assessment intensive in Anchorage
Eastern Washington University: EdS in School Psychology (Online)
In-State
~$433 per credit (flat online rate; no in-state vs out-of-state difference)
Out-of-State
~$433 per credit (flat online rate; no in-state vs out-of-state difference)
Length
2 to 3 years (107 credits)
Field Hours
1,200-hour internship (min. 600 in a school)
Concentrations
- The first fully online EdS in school psychology in the country to earn full NASP accreditation
- Flat tuition near $433 per credit for everyone, so Alaska students pay the same as Washington residents
- Synchronous sessions run on Pacific time, only one hour ahead of Alaska, which is easier than most mainland programs
- You arrange your own 1,200-hour internship locally, so you can complete fieldwork in an Alaska district
Idaho State University: EdS in School Psychology (Online)
In-State
ISU graduate tuition (see program); reduced online rate for some courses
Out-of-State
ISU graduate tuition (see program); reduced online rate for some courses
Length
3+ years (MEd School Psychological Examiner, then the 64-credit EdS)
Field Hours
School-based practicum + 1,200-hour internship (min. 600 in a school)
Concentrations
- NASP-approved through 2027, so its national standing is already locked in, unlike the new UAA program
- Live, synchronous virtual classes each week, which keeps you connected to a cohort from a distance
- A two-step structure: the MEd School Psychological Examiner first, then the 64-credit specialist degree
- Graduates are eligible for the NCSP, the cleanest path to the Alaska Type C certificate from outside the state
Fort Hays State University: MS + EdS in School Psychology (Online)
In-State
Among the most affordable online options; per-credit online tuition (see program)
Out-of-State
Same flat online per-credit tuition for out-of-state students (see program)
Length
3 years (combined 66-credit MS and EdS sequence)
Field Hours
1,200-hour internship + NASP portfolio (for the NCSP)
Concentrations
- Often the most affordable online specialist option, which matters when no in-state tuition break exists
- Delivers both the master's and the specialist degree in a single 66-credit online sequence
- Not NASP-accredited, but graduates can still earn the NCSP through a portfolio plus Praxis scores, which satisfies the Alaska certificate
- Just one on-campus requirement, a five-day summer child-assessment workshop, so most of the program fits around rural life
Marshall University: EdS in School Psychology (Online)
In-State
Marshall graduate tuition (see program); paid internship year offsets cost
Out-of-State
Marshall graduate tuition (see program); paid internship year offsets cost
Length
3 years (EdS, specialist level)
Field Hours
1,200-hour paid internship (min. 600 in a school)
Concentrations
- A fully online, NASP-approved EdS, so you graduate already eligible for the NCSP
- Builds in a paid internship year, which is rare and offsets a chunk of the cost
- Eastern time zone means live sessions run four hours ahead of Alaska, a real scheduling consideration
- A solid out-of-state option if you want NASP approval locked in rather than pending like UAA
Alaska School Psychologist Credential Requirements (DEED Type C and Private Practice)
The licensing board, exam pathway, and supervised hours you'll need to practice independently.
Licensing Board
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED): Type C Special Services Certificate
(907) 465-2831
Alaska credentials school psychologists who work in public schools through the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), on a Type C Special Services certificate with a School Psychologist endorsement. The bar is the national specialist standard, and the rules are spelled out by both DEED and the Alaska School Psychologists association. Here is the step-by-step. First, earn a master's or higher degree in school psychology. Second, finish a program that has been approved by NASP or APA, or, if your program is not on that list, qualify by holding the NASP Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential instead. Third, complete a 1,200-hour internship with at least 600 of those hours in a school setting. Fourth, apply to DEED, clear the background check, and add the school psychologist endorsement.
Two Alaska-specific wrinkles trip people up. The certificate also requires three semester credits in Alaska studies and three semester credits in multicultural education or cross-cultural communication. If you have everything else but those two courses, DEED can issue a non-renewable Provisional Type C certificate, valid for two years, so you can start working while you finish them. And the full, regular Type C certificate, good for five years, comes after you have logged about three years of employment; before that you hold the initial certificate. The NCSP route matters here because so many Alaska practitioners trained out of state or online. If you already earned the NCSP through a NASP-aligned program, that national certification does a lot of the heavy lifting toward your Alaska endorsement.
Working in a public school is one thing. Opening a private practice is a different license entirely. To assess and counsel clients outside the school system as a psychologist, you need to be a Licensed Psychologist through the Alaska Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners at the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. That requires a doctoral degree in psychology, a year of supervised experience, and passing scores on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) plus an Alaska laws-and-rules exam. A specialist-level school psychologist does not qualify for the psychologist license, so most school psychologists in Alaska hold the DEED certificate only, and pursue the doctoral psychologist license separately if private practice is the goal.
Type C Special Services Certificate, School Psychologist endorsement (DEED)
Practice as a school psychologist in Alaska public schools: psycho-educational assessment, counseling, crisis response, and intervention design
Hours
1,200
Duration
typically a 3-year specialist program
Exam: Recommendation from a NASP/APA-approved program OR the NASP Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP), which uses the Praxis School Psychologist exam (#5403, passing 155)
Licensed Psychologist (private practice, Alaska Board of Psychologist Examiners)
Independent practice of psychology outside public schools: assessment, diagnosis, and treatment
Hours
N/A
Duration
Associate
Exam: Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) plus an Alaska laws-and-rules exam, after one year of supervised experience; a specialist-level degree does not qualify
Alaska does not grant blanket reciprocity, but the path for out-of-state school psychologists is extremely well worn here, because the state has to import most of its workforce. If you trained and credentialed elsewhere, you apply to DEED, which reviews your preparation against Alaska standards. Holding the NCSP national certification makes that review far smoother, since it signals your program met NASP standards and satisfies the program-approval requirement on its own. Expect to document your graduate coursework, your 1,200-hour internship, and your NCSP or Praxis status, and remember the Alaska studies and multicultural coursework, since those two courses are the most common reason an otherwise-ready applicant gets a Provisional certificate instead of the full one.
School Psychologist Salary in Alaska
BLS state median wages by counseling specialty, with national comparison and top-paying metros.
Alaska pays school psychologists right around the national median, which is better than its tiny workforce might suggest. The BLS May 2025 data puts the Alaska median at $94,460, against a national median of $95,990, a gap of just 1.6%. The state employs only about 120 school psychologists, so the pay band is narrow: the bottom 10% earn around $67,140 and the top 10% reach about $104,160. Pay is set on certificated district salary schedules, the same step-and-column scales that pay teachers, so it climbs predictably with experience and graduate units rather than swinging with the market.
The detail that surprises people is the geography. Anchorage, where the largest share of the workforce sits, actually reports a lower median, $85,730, than the statewide figure. That is because the bush pays a premium. Remote and rural districts, which struggle the hardest to recruit, often layer on geographic differential pay and housing or travel support to attract anyone willing to work off the road system, and those positions pull the statewide median above the Anchorage number. So if you are willing to work rural, the salary map in Alaska rewards you, the opposite of what happens in most states.
Then there is the part that does not show up in the BLS table at all. Alaska has no state income tax, and on top of that every eligible resident receives a yearly Permanent Fund Dividend, which has run roughly $1,000 to $1,700 per person in recent years. A $94,460 salary with no state tax takes home meaningfully more than the same number would in a state that taxes income, so when you compare Alaska against a higher-salary mainland offer, run the after-tax and cost-of-living math rather than letting the gross numbers decide it.
School Psychologists (BLS 19-3034)
National median: $95,990
Top metro: $85,730 (Anchorage, AK)
School Psychologists, 10th to 90th percentile range (Alaska, BLS 19-3034)
National median: $95,990
Top metro: $65,880 to $104,110 (Anchorage, AK)
Alaska School Psychology Job Market and Shortage
Major employers, mental health shortage context, and loan repayment programs that erase debt for service.
Alaska has one of the smallest school psychology workforces in the country and one of its most severe shortages, and the two facts compound each other. BLS counts only about 120 school psychologists in the entire state. Set that against demand and the gap is stark. In the 2023-24 school year the ratio sat near one school psychologist per 1,576 students, and other recent counts put it as high as one per 1,662, while NASP recommends one per 500. You can track the broader picture on the NASP state shortages dashboard. When the ratio is that lopsided, the job collapses toward special education compliance and assessment, with little time left for the prevention and counseling work that drew most people to the field.
The employer picture splits along Alaska's geography. The Anchorage School District and the Fairbanks and Mat-Su districts employ school psychologists on staff like a typical mainland district. The bush is a different world. Many small rural and Alaska Native village districts cannot recruit a full-time school psychologist at all, so they contract with practitioners who fly in from the Lower 48 two or three times a year, usually just to run the special education testing the law requires. Regional service agencies and teletherapy providers fill some of the rest. That heavy reliance on out-of-state and online-trained practitioners is exactly why Alaska spent years building the new UAA program: to grow its own. For a credentialed school psychologist who actually wants to live in Alaska, the combination of steady legal demand, chronic shortage, and rural differential pay adds up to unusually strong job security and leverage.
Loan Repayment & Scholarship Programs
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). School psychologists employed full-time by an Alaska public school district or a borough school district qualify for federal PSLF, which forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying payments. Eligibility is based on your public employer, not your job title, so nearly every public-school school psychologist in Alaska is covered.
No state income tax plus the Permanent Fund Dividend. This is not loan repayment, but it functions like extra income. With no state tax on your salary and a yearly Permanent Fund Dividend on top, you keep more of each paycheck to put toward your loans than you would in most states.
Flat online tuition. NASP-accredited online options such as Eastern Washington University charge Alaska students the same per-credit rate as in-state students, and Fort Hays State is among the cheapest specialist routes anywhere, which keeps total borrowing lower than an out-of-state on-campus move would.
Rural district incentives. Hard-to-staff bush districts sometimes offer hiring bonuses, geographic differential pay, or housing and travel support to attract school psychologists. These are negotiated locally and change with the budget, so ask the specific districts you are targeting what they currently offer and get it in writing.
How to Choose a School Psychology Program as an Alaska Student
Decision factors that actually matter, not generic checklist filler.
For an Alaska student the decision is not which of a dozen local programs to rank, it is which route fits your life: train in state at the new UAA program, train online from the Lower 48, or leave to train and come back. Here is how the realistic options sort out.
If you want to stay in Alaska and train in state: the University of Alaska Anchorage MS in School Psychology is the only in-state specialist program, built to NASP standards and focused on rural and Alaska Native students, though it is not yet NASP-accredited, so plan to credential through the NCSP route until UAA earns approval.
If you want a program already on the NASP accreditation list: a Lower 48 online EdS such as Eastern Washington University, Idaho State University, or Marshall University is the practical answer, since all three are NASP-approved and accept out-of-state students.
If you want the easiest time zone: Eastern Washington runs on Pacific time, only one hour ahead of Alaska, which is far kinder than an Eastern-time program like Marshall that runs four hours ahead for live sessions.
If cost is the deciding factor: Fort Hays State is often the cheapest specialist route, and EWU's flat online tuition charges Alaska students the same as residents. Factor PSLF in too, since district employment makes nearly every public-school position eligible.
If you want a paid internship: Marshall University builds a paid internship year into its online EdS, which offsets a meaningful chunk of the total cost.
If your real goal is private practice, not schools: plan on a doctoral degree and the Licensed Psychologist route through the Alaska Board of Psychologist Examiners, because a specialist degree credentials you for schools only, not for independent psychology practice.
If you already credentialed in the Lower 48: you may not need a new degree at all. Apply to DEED for the Type C certificate, lean on your NCSP if you hold it, finish the Alaska studies and multicultural coursework, and you can often move straight into Alaska's shortage market.
Related Pages
School Psychologist Career Guide
What school psychologists actually do day to day
School Psychologist Salary
Salary data by state, experience, and setting
School Psychology Programs by State
Browse school psychology programs in every state
School Psychology Programs in Washington
NASP-approved school psychology programs in Washington
School Psychology Programs in Oregon
NASP-approved school psychology programs in Oregon
Sources
- NASP: Program Approval & Accreditation List
- Alaska DEED: Special Services Certificates
- AK School Psychologists: Alaska Requirements
- University of Alaska Anchorage: MS in School Psychology, Specialist
- Alaska Public Media: State board OKs UAA school psychology program
- Alaska Board of Psychologist & Psychological Associate Examiners
- NASP: State Shortages Data Dashboard
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS School Psychologists (19-3034)
- Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend: Tax Information