Best School Psychology Programs in Georgia Rankings for 2026
NASP-approved and GaPSC-approved EdS and specialist programs in Georgia, with the school psychologist certificate pathway, the GACE exam, the separate Licensed Psychologist route for private practice, internship requirements, tuition, and salary data for 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Georgia school psychologists earn a median of $99,110, about 3.3% above the $95,990 national median (BLS, May 2025). The state employs about 1,650 school psychologists, and the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro carries the top pay in the state at the same $99,110 median.
- You work in public schools with a School Psychologist certificate from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). To see clients in private practice, you need a separate Licensed Psychologist license from the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. Two different credentials, two different agencies.
- Georgia is a small-program state. Only three universities hold NASP approval: Georgia Southern at the specialist level, plus Georgia State and the University of Georgia at the doctoral level. UGA also runs a GaPSC-approved EdS that leads straight to certification.
- Georgia uses its own exam. Most states accept the Praxis School Psychologist test, but Georgia requires the GACE School Psychology assessment (test codes 105/106) for certification. Your program is built around a 1,200-hour internship and at least 60 semester hours of graduate study.
- Georgia has a severe shortage of school psychologists. NASP recommends one per 500 students, but Georgia sits closer to one per 2,100. That keeps demand and job security high, and it qualifies many school psychologists for up to $40,000 in state loan repayment.
Georgia is a mid-sized school psychology market with a real shortage of practitioners, which is good news if you are trying to break in. The state employs about 1,650 school psychologists and pays a median of $99,110 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. That figure sits slightly above the $95,990 national median, so Georgia is an above-average payer, led by metro Atlanta. Pay tracks the district salary schedule, the same step-and-column scale that pays teachers, so your number climbs predictably with experience and graduate credits rather than jumping with negotiation.
Here is the part that trips people up. Georgia splits school psychology across two credentials. To work in public P-12 schools, where nearly all school psychologists are employed, you need the School Psychologist certificate from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). If you want to open a private practice and see families outside the school setting, that is a different license entirely, the Licensed Psychologist credential from the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, which requires a doctorate and years of supervised experience. Most people start with the GaPSC certificate and never need the license.
Georgia is also a small-program state, and it is worth being honest about that up front. Only three universities hold NASP approval in school psychology: Georgia Southern at the specialist level, and Georgia State and the University of Georgia at the doctoral level. UGA runs a GaPSC-approved EdS alongside its doctorate. One quirk to watch: Georgia State's standalone EdS does not lead to Georgia certification on its own, so in-state students who want the certificate usually choose Georgia Southern or UGA. Below you will find the verified programs, what the GaPSC certificate and the Licensed Psychologist route actually require, real salary numbers, and how to pick the program that fits where you want to work.
Best School Psychology Programs in Georgia Rankings (NASP-Approved & GaPSC-Approved)
All 5 programs ranked in this guide, with tuition, format, and accreditation at a glance.
| # | School | In-State Tuition | Format | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Southern University: EdS in School Psychology | ~$284/credit hour (Georgia resident graduate rate) + mandatory fees | On-campus | |
| 2 | University of Georgia: EdS in School Psychology | ~$399/credit hour (Georgia resident graduate rate) + fees | On-campus | |
| 3 | University of Georgia: PhD in School Psychology | PhD: assistantships frequently cover a tuition waiver + a stipend | On-campus | |
| 4 | Georgia State University: PhD in School Psychology | PhD: funded students typically receive a tuition waiver + an assistantship | On-campus | |
| 5 | Georgia State University: EdS in School Psychology | Georgia resident graduate rate (Atlanta campus) + fees | On-campus |
Georgia Southern University: EdS in School Psychology
In-State
~$284/credit hour (Georgia resident graduate rate) + mandatory fees
Out-of-State
~$1,160/credit hour (nonresident graduate rate) + fees
Length
3 years (69 credit hours; interim M.Ed. at 36 hours)
Field Hours
1,200-hour, year-long internship (plus practicum)
Concentrations
- The only Georgia program with full NASP approval at the EdS (specialist) level
- 69 credit hours delivered in person on the Statesboro campus, with an interim M.Ed. awarded at 36 hours
- Culminates in a year-long, full-time 1,200-hour internship as a school psychologist
- Graduates qualify for the GaPSC certificate and the NCSP after passing the GACE School Psychology assessment
University of Georgia: EdS in School Psychology
In-State
~$399/credit hour (Georgia resident graduate rate) + fees
Out-of-State
Resident rate + nonresident per-credit surcharge
Length
3 years (M.Ed. in Educational Psychology, then the EdS)
Field Hours
Three-term, year-long 1,200-hour internship in a local school system
Concentrations
- Approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for school-based practice in Georgia
- Small cohort: the department admits roughly four EdS students each fall
- You complete two years of coursework and field work, then a three-term internship year to earn the EdS
- Sits inside UGA's nationally regarded school psychology faculty, with the option to continue into the PhD
University of Georgia: PhD in School Psychology
In-State
PhD: assistantships frequently cover a tuition waiver + a stipend
Out-of-State
PhD: nonresident tuition waivers available for funded students
Length
5 years (doctoral)
Field Hours
Six clinical practica + a 2,000-hour advanced internship in an accredited school setting
Concentrations
- Accredited by the American Psychological Association and NASP-approved at the doctoral level
- Five-year program built around six practica, a master's thesis, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation
- Requires a 2,000-hour advanced internship supervised by a Georgia-licensed psychologist
- The doctorate opens research and academic-medical roles and speeds the path to the Licensed Psychologist credential
Georgia State University: PhD in School Psychology
In-State
PhD: funded students typically receive a tuition waiver + an assistantship
Out-of-State
PhD: nonresident waivers available for funded students
Length
5 to 6 years (minimum 74 credit hours; 68 for B.A.-to-PhD entrants)
Field Hours
Year-long predoctoral internship plus multi-year practica across metro Atlanta
Concentrations
- One of the nation's first APA-accredited school psychology programs, and NASP-approved at the doctoral level
- Minimum 74 credit hours, with a 68-hour track for students entering straight from a bachelor's degree
- Recognized by NASP for its commitment to recruiting and training a diverse student body
- Sits in downtown Atlanta, the densest school psychology job market in the state
Georgia State University: EdS in School Psychology
In-State
Georgia resident graduate rate (Atlanta campus) + fees
Out-of-State
Resident rate + nonresident per-credit surcharge
Length
About 18 months (M.Ed. is a prerequisite to the EdS)
Field Hours
Practicum + internship aligned to specialist-level training
Concentrations
- Honest caveat: Georgia State states its EdS does not lead to certification in the state of Georgia on its own
- Structured as a concurrent M.Ed./EdS, with the M.Ed. serving as a prerequisite to the specialist degree
- Best understood as a stepping stone toward the GSU PhD rather than a direct GaPSC certification route
- If you want the GaPSC certificate at the specialist level in Georgia, Georgia Southern or UGA are the direct paths
Georgia School Psychologist Credential Requirements (GaPSC Certificate and Licensed Psychologist)
The licensing board, exam pathway, and supervised hours you'll need to practice independently.
Licensing Board
Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC): School Psychologist Certificate
(404) 232-2500
Georgia runs school psychology through two separate credentials, and knowing which one you need saves a lot of confusion. The one almost everybody gets is the School Psychologist certificate, issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) under Rule 505-2-.146. It authorizes you to work in Georgia public P-12 schools, doing psychoeducational assessment, counseling, crisis response, and intervention design. To earn it you complete a state-approved specialist-level (level six) program of at least 60 semester hours, or a NASP-approved program, including a supervised practicum and a 1,200-hour internship. Holding the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential is one of the three accepted pathways to the certificate.
Here is the Georgia-specific catch. Most states accept the Praxis School Psychologist exam, but Georgia requires its own test: the GACE School Psychology assessment (test codes 105 and 106), administered for the GaPSC. Georgia replaced the Praxis with the GACE back in 2006, so plan your exam around the GACE, not the Praxis. If you completed a comparable exam in another state, you may be exempt, but verify that with the GaPSC before you assume it transfers.
The second credential, the Licensed Psychologist license, comes from the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists and lets you practice independently outside the school system. The GaPSC certificate limits you to P-12 students in school settings. To go private, you need a doctoral degree from an APA-accredited program, 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience, and passing scores on the national EPPP exam, the Georgia Jurisprudence exam, and an oral exam before the Board. That is a much longer road, which is why most school psychologists stick with the GaPSC certificate.
School Psychologist Certificate (Georgia Professional Standards Commission)
Practice as a school psychologist in Georgia public P-12 schools: assessment, counseling, crisis intervention, and intervention design
Hours
1,200
Duration
typically a 3-year program
Exam: GACE School Psychology assessment (test codes 105/106) at the Professional level; the NCSP is an accepted alternative pathway to the certificate
Licensed Psychologist (private practice, Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists)
Independent practice of psychology within and outside school settings: assessment, counseling, and consultation
Hours
1,500
Duration
11 to 24 months of postdoctoral supervised experience
Exam: National EPPP exam, the Georgia Jurisprudence exam, and an oral exam before the Board. Requires 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience (at least 500 hours of direct client contact)
Georgia does not hand out automatic reciprocity, but it gives out-of-state school psychologists a clean route. If you completed a NASP-approved program or hold the NCSP national certification, that is one of the three accepted pathways to the GaPSC certificate on its own, because it signals your program met NASP standards. If you took a comparable certification exam in another state, you may be exempt from the GACE, though you should confirm that with the GaPSC before counting on it. Expect to document your graduate coursework and your 1,200-hour internship, and budget time for the paperwork before your first Georgia school year starts.
School Psychologist Salary in Georgia
BLS state median wages by counseling specialty, with national comparison and top-paying metros.
Georgia pays school psychologists slightly above the national median, and it is worth saying that plainly because it surprises people. The BLS May 2025 data puts the Georgia median at $99,110, against a national median of $95,990. That is a premium of about 3.3%. The range runs from roughly $61,980 at the 10th percentile to $132,740 at the 90th, and the state employs about 1,650 school psychologists. Pay tracks the district salary schedule, the same step-and-column scale that pays teachers, so your number climbs predictably with experience and graduate credits rather than jumping with negotiation.
The pull is metro Atlanta. The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro carries the top pay in the state, at the same $99,110 median, and it holds the largest concentration of school psychology jobs in Georgia. That is where Georgia State sits, and it feeds the metro Atlanta districts directly. One honest caveat: these are 10-month, school-year salaries, so the headline number reflects a roughly 180-day contract rather than a full calendar year. Many school psychologists pick up summer assessment work, contract evaluations, or extended-year pay to fill the gap, and in a shortage state like Georgia, that extra work is easy to find.
School Psychologists (BLS 19-3034)
National median: $95,990
Top metro: $99,110 (Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA)
Clinical & Counseling Psychologists (private-practice comparison, BLS 19-3033)
National median: $100,580
Top metro: $94,910 (Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA)
Georgia School Psychology Job Market and Shortage
Major employers, mental health shortage context, and loan repayment programs that erase debt for service.
There are not enough school psychologists in Georgia, and that is good news for your job prospects. NASP recommends one school psychologist for every 500 students. Georgia sits closer to one per 2,100, roughly four times the recommended caseload, and you can watch the gap yourself on the NASP state shortages dashboard. State lawmakers have been working on the problem too, with recent bills aimed at an interstate compact to make it easier for out-of-state school psychologists to practice in Georgia.
Demand is driven by work that schools are legally required to do. Every special education eligibility decision rests on a psychoeducational assessment, and Georgia's push to expand school-based mental health has only added to the caseload. School psychologists work for public school districts and Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs). The pull is strongest in metro Atlanta, where districts like DeKalb have worked through evaluation backlogs by offering Saturday appointments, contracting outside providers, and paying interns who are still finishing their degrees. With only a handful of in-state programs feeding the pipeline, graduates of Georgia Southern, UGA, and Georgia State are in demand the moment they finish.
Loan Repayment & Scholarship Programs
Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program. Licensed specialists in school psychology who do not hold a doctorate are eligible for up to $40,000 in loan repayment for practicing full-time in a designated mental health shortage area, awarded over a four-year contract. This is a real Georgia program that names school psychology specifically, not a teacher-only program that excludes you.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). School psychologists employed full-time by a Georgia public school district or RESA qualify for federal PSLF, which forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying payments. Eligibility is based on your employer, not your job title.
Low public-university tuition. At roughly $284 to $399 a credit hour in resident graduate tuition, Georgia Southern and UGA keep total borrowing low to begin with, which is the cheapest form of loan relief there is.
Doctoral assistantships. The PhD programs at UGA and Georgia State fund many students with tuition waivers and stipends, so the doctorate often comes with far less debt than a self-funded specialist degree would. That funding is effectively loan avoidance.
How to Choose the Best School Psychology Program in Georgia
Decision factors that actually matter, not generic checklist filler.
Georgia has only a handful of school psychology programs, so the real decision is about degree level, location, and whether the program actually leads to the GaPSC certificate. Here is how the programs sort out.
If you want the only NASP-approved specialist program: Georgia Southern in Statesboro is the lone Georgia program with full NASP approval at the EdS level, and at about $284 a credit hour it is also the cheapest path to the certificate.
If you want the strongest faculty reputation at the specialist level: the University of Georgia runs a GaPSC-approved EdS in Athens and admits a small cohort each fall, so you train in a nationally regarded department.
If you want the metro Atlanta job market: Georgia State sits in downtown Atlanta, the densest concentration of school psychology jobs in the state, and feeds those districts directly through its APA-accredited PhD.
If you want a doctorate and a faster route to private practice: the APA-accredited PhDs at UGA and Georgia State open research and academic-medical roles and shorten the path to the Licensed Psychologist credential.
If you want the cheapest path to certification: Georgia Southern (about $284 a credit hour) and UGA (about $399 a credit hour) both lead directly to the GaPSC certificate, and both beat any private option on cost.
If you are weighing Georgia State's EdS: read the fine print first. Georgia State states its standalone EdS does not lead to certification in Georgia on its own, so if the GaPSC certificate is your goal, Georgia Southern or UGA are the direct routes.
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 Florida
NASP-approved programs in neighboring Florida
School Psychology Programs in North Carolina
NASP-approved programs in neighboring North Carolina
Sources
- NASP: Program Approval & Accreditation List (Georgia)
- NASP: Georgia State Credentialing Requirements
- Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)
- GaPSC Rule 505-2-.146, School Psychology
- Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (private-practice license)
- Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE)
- NASP: Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) Eligibility
- Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: School Psychologists (19-3034), May 2025