High School Equivalency Diploma: What It Is and How to Get One

Updated September 2026 · Fees, ages and rules checked against state and testing-service sources on September 13, 2026

A high school equivalency diploma is a credential issued by a state education agency to someone who did not finish high school but has shown high-school-level skills, almost always by passing the GED or the HiSET exam. The exam and the credential are two different things. A national testing service runs the test, and your state issues the diploma or certificate under its own name, for its own fee, under its own rules.

That distinction explains most of the confusion around this topic. People who ask whether they want a GED or a high school equivalency diploma are rarely choosing between two credentials. In most states the GED is simply how you earn the equivalency diploma.

• Two national exams are in use: the GED (four subjects, 145 to pass each) and the HiSET (five subtests, 8 of 20 to pass each and 45 of 100 overall).
• A third test, the TASC, was retired at the end of 2021. New York, which had used it, moved to the GED in January 2022.
• The name on the paper depends on the state: a NYS High School Equivalency Diploma in New York, a State of Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency in Texas, a State of Florida High School Diploma in Florida.
• Testing costs range from nothing (New York pays for its residents’ subtests) to about $164 for four GED subjects, or $75 to $242.50 for the five HiSET subtests, depending on the state and the format.
• For federal student aid, a state-issued equivalency credential is a recognized equivalent of a high school diploma. For military enlistment it is not treated the same, because the Air Force requires a minimum AFQT of 31 from diploma graduates and 50 from GED holders.

The test and the credential are not the same document

GED Testing Service builds and scores the GED. PSI runs the HiSET. Neither issues a diploma. When you pass, the testing service reports your scores to the state, and the state education agency issues the credential and holds the record that employers and colleges later verify against.

Because the state issues it, the state also decides what to call it, what to charge, how old you have to be, how long you must have lived there, and whether passing the exam is enough on its own. HiSET’s own guidance is explicit: “the state you test in decides the minimum requirements for earning an HSE credential”, and your state “may have other requirements such as passing a civics exam”. So the first question is never “GED or HiSET”. It is what your state offers and what it calls the result.

GED vs. HiSET: how the two exams compare

Both are computer- or paper-based batteries covering the same core subjects, both are offered in English and Spanish, and both lead to the same state credential in states that accept either. The differences are in structure and scoring.

Which is better? Neither is worth more once it is issued. Both produce the same state credential, and the state record is what gets verified. Choose on mechanics. The HiSET splits language arts into two shorter subtests and asks for a lower per-subtest bar with an overall total, while the GED sets one fixed bar per subject and reports college-ready bands that some colleges use to waive placement tests. If your state offers only one, the question answers itself. If you want the detail on preparation, see how to study for the GED.

What your state calls it, and what testing costs

Fees, minimum ages and residency rules are set state by state and change without much notice. These eight were checked on September 13, 2026 against GED Testing Service state policy pages and the state agencies themselves.

Several states accept both exams. HiSET publishes its own list of the 26 states and five US territories where it is offered, so check that list as well as your state agency’s page.

HiSET pricing works the same way. In Colorado, for example, a computer-delivered subtest costs $32.50 (an $18 test fee, a $10 test-center fee and a $7.50 state administration fee), or about $163 for all five. Paper delivery is $35.50 per subtest and testing at home with a remote proctor is $48.50. Colorado also allows up to six attempts per subtest per calendar year, with the full test fee charged only on the first and fourth attempt.

Residency matters more than people expect. New York requires 30 days of residency, Illinois 30 days, Indiana 30 days, Texas proof of a Texas address, and Colorado requires none at all. Budget for retakes too, because California, Texas and Florida all charge a reduced fee for the first two retakes and then impose a 60-day wait after a third attempt at the same subject. For the full picture on what finishing secondary education costs by route, see how to get a high school diploma as an adult.

States that ask for more than a passing score

Wisconsin is the clearest example, and the reason so much bad information circulates about equivalency diplomas. Wisconsin issues two different things: a Certificate of General Educational Development for passing the GED, and a High School Equivalency Diploma, which requires more. Every HSED pathway requires passing a civics test with a score of 65 or better. The 5.05 route adds health, citizenship and employability skills requirements on top of the GED battery (waived on request for applicants aged 55 or over). The 5.06 route is built on roughly 22 high school credits instead, and the 5.09 route is completion of a program approved by the state superintendent through a technical college, university or community organization.

Those health, civics and employability requirements are Wisconsin’s, not the country’s. Articles that present them as universal, including the previous version of this page, are describing one state’s rules as if they applied everywhere.

How an equivalency credential compares with a regular diploma

For jobs

Most job listings ask for “a high school diploma or equivalent”, and a state-issued equivalency credential is what the second half of that phrase means. What it buys is measurable. In 2025, workers aged 25 and over whose highest credential was a high school diploma had median usual weekly earnings of $966 and an unemployment rate of 4.3%. Workers without a high school credential earned a median of $770 a week with 6.1% unemployment. Across all workers the figures were $1,268 and 3.4%.

One caveat matters here. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate earnings line for equivalency holders, so there is no official figure for “GED salary” as distinct from “high school graduate salary”. Anyone quoting one is estimating. The broader pay-by-credential picture is in average salary by education level, and the roles that hire without either credential are covered in jobs you can get without a high school diploma.

On an application, the credential goes in the education section under the state that issued it, with the year. How to list a GED on a resume covers the wording. Employers that verify education go to the state’s HSE records service and not to a school, so the state record carries the proof and the printed certificate does not.

For college and financial aid

Federal rules treat a state equivalency credential as a recognized equivalent of a high school diploma for student aid purposes, and the recognized equivalents include the GED, the HiSET and other state-authorized tests or diploma-equivalency certificates. In practice that means a state HSE credential does not block a FAFSA.

Admission is a separate decision, and each institution sets its own policy. Community colleges, technical colleges and most state universities admit equivalency holders on the same terms as graduates, while selective institutions sometimes ask for extra evidence of readiness. Score bands help there. A GED subject score of 165–174 signals college readiness and can waive placement testing, 175–200 can be worth up to 10 college credit hours, and the HiSET flags college and career readiness at 15 of 20 with an essay score of at least 4.

For the military

This is the one place where the two credentials are genuinely not interchangeable. Recruiting offices set a higher aptitude bar for applicants without a traditional diploma. The Air Force states it directly: “High school seniors or graduates must achieve a minimum 31 AFQT overall score”, while “GED holders must achieve a minimum 50 AFQT score” on the ASVAB.

Minimums differ by branch and change with recruiting conditions. Treat any published number as a floor and a recruiter as the authority. More detail is in whether you need a GED to join the Army.

How to get one, step by step

1. Start at your state education agency, not at a test site. Search for your state plus “high school equivalency”. The agency page names the accepted test, the credential, the age and residency rules and the office that issues the record.
2. Check whether you are eligible yet. Minimum ages run from 16 to 19, and several states require you to have formally withdrawn from school, to have been out for a set period, or to have lived in the state for 10 to 30 days.
3. Take an official practice test before paying for the real one. Both programs publish practice forms designed to predict readiness, and retakes are where the cost of an equivalency credential doubles.
4. Register and pick your format. Test center or online proctor, computer or paper where both are offered. Online proctoring costs more in some states and is unavailable in others. Colorado’s remote fee, for example, is $23 per subtest on top of the $18 test fee.
5. Sit the subjects one at a time. Nothing requires you to take them in one day or one month. Most people spread them out, which also spreads the cost. How to get a GED certificate walks through the sequence. Typical timelines sit alongside other credentials in how long it takes to get a certificate.
6. Claim the credential and order a transcript. Passing scores are reported to the state, which issues the diploma or certificate, often through a third-party records service that charges separately for copies. Order at least one official transcript when you claim it, and that is the document colleges and employers accept. What a GED diploma looks like shows the format.

Should you go back to school instead? If you are still of school age and within reach of graduating, finishing is usually stronger, because it clears the lower enlistment bar, it avoids extra admissions scrutiny at selective colleges, and it normally costs nothing. The equivalency route earns its place when returning to a classroom is not realistic, because of work, family, distance or the years already elapsed.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a difference between a GED and a high school equivalency diploma?

Usually, yes, but not the difference people expect. The GED is a test. The high school equivalency diploma is the credential a state issues, in many cases for passing that test. A few states distinguish the two on paper. Wisconsin issues a Certificate of GED for passing the exam and reserves the High School Equivalency Diploma for applicants who also meet civics, health and employability requirements. In most states there is one credential and the GED is simply the route to it.

Which is better, the GED or the HiSET?

Neither outranks the other once the state has issued your credential. Employers and colleges see the state record, not the test brand. Pick on availability and format. The HiSET has five shorter subtests, a lower per-subtest bar and an overall total, while the GED has four subjects with a fixed 145 bar and college-ready score bands. Many states offer only one.

Can you take the high school equivalency test online?

In many states, yes. Both programs offer at-home testing with a live remote proctor, subject to state approval, an identity check and equipment requirements. It is not universally available and it is not always the same price. Texas charges $36.25 per subject at a test center and $42.25 online, and Colorado’s at-home HiSET is $48.50 per subtest against $32.50 at a center. Some states do not offer online testing at all.

What does “high school diploma or equivalency” mean on an application?

It means the employer or school will accept either a diploma issued by a high school or a state-issued equivalency credential earned through the GED, the HiSET or another state-authorized route. Federal student aid rules use the same definition of a recognized equivalent.

Is the TASC still valid?

The TASC was retired at the end of 2021, and states that used it moved to the GED or the HiSET, and New York switched to the GED in January 2022. Scores already earned and credentials already issued remain valid, but you cannot sit the test any more.

Replica GED and equivalency documents, and what they are not

Sources

1. GED Testing Service, GED Test Subjects, four subjects at 115, 150, 70 and 90 minutes. Accessed September 13, 2026.
2. GED Testing Service, Test Scores and Understanding Your Scores, with 145 to pass each subject, 165–174 College Ready, and 175–200 College Ready + Credit, up to 10 college credit hours. Accessed September 13, 2026.
3. GED Testing Service, Price & State Rules, where prices, ages and online availability are set by area. Accessed September 13, 2026.
4. GED Testing Service state policies: California ($41, California High School Equivalency Certificate), Florida ($38, State of Florida High School Diploma), Illinois ($36, Illinois High School Diploma), New York (no charge, NYS HSE Diploma), Texas ($36.25 center / $42.25 online, State of Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency), Wisconsin ($41 from July 1, 2026, Certificate of GED or HSED). Accessed September 13, 2026.
5. HiSET (PSI), About HiSET, on five subtests and their lengths, English and Spanish, paper or computer, center or online proctored. Accessed September 13, 2026.
6. HiSET (PSI), Get Your Scores & Credentials, with 8 of 20 per subtest, 45 of 100 total and an essay of at least 2 of 6. College and career readiness comes at 15 of 20 with an essay of 4, and the state sets the minimum requirements. Accessed September 13, 2026.
7. HiSET (PSI), State Requirements, 26 states plus American Samoa, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and Palau. Accessed September 13, 2026.
8. HiSET (PSI), Colorado, at $32.50 computer-delivered, $35.50 paper and $48.50 at home per subtest, with six attempts per calendar year and no residency requirement. Accessed September 13, 2026.
9. Iowa Workforce Development, High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) Program, HiSET since 2014, $75 full battery and $15 single subtest, minimum age 17 unless waived, with credit-based and postsecondary pathways. Accessed September 13, 2026.
10. Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Indiana High School Equivalency, GED and HiSET, 16 and over, 30 days’ residency, free vouchers for some residents. Accessed September 13, 2026.
11. New York State Education Department, High School Equivalency (HSE) and the memo announcing the move to the GED, four pathways, with the GED replacing the TASC from January 2022. Accessed September 13, 2026.
12. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, GED and HSED Explanation, civics test at 65 or better, the 5.05, 5.06 and 5.09 pathways, and health, citizenship and employability requirements waived on request at 55 and over. Accessed September 13, 2026.
13. Federal Student Aid, High school diploma equivalent, and U.S. Department of Education, GEN-14-06: Recognized Equivalent of a High School Diploma, where GED, HiSET and other state-authorized tests are recognized equivalents. Accessed September 13, 2026.
14. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment, 2025, at $966 a week and 4.3% unemployment for high school graduates, $770 and 6.1% for workers without a high school credential, and $1,268 and 3.4% for all workers. Accessed September 13, 2026.
15. U.S. Air Force, ASVAB, minimum AFQT of 31 for high school seniors and graduates and 50 for GED holders. Accessed September 13, 2026.