There is no single national GED diploma. GED Testing Service writes, delivers and scores the test, but the credential you earn by passing it is awarded by the state you tested in, so the document’s name, wording, seal, signatures and even its delivery format change at the state line. Passing usually produces two documents and not one. You get a one-page credential (called a diploma in some states and a certificate in others) and a score transcript listing the four subject tests and the number you scored on each.
That split explains most of the confusion behind this question. The framed page on the wall proves you earned the credential. The transcript is what colleges, employers and the military actually ask for, because it is the document that carries the scores.
The state awards the credential, not GED Testing Service
GED Testing Service, a joint venture of the American Council on Education and Pearson, owns the test and holds your score record. It does not award credentials. Your state education agency does, under its own statutory name for the award, and the state decides the fee, the format and who fulfills copy requests.
Three practical consequences follow. First, the word “GED” may not appear on the credential at all. Pennsylvania’s is a Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma, and Florida’s is a State of Florida High School Diploma. Second, delivery is increasingly electronic. Texas emails the certificate as a PDF roughly three business days after the final computer-based test and no longer sends certificates or verifications by mail, fax or email to third parties. Florida issues one free electronic diploma and one free electronic transcript once you pass. Third, a state can accept a test other than the GED for the same credential. Pennsylvania accepts the GED test, the HiSET exam, or a combination of subtests from both that covers all subject areas.
What the credential is called, state by state
Seven states, with the name each one prints, who holds the record, and what a copy costs. Fees were read on the agencies’ own pages on September 13, 2026 and change without much notice.
| State | Name on the credential | Who issues / holds the record | Cost of a copy (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency (TxCHSE) | Texas Education Agency, self-service at txchse.com | Verification letter free, and $5.00 for a PDF with the certificate and transcript |
| California | California High School Equivalency Certificate | California Department of Education. Since January 1, 2020 only the GED and HiSET companies are authorized to issue it or its official transcript | GED copies ordered in the GED.com account, and HiSET duplicates $25.00 per document |
| New York | New York State High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma | NYSED, Adult Career and Continuing Education Services, HSE Office | Transcript copy $5.00, diploma copy $10.00 with the transcript included |
| Florida | State of Florida High School Diploma | Florida Department of Education, with ordering handled by Parchment / GED Testing Service on its behalf | One free electronic diploma and transcript after passing, then $20.00 per duplicate |
| Illinois | State of Illinois High School Diploma | Regional Offices of Education hold and issue the records | $10.00 per diploma copy and $10.00 per official transcript, and some ROEs add mailing and card fees |
| Ohio | Ohio High School Equivalency Diploma | Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, fulfilled through DiplomaSender | Set in DiplomaSender, with third-party verification at $30.00 since January 1, 2023 |
| Pennsylvania | Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma (CSSD) | Pennsylvania Department of Education, fulfilled through DiplomaSender | Set in DiplomaSender |
New York is worth a second look, because the exam is only one of four routes to the same diploma: the HSE exam, 24 college credits, the National External Diploma Program, and the Regents-HSE pathway. Two New Yorkers can hold identical diplomas having done completely different things to earn them, which is one reason the diploma alone tells a reader so little. The high school equivalency diploma guide compares those routes.
What is printed on the credential
State designs differ, but the field list barely does. A state high school equivalency credential carries:
- Your full legal name, as it was registered for the test
- The issuing state and agency, usually with the state seal
- The statutory name of the award, which may be certificate of high school equivalency, high school equivalency diploma, or the state’s own wording
- The date the credential was awarded
- Printed signatures of state officials, typically the commissioner or state superintendent and sometimes a board chair
- A credential, certificate or serial number in several states
What it does not carry is just as consistent. It leaves out subject scores, GPA, class rank, course lists and the name of any school. Texas describes its PDF as a diploma-style certificate suitable for framing, delivered together with a transcript of test dates and scores. If you are holding one page and expecting to see how you did, you are holding the wrong one of the two documents.
Format is the other surprise. Many states no longer mail anything by default. A PDF you download from the state’s system and print at home is the official credential. A physical copy on heavier stock is an optional extra you order. Paper weight, watermarks and security features do not make it valid. Being in the state’s record does.
What a GED transcript shows
A GED transcript is a score report and not a school transcript. It lists the four subject tests, the date you took each, the score, whether you passed, and the credential and its award date. There are no courses on it, no credit hours and no grade point average, because the GED does not involve coursework. That is the single most common error in older articles about GED transcripts, including the ones this page replaces.
The four subjects, with the testing time GED Testing Service allots to each:
| Subject test | Total time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning Through Language Arts | 150 minutes | Includes a 45-minute written essay and a 10-minute break |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 115 minutes | Includes a 3-minute break |
| Science | 90 minutes | No scheduled break |
| Social Studies | 70 minutes | No scheduled break |
Each subject is scored on the same scale, and the score bands are what a college admissions office is reading when it asks for the transcript instead of the diploma:
| Score | Band | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 100–144 | Below passing | The subject has not been passed and can be retaken |
| 145–164 | GED passing score / high school equivalency | 145 or higher on all four subjects earns the credential |
| 165–174 | GED College Ready | May waive placement testing or developmental coursework at participating colleges |
| 175–200 | GED College Ready + Credit | May qualify for up to 10 college credit hours |
Two scores of 175 and two of 146 produce exactly the same diploma as four scores of 145, and a transcript that reads very differently. If you are listing the credential on an application, how to list a GED on a resume covers which of the two documents to reference and how to write the line.
How to order copies (you cannot make one)
There is no way to produce your own GED transcript. The document has force only because it comes out of the state’s record system. What you can do is order copies, through one of four routes depending on where and when you tested.
- Your GED.com account. Sign in, open My Scores, choose Order Duplicates, then pick an electronic transcript, an electronic diploma or a printed diploma. Parchment fulfills these for GED Testing Service and for several states. GED Testing Service’s help center listed a $15.00 transcript fee in most states ($20.00 in Kansas) and a printed diploma at $10.00 plus shipping when checked in September 2026. Some states, Florida among them, include a free electronic set when you pass.
- DiplomaSender. Ohio and Pennsylvania route all high school equivalency diplomas and transcripts through diplomasender.com, where you create an account to view scores and order documents.
- A state portal or form. Texas runs its own Certificate/Transcript Search at txchse.com, paid by card or ACH. New York still takes a paper request, Application H, with a certified check or money order made out to the New York State Education Department, and a turnaround of two to six weeks.
- The state agency or archives, for older records. If you tested before 2014, or in a state that has changed testing vendors since, GED.com may hold nothing. The record sits with the state education agency, a Regional Office of Education in Illinois, or a state archive.
Replacing a lost credential is the same job as replacing any other school document, and the sequence is the same. Find the issuer, not the printer. How to request a copy of a diploma walks through it, and how long it takes to get your GED after you pass covers the wait between the last test and the documents arriving.
How employers and schools verify a GED
Almost nobody inspects the paper. Verification is a database lookup. The employer, college or recruiter asks for an official transcript sent directly from the state’s system or its vendor, or pays a third-party verification service. Ohio, for example, charges third-party vendors $30.00 per verification. A PDF forwarded by the candidate is treated as unofficial in most admissions offices, whatever it looks like.
A document bought from a website therefore fails without anyone examining it. It is not in the state’s record, so the lookup returns nothing, and a nothing result is the same as a negative. Fake GED credentials covers the legal exposure in more detail, and what employers actually check explains how the verification request itself works. If you have not tested yet, how to get a GED certificate is the shorter road than any of the alternatives, and the pay by education level hub has what the credential is worth in earnings terms.
Replica GED diplomas and transcripts for display
ValidGrad makes novelty replicas of both documents for display. There is a replica GED diploma and a replica GED transcript. You choose the wording, the layout and the paper, which is what people order when the original is framed at a parent’s house, stored in a file somewhere, or lost, and a second copy is wanted for a wall. Current pricing and paper options are on the product pages.
These are novelty and display items. A replica must never be used to claim a credential you did not earn, submitted to an employer or a school, or offered in answer to a verification request. That is set out in our terms and conditions. If you need a document that will pass a check, order it from the state that issued yours, using the routes above.
Frequently asked questions
What does proof of a GED look like?
Usually a PDF. Most states now issue an electronic credential and an electronic score transcript, and either can be printed. For anything official, such as a job offer conditional on the credential, a college application or a military enlistment, the proof that counts is a transcript sent directly from the state’s system or its vendor. A copy you hand over yourself will not do.
How can you tell if a GED certificate is real?
Not by looking at it. Check it against the issuing state’s record. Texas returns a free verification letter through its own search system, and other states answer through DiplomaSender, Parchment or the state agency. GED Testing Service’s own guidance is blunter about the supply side. You should never be able to buy a GED credential without taking the test, and a test that is only “based on” the GED test is not the GED test.
Is a GED the same as a high school diploma?
It is not the same document, but it is a recognized equivalent. States award it as a high school equivalency credential, and several call it a high school diploma outright, as Florida and Illinois do. Some employers, colleges and scholarship programs still treat the two differently in their own criteria, which is a policy difference rather than a legal one. The equivalency diploma comparison goes through where the difference actually bites.
Does the GED diploma show your scores?
No. Scores live on the transcript only. The credential shows your name, the state, the award name, the date and the signatures. If a college asks for “your GED”, it almost always means the transcript.
Do you get a physical GED diploma in the mail?
Only if you order one, in most states. Texas stopped mailing certificates entirely and emails a PDF about three business days after the final test. Florida sends free electronic copies and charges for duplicates. A printed diploma is generally an optional purchase in your GED.com account, at a fee plus shipping.
Sources
- GED Testing Service, GED Test Scores. Source for the 145 passing score, the 165–174 College Ready band and the 175–200 College Ready + Credit band worth up to 10 college credit hours.
- GED Testing Service, About the GED Test. Source for the four subject tests and their testing times.
- GED Testing Service, How to Know if You Have a Valid GED. Guidance on credentials sold without testing.
- Texas Education Agency, Certificate and Transcript Search Information. Source for the TxCHSE name, the free verification letter, the $5.00 PDF, and the end of mailed certificates.
- California Department of Education, High School Equivalency Tests, and GED Testing Service, California GED policy. Source for the California High School Equivalency Certificate and who is authorized to issue it.
- New York State Education Department, HSE Duplicate Diploma and/or Transcript Requests and High School Equivalency (HSE). Source for the $5.00 and $10.00 fees, Application H, and the four HSE pathways.
- Florida Department of Education, Diplomas, Transcripts and Verifications. Source for the State of Florida High School Diploma, the free electronic set and the $20.00 duplicate fee.
- Illinois Community College Board, State of Illinois High School Diploma. Source for the credential name, the Regional Offices of Education as issuers, and the $10.00 document fees.
- Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Order Official HSE Transcripts and Duplicate Diplomas. Source for DiplomaSender and the $30.00 third-party verification fee.
- Pennsylvania Department of Education, High School Equivalency and Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma (CSSD). Source for the CSSD name, the GED/HiSET subtest combination, and DiplomaSender.
All state names, fees and procedures were read on September 13, 2026. State agencies change vendors and fees regularly. Confirm with the agency for the state you tested in before sending payment.