GED vs High School Diploma for College: What I Learned From A California Education Counselor
The scuffed linoleum stuck a little to the bottom of my sneakers when I sat down across from my daughter’s high school counselor in Modesto back in March. I’d made the appointment to ask about my own plans, not hers: after 18 years working in child care, I wanted to get my degree and move into pediatric nursing, and I’d dropped out of high school halfway through 11th grade when I got pregnant with my oldest. I was there to ask if I should sign up for GED prep classes through the local rec center, something I’d seen advertised on Facebook.
Ms. Lopez, who’d worked as a counselor here for 22 years and had a golden retriever sticker on her laptop, nodded when I told her my plan. Then she tapped her keyboard and said, “I don’t scare people off right off the bat, but you should know this upfront: here in California, a lot of higher ed institutions still prefer a traditional high school diploma over a GED, even when they say they accept both.” I just blinked. I’d always heard GED was the legal equivalent, that no college cares which one you have. That’s what every generic blog post I’d read said, anyway.
I dropped out in 2006, back when my mom was working two jobs to support my two younger brothers and I didn’t have anyone to push me to stay in school. I got a full-time job at a day care right after I left, and I’ve worked there ever since, working my way up to lead teacher. When the state changed the rules a couple years ago that lead child care teachers need an associate’s degree by 2027, I started looking into my options. GED felt like the obvious fast track. I could cram for the test over the summer, be in college by fall. That plan made perfect sense, until Ms. Lopez broke it down for me.
She pulled up the UC admissions guide on her screen first, pointing to the fine print most people skip. UCs do accept GEDs, but when application numbers are higher than the number of spots they have, they prioritize applicants with traditional diplomas, because a diploma gives them a full record of four years of consistent work, not just a single test score. Next she pulled up CSU’s policy: most CSUs require a 2.0 GPA for in-state applicants with a diploma, but GED applicants need a minimum 145 on each GED section. That sounds low on paper, but if you score any lower on even one section, you’re automatically disqualified, no exceptions. Even many local community college selective programs, like the nursing and dental hygiene programs at Modesto Junior College, weight diploma applicants higher when they’re sorting through hundreds of applications for a couple dozen spots. She said she sees at least five adults a year who come to her after getting their GED, only to find out they’re at a disadvantage for the program they want.
I asked her what I was supposed to do, then. I was 36, I couldn’t go back to my old high school, could I? That’s when she told me something I’d never heard of before: free adult high school diplomas for California residents through local adult education programs. I thought once you left high school, you couldn’t go back and get a real diploma—only a GED. She told me all I needed to do was request my old high school transcript, see how many credits I already had, and finish the ones I was missing. I left her office that day with the number for the Stanislaus County adult education office, and a lot more questions than I came with.
I called the next week, they pulled my transcript for free, and it turned out I already had 18 of the 22 credits I need to graduate. I just need one semester of English, one semester of government, and half a credit of PE. All the classes are offered in the evening, after my shift at the day care, and they’re completely free—no tuition, no textbook fees for in-person classes. Orientation was two weeks after my appointment with Ms. Lopez, and out of the 17 people there, only two of us knew you could get a free adult diploma in California. The other 15 all came in ready to sign up for GED prep.
This is the practical part I wish someone had told me 10 years ago, when I first thought about going back to school. First, before you sign up for anything, call your local adult education office first. Ask them to pull your old transcript and tell you how many credits you need. It takes one 10-minute phone call, it doesn’t cost anything, and it only takes a couple days to get old records pulled. Most people who dropped out after sophomore year already have most of the credits they need, so you don’t have to start over from scratch. Second, check the specific admissions requirements for the program you actually want, don’t just rely on the general “GED is equivalent” line you see online. I called the admissions office at the nursing program I want to get into, and they confirmed what Ms. Lopez said: they get so many applications that any little thing that puts you ahead is helpful, and a diploma counts for more than a GED when they’re ranking applicants. Third, if you only need a few credits, it won’t take that much longer than a GED. I could have crammed for the GED test in three months, but I can finish my three missing credits in eight months, going two nights a week. It’s a little extra time, but the better shot at getting into my program makes it worth it.
It’s weird going to high school at 36. I’m older than my teacher. I’m the only one in class who has to leave early to pick up my kid from soccer practice sometimes. Last week I forgot my graphing calculator for algebra, and a 19 year old kid next to me lent me his extra. No one cares why you’re there, everyone’s just trying to finish.
I still have bad days after an 8-hour shift when I don’t want to go to class, when I think about how much easier the GED would have been. I still don’t know for sure if I’ll get into the nursing program, even with the diploma. But this is one of those quiet, unspoken things that no one talks about: all the generic advice online says GED and high school diploma are the same, but that’s not the reality for a lot of people applying to college here in California. I’ve told three other people at work about this already, and all three had no idea. They were already signed up for GED classes, and they called their local adult ed office to check their credits after we talked. Right now, I’m just taking it one homework assignment at a time. I don’t have a neat, inspiring ending to this story yet. I just know that if you’re in my shoes, it’s worth asking the question before you make a choice you can’t undo.
Please indicate: Thinking In Educating » GED vs High School Diploma for College: What I Learned From A California Education Counselor