Your GED and College Progress

Beginning the journey to higher education can be daunting and is, perhaps, even more so for individuals who took an alternative path to get to this point. For individuals who received a GED, rather than a high school diploma, the placement exams and remedial testing necessary to begin higher education represent another hurdle to cross.

However, in 2016, the GED College Ready (CR) and GED College Ready + Credit (CR+) scoring levels were created to help the entrance process go more smoothly and ensure that students are placed at the appropriate level in college, rather than spending time learning redundant information and money on unnecessary remedial classes. These two levels signify college readiness (CR) and academic equivalencies (CR+).

The scoring is broken into four levels, as follows:

• Level 1: 100–144 Below Passing
• Level 2: 145–164 Pass High School Equivalency
• Level 3: 165–174 GED CR College Ready
• Level 4: 175–200 GED CR+ College Ready + Credit

Acceptance of these scores is growing quickly in popularity, with over 200 colleges in 15 states having implemented policies that allow students with CR to bypass placement exams. Some of these colleges have also begun awarding credits for scores in the CR+ range. States in which some colleges have begun to recognize these new GED scores include: Colorado, Rhode Island, Ohio, Arizona, New Hampshire, Kansas, Illinois, New Jersey, and Oregon.

The move toward this scoring rubric is part of an overall revamping of the GED program that began in 2014. Since changes have been made, over 41% of GED grads have enrolled in a local college, and 90% remain enrolled semester to semester. This figure is up from 29%, which was the rate prior to 2014. These changes appear to be easing the transition from a GED program to a higher education setting as well as helping students fulfill their potential in a learning environment.