High School Completion Program

The High School Equivalency Diploma by HiSET Pathway (formerly the GED program) offers free courses designed to help you to earn a high school equivalency diploma and become prepared for college and the workplace. Whether you’ve recently left school or have been out of class for years, our program works with students of all levels and ages to advance their education and accomplish their academic and professional goals.

Steps to Enroll

To get started on the HiSET Pathway to complete the high school equivalency diploma:

1. Register

   • Quarter 3 classes start: January 21, 2025
     • Registration deadline: December 18, 2024
   • Quarter 4 classes start: March 24, 2025
     • Registration deadline: March 6, 2025

2. Attend a two-hour orientation session

3. Schedule an assessment

4. Attend class during the first week

Classes

Before taking the HiSET exam, you must enroll in classes to improve reading, writing, math, science, and social studies skills. You will also learn basic computer skills while you study in the High School Completion program to prepare you for the computer-based HiSET exam.

Classes are available in the morning and evening. Punctual and regular attendance is absolutely necessary for success. Students must be on time and attend classes every day.

Your length of study depends on your academic level when you start the program and how much time and effort you put into studying, class time, and homework. Each student is different. Some students earn their high school equivalency in a few months while other students take a few years to complete the program.

Cost

High School Completion classes are FREE.

Each of the five HiSET subtests is $15.

The High School Equivalency Diploma by Credit Pathway is designed to award a High School Equivalency Diploma to a student who demonstrates completion of at least 36 high school credits.

These high school credits can include:

• post-secondary credits
• prior high school credits
• credits earned while in the High School Equivalency Diploma by Credit Pathway
• prior and current work-site learning credits that can count towards an elective

High School Equivalency Diploma by Credit is for students who do not need many credits to graduate. Students needing multiple credits to graduate may be best served by the High School Equivalency Diploma by HiSET Pathway.

Steps to Enroll

To get started on the Credit Pathway to complete the High School Equivalency Diploma:

1. Register

2. Attend a three-hour orientation

3. Schedule an assessment

4. Provide an official high school transcript* sent directly from the home high school or an approved secure third-party agency to Hawkeye's Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center:

   Hawkeye Community College
   Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center
   Attn: Manager of AEL Enrollment and Assessment Services
   120 Jefferson Street
   Waterloo, IA, 50701

5. Pay the annual fee of $75

6. Transcripts will be evaluated by a Hawkeye Community College staff member to determine which courses and how many credits remain for the student’s successful completion of their High School Equivalency diploma.

* Official Transcripts

Official high school transcript must include the following:

• Institutional validation (Registrar's signature, the institution's seal or watermark)

• Date the transcript was issued.

Transcripts hand delivered, even in a sealed envelope, will be considered unofficial.

Classes

Students who wish to pursue the High School Equivalency Diploma by Credit Pathway can begin their individual coursework after all enrollment requirements are complete.

Students are required to take a minimum of two high school level courses. The transcript audit may find more than two high school level courses are required to meet all requirements set by the Iowa Department of Education.

Each independent study course is offered through an online platform. An instructor will be available for tutoring and advising services. All unit and chapter tests will be proctored at Hawkeye’s Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center or through remote proctoring services. In addition, students will be required to meet with the Career Pathway Specialist and the Transition Specialist throughout the course of the program.

Each course must be completed within 16 weeks and will take approximately 40 to 60 hours to finish.

The High School Equivalency Diploma based on Foreign Postsecondary Degree Pathway is designed to award an Iowa High School Equivalency Diploma to a resident participant who presents a postsecondary degree equivalent to an associate degree or higher from outside the United States.

Steps to Enroll

1. Register

2. Provide Proof of Residency in the State of Iowa

   • Participants must be residents of the state of Iowa for a minimum of 90 days. Students are required to provide two forms of documentation from different sources. Proof of residency in Iowa include:
     • Iowa income tax return
     • Utility bill
     • Iowa driver’s license
     • Iowa vehicle registration card
     • Iowa voter registration card
     • Proof of Iowa Homestead credit on property taxes
     • Written and notarized documentation from an employer that the student is employed in Iowa or a signed and notarized statement from the student describing employment and sources of support.

3. Complete CASAS reading and listening tests.

   • Participants are required to have a minimum passing score of 211 in reading and 210 in listening.

   • Participants that do not meet the minimum passing scores will work with the Manager of English Language Learning and Family Literacy to enroll in the English Language Learning program and to determine when to retake the CASAS reading and listening tests.

4. Provide proof of United States citizenship

   • Documentation of citizenship includes a Naturalization certificate, Certificate of Citizenship, or United States birth certificate.

   • Participants who are not United States citizens are eligible to apply. Students will work with the Manager of English Language Learning and Family Literacy to:

     1. Enroll in the appropriate citizenship course and
     2. Enroll in the English Language Learning program, where the student will be expected to complete a full semester of classes.

5. Participate in Orientation and meet with the Career Pathway Specialist to assess your career interests and develop an action plan for your future goals.

6. Transcript translation and evaluation

   • Participants will meet with the Transition Specialist to work with a third-party foreign credential service. Hawkeye Community College will not be evaluating foreign transcripts.

   • Participants are responsible for all fees charged by the third-party foreign credentials services that will be evaluating and translating transcripts. No fees will be collected by Hawkeye Community College.