Proof of High School Completion Requirements for Admissions

Proof of high school completion is required for your application to be processed.

For admission, proof can be in the form of one of the following:

  • official high school transcript from a state approved high school
  • copy of a United States High School Diploma from a state approved high school
  • High School Equivalency Transcript (GED/TASC Test Scores)
  • official transcript from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university showing conferral of an associate degree

Official high school transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution by:

  • Mail: Admissions, Empire State College, 111 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
  • Fax: 518-587-9759
  • Email: admissions@esc.edu
  • A copy of a high school diploma may be submitted by the student; however, not all submissions will meet the requirement and additional proof may be requested.

Visit Official Transcripts for information on how to send official college/university transcripts with your application.

High School from Non-U.S. Institutions

If your high school education is from a country other than the United States, that credential must be evaluated by one of the following approved evaluation services:

We recommend either the general evaluation or grade evaluation for high school equivalency. 

Please make sure to plan accordingly and review pricing, services, documentation requirements and the time it takes to prepare the evaluation report as each service differs.

Evaluation reports must be submitted directly from an approved evaluation service to the college. Copies of evaluations sent by the student will not be accepted.

Canadian Students

  • Canadian high school documents must show the approval of the ministry of education.
  • Canadian transcripts must be in English.

High School Credentials from Home-schools or Other Private Schools

Students who have completed their secondary education at a non-public school or home-school that:

  • is not registered with the State Education Department;
  • is not recognized, authorized or approved by the state educational entity in which the school is located to issue high school degrees;
  • is not located in the state which the student resides,

MUST SUBMIT:

  • A High School Equivalency Transcript (GED/TASC Test Scores),or
  • a letter from the superintendent of the school district in which they studied attesting that such a program is substantially equivalent to a four-year high school program pursuant to the requirements of section 100.10 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

PLEASE NOTE:

The Board of Regents does not approve correspondence study, including on-line, as equivalent to a high school diploma for New York State residents. Therefore, correspondence study and on-line diplomas are not valid for individuals who were New York State residents at the time they received the on-line diploma. The individual would have to have been a resident of the state issuing the on-line diploma at the time they earned the diploma, where such on-line high school is recognized by that state.