If your student is in grades 9–12 and enrolled in OpenEd, they have the option to pursue a state-certified diploma through their school of enrollment.
You can request a consultation with the OpenEd Diploma-seeking Specialist here.
Is your student not in 9th grade yet, but they're ready to get started on high school courses for credit? They can!
Students in 8th grade or earlier can coordinate with our Diploma-seeking Specialist for credit to count toward an accredited diploma.
What The Diploma-Seeking Path Means For Your Student
Required Number of Credits
To fulfill the diploma-seeking path, your student will need to earn 24 credits over their four years of high school enrollment.
That means that your student will need to take a total of 6 credits each year for all four years of high school.
These 6.0 credit hours are represented on your student's education plan, though diploma-seeking students are welcome to add extra independent study courses as well for not-for-credit expenses and experiences.
Your student's wallet funds should be spent in the OpenEd marketplace on for-credit courses first to ensure that they have enough funds to cover the required 6.0 credits each year. That'll also make sure that they stay on track for graduation.
Class Selection
Choosing the diploma-seeking path will impact your student's course selection, since diploma-seeking students need to choose classes from a specific list of providers approved by their school of enrollment.
Certain courses from the following providers in our marketplace are eligible for credit:
OnFire Learning through OpenEd
BYU through OpenEd
BYU Independent Study
Imagine Edgenuity
Edmentum Courseware
On-site split enrollment courses at your local district high school for up to two credits per school year
Please note: Split enrollment with a charter school is not an option.
Diploma-seeking students may also receive credit for on-site split enrollment subjects at their local district high school for up to two credits per school year.
Additional Graduation Requirements
Diploma-seeking students must also score a 70% or better on a Civics Test administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Division.
Your student can take this test as many times as necessary for passage.
You can find more information on the Civics Test here. There are practice tests available here on the USCIS website.
How To Choose The Diploma-Seeking Path
While enrolling with OpenEd, you'll be asked to confirm your student's grade level.
On that grade confirmation screen, you'll be asked what track your student is interested in. From the dropdown menu, you can select either diploma-seeking or non-diploma-seeking.
If your student wants to pursue a diploma-seeking path, then you'd want to select the Utah 25-26 (Diploma-seeking) option.
Change your mind? Don't worry: a diploma-seeking student can request a change to the non-diploma-seeking path at any time.
If your student wants to change to non-diploma-seeking, please contact our Diploma-seeking Specialist here.
Incoming 9th Graders and Current Diploma-Seeking Students
All students looking to earn a state-certified high school diploma through their school of enrollment must declare diploma-seeking status upon entering 9th grade to be able to earn the 24 credits required to graduate.
Creating your education plan:
The state of Utah requires 24 credits during four years of high school enrollment to earn a high school diploma. To meet this requirement, your student will need to earn a total of six credits each school year for all four years of high school.
See details here:
Your Student's High School Counselor
Every diploma-seeking student is assigned a high school counselor through their school of enrollment.
This counselor makes decisions regarding official credit records, holds all official transcripts, and is in charge of issuing the diploma.
Diploma-seeking students in grades 11 and 12 are encouraged to meet with a high school counselor every semester to ensure their credits are properly documented on their transcripts.
Keep in mind: Most counselors are unavailable to meet during the summer, but OpenEd students can request a consultation with the OpenEd Diploma-seeking Specialist here.
Info For 10-12th Grade Students
A student entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who wishes to transition from non-diploma-seeking to diploma-seeking must receive approval from both the OpenEd Diploma-seeking Specialist and the counselor at their school of enrollment. The student must demonstrate that they are on track to graduate or receive credit recovery approval from their school of enrollment counselor.
The transition from non-diploma-seeking to diploma-seeking can't occur mid-school-year, only between school years.
OpenEd is not a credit recovery program. OpenEd only issues new credit, which will not automatically replace a failed or incomplete grade. Credit recovery plans must be approved by the school of enrollment's counselor before a student can transition to Diploma-seeking status.
To be on track for graduation, students need to have completed 6 credits per year of high school:
A student entering 10th grade will need to provide evidence of 6 completed credits.
A student entering 11th grade will need to provide evidence of 12 completed credits.
A student entering 12th grade will need to provide evidence of 18 completed credits.
If interested in pursuing this transition, students should follow these steps:
Step 1: Gather transcripts of completed accredited high school courses that indicate they are on track to graduate
Step 2: Complete the form to request a consultation with a diploma-seeking Specialist
Still have some questions? Please see Article 4.6 Grades 6-12 FAQs or request a consultation with the OpenEd Diploma-seeking Specialist here.