Equivalency diploma options

Overview

There are 2 ways to achieve a High School Equivalency Diploma in Alberta:

• apply to the principal of a high school
• get your Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC)

Apply to the principal 

To apply to the principal of a high school, you must:

• be 18 years or older as of September 1 of the current school year
• have been out of school for at least 10 consecutive months
• be deficit in the credits needed for an Alberta High School Diploma

To learn more about this option, see the Guide to Education.

Canadian Adult Education Credential

The CAEC is the new adult education credential that replaced the GED®, which is no longer available in Canada. In Alberta, the CAEC replaced the GED® since May 2024.

Alberta is a trusted leader in education excellence, with expertise in developing and administering provincial assessments. Together with national partners, Alberta Education developed and will lead the administration of the CAEC.

• Visit the CAEC page for more information about the CAEC, including test structure and material, study resources and how to register.

Eligibility

To obtain your High School Equivalency Diploma through the CAEC, you must:

• be 18 years of age or older
• have been out of school for at least 10 consecutive months
• pass all 5 CAEC tests (available in English or French):
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Mathematics (Part I and Part II)
• have an Alberta Student Number
  • call 780-422-9337 for your Alberta Student Number

Write the CAEC tests

To write a CAEC test, you will need to create a profile within the new CAEC digital platform. On this platform, you can schedule a test at a testing centre of your choice and pay fees.

Testing centres can provide more information about registration deadlines, fees and test dates. Some testing centres also offer CAEC preparation classes.

CAEC testing centres

For more information, contact the testing centre of your choice.

Table 1. Community and testing centres

Testing accommodations

The CAEC is designed to be supportive of candidates who benefit from accommodations and supports.

Special arrangements are environmental conditions that make a candidate feel more comfortable when writing a test without compromising the legitimacy of the administration. Accommodations are targeted supports for candidates that are related to a medically-diagnosed condition or extenuating circumstances. When booking an exam through the CAEC portal, select the option to request a special arrangement or accommodation.

Recognizing previous GED tests

If you passed any GED® tests from the 2002 Canadian Test Series before the GED® switched to the CAEC, your results will still count for the same subjects in the CAEC system for up to three years, until May 2027.

You only need to take the CAEC tests for subjects you didn’t pass in the 2002 GED® series. If you took your GED® tests in Alberta, your results will automatically be combined with your CAEC exams to count toward your high school equivalency diploma.

To check your GED® scores, log into the Alberta MyPass website. If you completed your GED® outside of Alberta, email your official transcript to edc.caec@gov.ab.ca.

Note: There is no effect on the validity of GED® credentials that have been completed. The value of your completed GED® will not change.

View or request your CAEC marks

You can view your CAEC marks through your profile on the CAEC digital platform.

You can also view and request your marks through Alberta’s myPass, a secure self-service website for students to access their education information.

After passing the CAEC tests

If you pass all 5 CAEC tests, Alberta Education will mail you a High School Equivalency Diploma using the mailing address that is in myPass. 

You will receive your High School Equivalency Diploma within about 4 to 6 weeks of writing your final passing test.

Related

• General Educational Development
• Canadian Adult Education Credential