DES MOINES, Iowa– Des Moines Area Community College has been providing a high school equivalency diploma free of charge to students since the 1970s, but federal funding for the program is in jeopardy.
The HiSET, formerly known as the GED, offers adults who did not obtain a high school diploma the chance to earn an equivalency diploma. The program is structured in a way that students can start at any time and go at their own pace until the diploma is earned.
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It’s taught by DMACC full-time staff and adjunct instructors. After the teaching portion is complete, students must take and pass five tests, one in mathematics, science, social studies, reading, and writing. After passing, they receive their diploma. In 2024, 550 people completed the HiSET at DMACC.
Jessica Frederickson, Executive Director of Higher Education in Prison and Adult Education and Literacy at DMACC, said the program is completely free and has been, according to college records, since the 1970s. However, the current proposed legislation at the federal level could take away that funding…