Starting with the class of 2029, Indiana will implement new graduation requirements for high school students. In Dec. 2024, Indiana legislators began the switch from the Indiana Core 40 diploma track to the new Indiana Diploma.
“Schools may opt-in beginning with the 2025-2026 school year,” The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) said in a statement on Dec. 11, 2024. “Indiana will also continue to offer the federally-required alternate diploma, which is designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.”
The Indiana Diploma’s roadmap changes are intended to increase exposure to college and job experience to high school students utilizing new partnerships with local entities and businesses.
Using this system, Hoosier high school students will have the opportunity for more in-depth experience in the workforce to help with the transition into a career path of their choosing.
“Quality education is key to a prosperous economic future for Indiana.” Gov. Mike Braun said in an April 2, 2025 press release. “Today, by working with our partners, including many in the private sector, we have an opportunity to not only improve outcomes for students statewide, but also strengthen our state economy for years to come.”
This partnership between Indiana schools across the state and their new partners will allow students to take the next step in obtaining hands-on experience in various fields of interest.
Indiana high school students will all be required to collect 42 credits to graduate, but this diploma track will give each student an opportunity to earn up to 60 credits and earn seals after completing a base diploma. The seals will focus on college preparation, joining the workforce, or enlisting in the military.
Going forward, high school students starting with the class 2029 will have three potential paths: enrollment, employment, or enlistment and service. In each of these pathways, students can gain credentials and experience related to their desired career path. For each of these paths, there will also be an Honors and Honors Plus Seal.
Readiness seals will assist students in staying on track for graduation, even if their career plans change. While the seals are optional, students will be encouraged to explore the new blueprints provided to focus their flexible credits into a connected pathway between their primary education and beyond.
The enrollment path will focus on college preparation and attending the corresponding classes to improve their transition. In the employment path, Indiana students will participate in classes, programs and work-based learning that will prepare them for entering the workforce. The enlistment and service path will have students focus on excelling on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test and receiving external verification through a mentorship experience with past or current military personnel.
Indiana’s current graduation requirements will phase out on Oct. 1, 2028.
For more information visit https://myips.org/central-services/postsecondary-readiness/indiana-diploma-and-readiness-seal-requirements-for-the-class-of-2029-and-beyond/ .
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
