How Much Does the GED Cost? Every State's Price, and How to Pay Less

How much does the GED cost? It depends on where you live.

The catch? Each state sets its own price. A number you saw on another site, or for another state, may be wrong for you.

GED cost calculator

Choose your state, how many subjects you’re paying for, and where you’ll test. The total updates as you go.

GED Ready is the official practice test. It’s optional in most states, but you need a green score in a subject to take that test online.

GED cost by state

Here’s every state and territory that offers the GED, with the price per subject at a test center and online, and what a discounted retake at a test center costs.

Tap a state’s name to open its official page on GED.com, where every number below comes from.

“Limited” means only some people can test online in that state. “Not listed” means GED.com doesn’t give a price, so check when you book.

Prices can change at any time. Wisconsin’s current price, for example, started July 1, 2026. So confirm yours on GED.com before you pay.

States that help you pay (or let you test free)

Before you pay full price, check whether your state is on one of these lists.

Free to test

• New York: Testing is free for age-eligible residents. Details
• West Virginia: Testing and retakes are free. Details
• Connecticut: No test fee, only the $13 registration fee. Details
• Mississippi: The state pays for test-center tests and retakes (codes MSFREEGED, MSRETAKE); not online. Details

Lower prices and discounts

These states charge less, or give a discount code, for your first try in each subject.

• Arkansas: The state subsidizes test-center testing: $4 a subject. Details
• District of Columbia: DC pays $36 of each first test-center attempt (code DCSAVE36). Details
• Maryland: The state pays $21.75 of each first attempt (code MDGED2175). Details
• Illinois: $26 off each subject at Illinois test centers while funds last (ged.com code ILSAVE2026; the state lists ILSAVE27). Details
• Minnesota: $10 off the first test in each subject (code MNGED10), while funding lasts. Details

Programs with conditions

These states pay some or all of the fee for people who qualify. Many tie it to a local adult education program, and many last only while funding does.

• Alaska: The state pays for the first test in each subject for adult-ed students, while funding lasts. Details
• Georgia: HOPE HSE Grant pays up to $210 in test fees for eligible residents of 12+ months, until state funds run out. Details
• Indiana: Free test vouchers for Anthem HIP Plus members. Details
• Kentucky: Kentucky Adult Education says the state pays for first tests and some retakes while funding lasts (ged.com's terms list an earlier end date, so confirm first). Details
• Massachusetts: The state pays for the first test and two retakes per subject, while funding lasts. Details
• Michigan: HSE-to-School Program pays for one attempt per subject for residents (GED Ready 150+), while funding lasts. Details
• Nebraska: Free testing for residents: the state gives test vouchers to Nebraska Adult Education students. Details
• New Mexico: Free High School Equivalency program pays test fees for residents (GED Ready 145+). Details
• Ohio: First-time testers: a voucher worth up to $80 from a local CTPD office (state pages give different expiry dates, so ask first). Details
• Pennsylvania: PAFreeGED pays for first attempts in up to four subjects (residents 18+), first come, first served. Details
• Rhode Island: Fee waiver for limited income (needs a Likely to Pass GED Ready score). Details
• Tennessee: Vouchers may cover test fees for adult-ed students. Details
• Texas: The state pays test fees for residents 21+ through local adult ed, while funding lasts. Details
• Virginia: Free test vouchers for residents in adult ed (12+ hours and a green GED Ready score), while funds last. Details

In American Samoa, Montana and New Hampshire, ask your local adult education center about scholarships or financial aid for the test.

What a retake costs

Didn’t pass a subject? You only retake that one. The subjects you passed stay passed.

At a test center, GED Testing Service waives its own fee when you retake a subject you failed. You pay only the state or test center’s part, which is $10 in many states and nothing in some.

In most states, you get one discounted retake for each full-price test. Texas, Rhode Island and South Carolina give two. The table above shows your state’s retake price.

There are timing rules too:

• At a test center, you can retake a subject twice with no wait. If you don’t pass by the third try, you wait 60 days before each new attempt. Some states add their own waits.
• Online, you get one retake, then a 60-day wait. The retake discount is for test centers, so an online retake usually costs the full online price.

Bottom line: if a subject might take you more than one try, a test center usually costs less.

Other costs to plan for

The test fee is the big one. Here’s what else can come up.

Some states give GED Ready for free. In Kentucky and West Virginia, for example, you can take it at a local adult education center.

How to pay as little as possible

1. Check your state’s program first. If your state is on one of the lists above, you may pay little or nothing.
2. Book one subject at a time. You pay per subject, so pay only for the test you’re ready for.
3. Check you’re ready before you pay. A failed test costs you a retake and time. A practice test first is cheaper.
4. Retake at a test center if you can. That’s where the retake discount applies.
5. Ask a local adult education program. Many offer free classes, and in some states they’re how you get a free test voucher.