How to Get Your GED in Illinois: Cost, the $26 Discount and 6 Steps

Getting your GED in Illinois comes down to four tests, plus one short extra: a free online module on the Illinois Constitution.

The catch? The state discount has conditions, and the two official pages that describe it list different codes. This guide shows you both.

If it’s been years since school, that’s normal. You don’t need the whole plan today, only the next step.

Illinois GED at a glance

Want to compare? See GED cost by state and GED requirements by state.

Who can take the GED in Illinois

To take the GED in Illinois, you need to be 18, have lived in Illinois for at least 30 days, and have no high school diploma. GED.com’s Illinois page puts the residency rule plainly: “Yes, in Illinois you’re required to be a resident for 30 days or more.”

Bring a government photo ID. If it doesn’t show a current Illinois address, bring proof of residency too.

Under 18? At 17, you can test with a withdrawal letter from the last school you attended. At 16, you can test only if you’re enrolled in a Regional Safe Schools Program, and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) says other 16-year-olds must wait until they turn 17.

GED.com’s Illinois page also mentions 16-year-olds testing with parent and school board permission. ICCB, which runs the state’s program, gives the rule above, so ask ICCB if you’re 16.

One extra step: the Illinois Constitution module. Every GED test taker in Illinois has to complete it as well as the four tests. It’s free and online at ilconstitution.org, takes about two hours, and you don’t do it at a test center. If you passed all four GED subjects before June 30, 2022, you’re exempt.

No class or practice test is required before you test in person.

How much the GED costs in Illinois

Illinois charges $36 a subject, at a test center or online. That’s $144 for all four (checked October 2026).

The state discount: $26 off each subject. ICCB takes $26 off each subject for Illinois residents testing at Illinois test centers, while funding lasts. That brings a subject to $10, or $40 for all four.

The two official pages name different codes. GED.com’s Illinois page says to use ILSAVE2026 at checkout, while ICCB’s testing page names ILSAVE27. If a code doesn’t work at checkout, contact ICCB before you pay full price.

The discount terms cover computer-based tests at Illinois test centers and don’t mention online testing, so don’t count on it online. It also doesn’t apply to testing through the Department of Corrections.

Retakes can be free. At a test center, GED Testing Service waives its $26 fee when you retake a subject you failed, and the test center charges $10. ICCB’s program covers that $10 too: ICCB says “Test-takers who do not pass any of the modules are eligible for one retake at no cost.”

Online retakes cost the full $36. You get one, then a 60-day wait.

To add up your own total, with or without GED Ready, use our GED cost calculator.

Can you take the GED online in Illinois?

Yes. Illinois offers the GED online from age 16, at $36 a subject (GED.com’s online testing table, checked October 2026).

You need a green GED Ready score from the last 60 days in each subject you book, a private room with a door you can close, and a computer with a webcam and reliable internet.

Under 18? A parent or guardian must be at your online check-in.

Which should you pick? While the discount lasts, a test center costs much less: $10 a subject instead of $36, with a free retake. Testing online saves you the trip.

How to get your GED in Illinois, step by step

Free GED classes in Illinois

ICCB says “HSE test preparation classes are offered free of charge at local adult education programs.”

Find one with the Illinois adult education Program Locator, or call or text 1-800-321-9511.

A class isn’t required. You can study on your own and book each test when you’re ready.

Your Illinois diploma and transcript

Pass all four subjects, finish the constitution module, and you earn the State of Illinois High School Diploma.

Illinois keeps GED records by county. In ICCB’s words, “High school equivalency records are held at the county level in Illinois, by Regional Offices of Education.”

So for a copy, contact your Regional Office of Education. Which one depends on when you tested. ICCB says paper tests finished before January 1, 2014 go to the office for the county where you tested. Later tests, and computer tests from 2012 or 2013, go to the office for the county you lived in when you finished testing (GED.com’s page just says the county where you tested). In Cook County, that’s the Cook County High School Equivalency Records Office, at iccb.CookHSE@illinois.gov or 1-312-814-4488.

Each copy of the diploma or the official transcript costs $10, collected by the Regional Office of Education.