How to Get Your GED in Michigan: Cost, Free Test Vouchers and 6 Steps

Getting your GED in Michigan comes down to four tests. You can take them one at a time, at a test center or online from home.

The catch? The free vouchers have conditions, including a GED Ready score a little above the usual green line. And if you’re 16 or 17, you need a state age waiver first.

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

Michigan GED at a glance

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

Who can take the GED in Michigan

At 18 or older, you can take the GED in Michigan if you don’t have a high school diploma. You also don’t have to live here: GED.com’s Michigan page says “There is not a residency requirement for individuals 18 years of age or older.”

Bring one valid ID. Michigan’s testing policy asks for one valid, unexpired, government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, a passport, a state ID card or a military ID.

Under 18? At 16 or 17, you need an age waiver from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). You must live in Michigan and have withdrawn from high school or an alternative high school.

The waiver request form needs:

• Your own signed statement
• A parent’s or guardian’s signature
• Your school administrator’s signature, if it applies (home-schooled students include a home-school statement instead)
• A government ID and proof that you live in Michigan

You email the form and your documents to LEO-HSEProgram@michigan.gov. If you’re 17 and enlisting in the military, add a written request from your recruiting office confirming you’ve met every other enlistment requirement.

Heads-up: GED.com’s Michigan page, and an older version of it, also mention other under-18 rules, such as school board permission. LEO’s current policy, updated in December 2025, uses the age waiver.

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

How much the GED costs in Michigan

Michigan charges $43.50 a subject, at a test center or online. That’s $174 for all four (checked October 2026).

You pay for each subject when you book it, so you can spread the cost out and pay only for the test you’re ready for.

Retakes cost less at a test center. If you don’t pass a subject there, your retake costs $10. GED Testing Service waives its $26 fee, so you pay only the test center’s $10. LEO’s policy says the discounted retake is good for 12 months, and a third attempt costs the full $43.50.

You get your first try plus two retakes with no wait. After a third attempt, you wait 60 days.

Online retakes cost the full $43.50. You get one with no wait, then 60 days between online tries.

Michigan may pay for one try at each subject. The state’s HSE-to-School Program covers the cost of one attempt per subject for Michigan residents who qualify, based on available funding.

For a GED voucher, you need all of these:

• You live in Michigan and you’re 16 or older (16- and 17-year-olds also need the age waiver)
• A score of 150 or higher on GED Ready from the last 90 days
• An active GED.com account
• The HSE-to-School GED Voucher Request Form
• No earlier free test in that subject through the program

That 150 is a little higher than the 145 that counts as green on GED Ready, so aim above the line. Voucher codes take 7 to 10 business days, and questions go to LEO-HSEtoSchool@michigan.gov or 517-335-5858.

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

Can you take the GED online in Michigan?

Yes. Michigan offers the GED online from age 16, at the same $43.50 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 there for your online check-in.

Which should you pick? The price is the same. A test center gives you $10 retakes and doesn’t require GED Ready first.

How to get your GED in Michigan, step by step

Free and low-cost GED classes in Michigan

Michigan’s adult education programs offer free or low-cost services. LEO’s Adult Education Service Locator finds them by city or ZIP code.

You can filter by the kind of help you want. For questions, LEO’s Adult Education team is at 517-335-5858.

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

Your Michigan certificate and transcript

Pass all four subjects and you earn the State of Michigan High School Equivalency Certificate.

Your records come from DiplomaSender, not from LEO, and LEO asks you not to send it requests.

Your first certificate and transcript are free if you order them within 12 months of finishing. After that, each copy costs $22.

Michigan treats transcripts and certificates as official only when DiplomaSender reports them directly, so send copies to schools and employers through DiplomaSender.

One more thing: Michigan accepts both the GED and HiSET. Its TotalTranscript lets you combine passing subject scores from both tests, and DiplomaSender reports your best score in each subject.