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

Getting your GED in Virginia 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 come through adult education programs, so you join a program first. And if you’re 16 or 17, Virginia allows testing only in certain situations.

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

Virginia GED at a glance

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

Who can take the GED in Virginia

To take the GED in Virginia, you need to be 18 and have no high school diploma. You don’t have to live in Virginia: GED.com’s Virginia page says “No, there is no residency requirement to take the test in Virginia.”

On test day, bring a non-expired, government-issued photo ID.

Under 18? Virginia lets you test at 16 or 17 only in certain situations, with documents sent to the state’s Specialist for High School Equivalency. They include:

• You’re homeschooled, or released from compulsory school attendance
• You’re in an alternative education program with an Individual Student Alternative Education Plan (ISAEP)
• You’re in a correctional facility, expelled, or under a court order
• You’re excused from school for religious reasons or a chronic health issue

At 16 or 17, you also need a parent’s consent and your local school board’s approval. ISAEP students also need a score of 145 or higher on every GED Ready subject before they test.

Adults don’t need a class or a practice test before testing in person.

How much the GED costs in Virginia

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

Free vouchers through adult education. Under the Virginia Promotion, local adult education programs give out vouchers, and each one covers one GED subject test at no cost, while funds last.

To get one, you must:

• Live in Virginia
• Be enrolled in an adult education program (there are distance options)
• Have completed at least 12 hours in the program
• Score green on GED Ready in that subject

Vouchers are for computer-based tests. If you don’t pass, your program can give you a new voucher for the retake, while funds last.

Retakes without a voucher. At a test center, GED Testing Service waives its $26 fee when you retake a subject you failed, and you pay the $10 test center fee. An online retake costs the full $36, and you get one before a 60-day wait.

Questions about the vouchers? The Virginia GED Helpline is 1-877-376-9433.

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

Can you take the GED online in Virginia?

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

First you need a passing score on GED Ready, the official practice test, in each subject you book. Online testing asks for a green score from the last 60 days, 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? 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 Virginia, step by step

GED classes in Virginia

Adult education in Virginia is run by the Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Adult Education, which keeps a regional map and directory of local programs.

Joining a program is also how you get a free test voucher, once you’ve done 12 hours and scored green on GED Ready.

For questions, the Office of Adult Education is at GEDinfo@doe.virginia.gov or 804-887-3306.

Your Virginia GED certificate and transcript

Pass all four subjects and you earn Virginia’s GED Certificate. The GED is the only high school equivalency test Virginia’s board approves.

If you passed in 2014 or later, your free electronic diploma and transcript were emailed to you after you passed. Save them.

Need more? Order a printed diploma or extra copies under My Scores in your GED.com account. Records from before 2014 come through the GED transcript site.

Questions about your records go to the Office of Adult Education at GEDinfo@doe.virginia.gov.