A New Era for Students in the U.S.: The Exam Requirement is Vanishing!

In New York, a significant change is being prepared for the Regents exams that have long been part of the high‑school graduation system. Under the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) education transformation called “NY Inspires,” it is planned to eliminate the requirement that students graduating from January 2028 onward must pass the Regents exams to receive a high‑school diploma.

However, the Regents exams will not disappear entirely. They will continue to be administered and used to assess how far students have met statewide academic standards. With the change, the role of exam results in directly determining whether a student can receive a diploma will end.

New Era From January 2028

Under the current system, high‑school students in New York must meet the required passing conditions in specific Regents exams to earn a diploma.

If the planned change is implemented, the requirement will disappear for students graduating in January 2028 and thereafter. Students who complete the other graduation requirements will be able to receive a high‑school diploma even without meeting the passing threshold in the Regents exams.

Thus, the change particularly concerns students and families who will graduate in 2028 and beyond.

Regents Exams Not Being Abolished

One of the most important details of the new system is that the Regents exams will not be entirely abolished.

The New York state exams will continue to be administered to assess students' academic performance and their success in state learning standards. However, exam results will no longer be a mandatory barrier before the high school diploma.

Thus, New York will have moved away from a system that links a student's graduation solely to standard exam performance.

One Diploma Instead of Multiple Diplomas

Another key pillar of the 'NY Inspires' transformation is the simplification of the diploma system.

In New York, various diploma options such as Local Diploma, Regents Diploma, and Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation still exist. Under the new system, they plan to replace them with a single 'New York State High School Diploma'.

The complete elimination of students' advanced academic achievements is not being considered. Instead, the focus is on documenting these achievements with special seals or academic achievement indicators rather than diploma types.

A System Focused on Multiple Skills Rather Than Exams

The transformation New York has launched in education is not limited to Regents exams.

In the long term, the state aims to create a graduation system that places greater emphasis not only on students' results in standard exams but also on their knowledge and skills in areas such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, academic preparation, and future planning.

The fully comprehensive competency-based system is planned to be rolled out in the 2029-30 academic year for students entering ninth grade. According to the four‑year standard high‑school calendar, this change will directly affect the 2033 graduates.

Final rules have not yet been finalized.

On the other hand, the regulations concerning the new graduation system have not yet been fully finalized.

The New York State Department of Education is expected to submit the necessary regulatory changes to the Board of Regents by February 2027. After the proposals undergo the required approval processes, the details of the new system will be finalized.

Until that process is completed, the existing Regents exams and high‑school graduation requirements in New York will remain in effect.

The end of the Regents exams' decisive role on diplomas—a hallmark of the New York education system for nearly a century—has been viewed as one of the most comprehensive transformations in the state's high‑school education in recent years.