New York State Graduation Requirements
A Regents diploma will be awarded upon completion of 22 credits (see table) and passing of 5 required Regents exams with a score of 65 or better. A Regents diploma with Advanced Designation will be awarded upon completion of 22 credits (see table) and passing any one of the Regents Exam Combinations and/or Department approved alternatives (see Regents with Advanced Designation section).
Required Credits
| Content Area | Credits Required for Regents Diploma | Credits Required for Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation |
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Social Studies | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 3 |
| Science | 3 | 3 |
| Physical Education | 2 | 2 |
| Language Other Than English | 1 | 3 |
| Art/Music | 1 | 1 |
| Health | .5 | .5 |
| Electives | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| Total | 22 | 22 |
Regents Diploma
Complete all course requirements and score 65% or better on five Regents exams as follows: 1 Math, 1 Science, ELA, 1 Social Studies and 1 Pathway Assessment or 1 Math, 1 Science, ELA, 1 Social studies and meet all requirements of the CDOS Commencement Credential.
Regents with Honors
Complete all course requirements and have a computed average score of 90 or better on five Regents exams as follows: 1 Math, 1 Science, 1 ELA, 1 Social studies
and either 1 Pathway Assessment or meet all requirements of the CDOS Commencement Credential.
Regents with Advanced Designation
Complete all course requirements and pass any one of the following combinations of Regents exams and/or Department approved alternatives if applicable:
- Traditional Combination: ELA, Global History and Geography, US History and Government, 3 Math, 2 Science (1 must be life science and 1 must be Physical Science) = 8 Assessments
- Pathway Combination (other than STEM): ELA, 1 Social Studies, 3 Math, 2 Science (1 must be Life Science and 1 must be physical science), and either 1 Pathway (other than science or math) or meet the requirements for the CDOS Commencement Credential = 7 or 8 Assessments
- STEM (Math) Pathway Combination: ELA, 1 Social Studies, 4 Math, 2 Science (1 must be Life Science and 1 must be Physical Science) = 8 Assessments
- STEM (Science) Pathway Combination: ELA, 1 Social Studies, 3 Math, 3 Science (1 must be Life Science and 1 must be Physical Science) = 8 Assessments
Regents with Advanced Designation (Mastery in Math or Science)
Complete all course requirements and meet all assessment requirements for the Regents with Advanced Designation and, in addition, score 85 or better on each ofthree Regents Exams in Math or Science.
Regents with Advanced Designation with Honors
Meets all assessment requirements for the Regents diploma with advanced designation (see above) with a computed average score of 90 or better (no more than 2 Department approved alternatives may be substituted and will not count in the computed average).Local Diploma (Through Appeal)
Complete all course requirements, score 65 or better on at least three required Regents Exams and 60-64 on 2 Regents Exams for which an appeal is granted by the District per Commissioner’s Regulation 100.5(d)(7) as follows: 1 Math, 1 Science, ELA, 1 Social Studies and either 1 Pathway Assessment or meet all the requirements for the CDOS Commencement Credential.Local Diploma Safety Net Options
Complete all course requirements and meet all assessment requirements by either:2. Low Pass Safety Net and Appeal: Three required Regents exams with a score of 55 or better and 2 Regents exams with a score of 52-54 for which an appeal is granted by the local district per Commissioner’s Regulation 100.5(d)(7) as follows: 1 Math, 1 Science, 1 Social Studies, ELA, and either 1 Pathway Assessment, or
meet all the requirements of the CDOS Commencement Credential
3. Regents Competency Test (RCT) Safety Net Option (Only for students entering grade 9 prior to September 2011): Passing score on corresponding RCT if student does not achieve a score of 55 or higher on the Regents Exams
4. Compensatory Safety Net Option: Student scores between 45-54 on one or more of the five required Regents exams, other than the ELA or Math exam, but compensates the low score with a score of 65 or higher on another required Regents exam. A score of at least 55 must be earned on both the ELA and Math exams. A score of 65 or higher on a single exam may not be used to compensate for more than one exam for which a score of 45-54 is earned.
5. English Language Learners: Four required Regents exams with a score of 65 or better and the ELA Regents exam with a score of 55-59 for which an appeal is granted by the local district per Commissioner’s Regulation 100.5(d)(7); or 3 required Regents exams with a score of 65 or better, 1 Regents exam with a score of 60-64, and the ELA Regents exam with a score of 55-59. For both the 60-64 and the 55-59 scores, an appeal is granted by the local district per Commissioner’s Regulation 100.5(d)(7) as follows: 1 Math, 1 Science, 1 Social Studies, ELA, and either 1 Pathway Assessment or meet the requirements of the CDOS Commencement Credential
Revised: July 2018.
