{"id":15195,"date":"2026-07-06T10:39:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:39:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/?page_id=15195"},"modified":"2026-07-06T10:39:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:39:53","slug":"high-school-diploma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/high-school-diploma\/","title":{"rendered":"High School Diploma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Eligibility for Enrollment:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Students seeking admission&nbsp;to Palomar College must meet at least one of the following criteria:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Possess a high school diploma from an accredited or recognized institution.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hold a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a recognized state or local equivalent of a high school diploma.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be 18 years or older and demonstrate the ability to benefit from the instruction offered.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Verification Procedures:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure enrollment integrity and compliance with district and financial aid standards, Palomar College verifies high school completion using the following procedures:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Documentation Review:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Students may be asked to provide official high school transcripts or other records showing the completion of secondary education.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If there is reason to question the diploma\u2019s validity, additional documentation may be requested, such as:&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A description of coursework or graduation requirements.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A signed statement from a school official confirming the academic standards of the issuing institution.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2.  State or Tribal Oversight Confirmation:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If the high school is regulated by a state, Tribal, or local education authority, Palomar College may seek verification or documentation from that authority confirming the school\u2019s recognition or standing.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3.&nbsp;Internal Reference Lists:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Palomar College may maintain or consult internal records regarding schools previously determined to issue non-recognized diplomas or require minimal academic instruction. These references guide decisions about diploma acceptability.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Criteria for Invalid Diplomas:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A diploma may be considered invalid if:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was issued by a school that is not recognized or does not meet the education standards of the appropriate state or local agency.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was obtained from a source requiring little or no academic coursework or instruction.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The issuing entity is known to operate primarily for the purpose of providing diplomas without proper academic rigor.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FAFSA and Financial Aid Considerations:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Students applying for financial aid must report their high school information on the FAFSA, including the name, city, and state. While the FAFSA provides a list of schools, inclusion or exclusion from that list does not guarantee the validity of a diploma.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Resolving Conflicting Information:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If discrepancies arise between a student\u2019s FAFSA responses and other records, Palomar College is required to resolve the conflict before awarding financial aid. Self-certification alone is not sufficient if the diploma is in question.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>District Authority:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Palomar College reserves the right to determine the acceptability of a high school diploma or equivalency based on established district procedures. Final decisions regarding eligibility for enrollment and financial aid rest with the college.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eligibility for Enrollment:&nbsp; Students seeking admission&nbsp;to Palomar College must meet at least one of the following criteria:&nbsp; Verification Procedures:&nbsp; To ensure enrollment integrity and compliance with district and financial aid&hellip; <a class=\"continue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/high-school-diploma\/\">Continue Reading<span> High School Diploma<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-15195","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3oWhv-3X5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15195"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15204,"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15195\/revisions\/15204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/fa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}