Pierce College Adult Diploma (PCAD)

Pierce College

The Pierce College Adult Diploma (PCAD) program offers high school completion courses to fulfill credits students need that help students achieve their goals. Regardless of how long it has been since a student’s education was interrupted, students can get back on track, earn college credit, and obtain a Washington state high school diploma. Credits required depend on the student’s graduating year and credits applied from the student’s high school transcripts. During the student’s last quarter (ITRANS), students must complete College Success and either college-level English or Math. The ITRANS quarter doubles as both the last quarter of High School Diploma and the first quarter of college level classes. Graduates from Pierce College’s high school program will have developed college-ready skills. Students who are 18 years or older and their class has graduated can enroll in the PCAD/Adult High School Completion (HSC) program. Students who are 16-18 years old can enroll in GED classes with a release from the school district in which they reside. New students need to meet with a high school completion adviser to evaluate their transcripts (transcripts can be unofficial to enter the program, however, official high school transcripts must be on file before a high school diploma can be issued). After meeting with the advisor, the student will attend an orientation and be scheduled for the state required Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) testing. Students are then enrolled in classes based on their skills assessment results.