Library High School Diploma: Career Online High School and Excel Adult High School

Written by Mustafa Bilgic, Operator Sources checked: September 25, 2026
✓ Last Updated: September 2026 | Checked against official sources by Mustafa Bilgic, Operator

Many public libraries offer adults a free way to finish high school online. The two programs you will see are Career Online High School (COHS) and Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School. Both give an accredited high school diploma rather than a GED, both are free to adults who win a library scholarship, and both start with a short trial course. The official COHS list names libraries in 20 states, but the age limit, residency rule and waiting time change from one library to the next. Use the finder to see the rule on your library's own enrollment portal, then estimate how long you would need.

Find a library diploma program and check the rules

Step 1 lists the libraries on the official Career Online High School list for your state. Step 2 checks the age and diploma rules on your library's enrollment portal. Step 3 estimates how long you would need.

Choose a state to see participating libraries.

Step 2: check the rules at your library

Choose your library and enter your age.

Step 3: how long would it take?

Enter the credits you can transfer from past high school work, GED or HiSET tests.

The finder shows what each official page said on September 25, 2026. The library makes the final decision on every application.

How a free library diploma works

Career Online High School (COHS) is an online high school diploma and career certificate program run by Smart Horizons Career Online Education and offered through public libraries as a scholarship. COHS says the program offers free enrollment to a limited number of qualified adult students. It is not a GED program: graduates earn a high school diploma and a career certificate from an accredited school. COHS says it is accredited by Cognia.

Classes are 100 percent online and open around the clock. You can study on a desktop, laptop, tablet or iPad. COHS says a smartphone works but recommends the other devices. Coursework is in English only, and you do not buy textbooks. Each student gets an academic coach, and certified instructors help with coursework. COHS says all of its instructors and academic coaches are state certified.

You also pick a career path. The certificate options listed on the enrollment portals are child care and education, commercial driving, food and hospitality, general career preparation, home care professional, hospitality and leisure, introduction to manufacturing, office management, retail customer service and security professional. You finish with a career portfolio that includes a resume and cover letter.

Career Online High School rules: credits and time

  • 18 credits to graduate: career electives 4, English 4, social studies 3, math 3, science 3, and health or PE 1.
  • Transfer credit: up to 14 credits from other accredited high schools and from the GED or HiSET. The 4 career elective credits must be taken with COHS. The California portal adds that GED subject tests count at Performance Level 2 or higher (145 and up).
  • Time limit: up to 18 months. COHS gives 12 months as the average time to finish.
  • Workload: plan on at least 8 to 10 hours a week. The program details page says each credit is designed to take about a month, while the pace guides in the online classroom aim for one credit every two weeks. Step 3 of the tool lets you try both.

So an adult who left school with 6 credits and works at one credit a month needs about a year, which fits inside the limit. Someone starting from zero at the same pace needs the full 18 months, with no room for breaks.

How to enroll, step by step

  1. Take the "Are You Ready?" survey on your library's COHS portal. It asks about your access to a computer, how much time you can give to courses, and includes an essay question.
  2. Wait for the library. Depending on the portal, the library says it will contact you within 3, 5, 7 to 10 or 10 business days to talk about the prerequisite course.
  3. Pass the prerequisite course. It lasts two weeks, and you must finish it with 70 percent or higher. It is also your chance to decide whether online study suits you.
  4. Interview for the scholarship. Students who pass are considered for a scholarship, and the library schedules an interview.
  5. Send transcripts. Once you are awarded a scholarship, you request transcripts from any accredited high school you attended so earlier courses can count.

Age and residency rules differ by library

Every library sets its own minimum age. On the enrollment portals we checked, most ask for applicants who are at least 19. Phoenix, Houston, Richland Library in South Carolina, Prince George's County in Maryland and the Illinois RAILS portal ask for 21, and Pima County in Arizona asks for 22. Virginia's shared portal, Prince William and the King County Library System in Washington ask for 20. Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado lists 17 and Corpus Christi lists 16, though both portals also say minors should stay in their regular high school programs.

Most portals also say you need a public library card in good standing, or must be willing to get one, and several limit the program to residents, such as San Bernardino County, King County and Baltimore City. Most portals say people who already have a standard high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma cannot enroll, while a certificate of completion does not stop you. A few portals word this differently, and the finder shows each one's rule.

StateLibraries on the COHS listMinimum ages on portalsNote
Arizona319, 21, 22
California8219San Francisco switched to Excel
Colorado1217, 191 listed without an enrollment link
Florida32195 listed without an enrollment link
Georgia3191 on a shared portal with no age rule
Illinois1721
Maryland319, 21
Massachusetts1Not listedBoston: COHS link not working; offers Excel
Minnesota1Not listed1 on a shared portal with no age rule
Missouri1Not listedKansas City switched to Excel
Nevada1Not listedCOHS link not working
New Mexico119
New York1Not listedCOHS link not working
Ohio2Not listed2 on a shared portal with no age rule
Pennsylvania1Not listed1 on a shared portal with no age rule
South Carolina121
Texas816, 19, 214 on a shared portal with no age rule
Utah119
Virginia1020
Washington3202 on a shared portal with no age rule

Source: the official COHS participating library list and each portal's FAQ, read September 25, 2026. Florida's list includes some county resident groups served by nearby library systems.

Excel Adult High School: the other library diploma

Some libraries offer Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School instead, a partnership between Excel High School and Gale, part of Cengage Group. It works the same way: free to adults who win a scholarship from their library, fully online, and not a GED program. Excel says graduates earn a state-recognized, accredited high school diploma.

  • Credits: 21.5 in total, including 1 in fine arts and 6 in electives. You can transfer up to 16 credits, including from colleges, homeschool programs and passed parts of the GED, HiSET or TASC, but at least 6 credits must be taken with Excel.
  • Time: up to 24 months, and Excel says many students finish in 8 months on average.
  • Getting in: live in the library's service area, have a library card or be willing to get one, and finish a two-week Life Skills course with 70 percent or higher before an interview at the library. Excel asks whether you can spend 8 or more hours a week on coursework.
  • Support: success coaches, plus unlimited one-on-one tutoring through BRYTE, an AI tutor. Courses include translation tools and audio readers for English learners, but the English courses have written essays.
  • Devices: you need a computer or laptop for assignments and exams. Smartphones cannot be used for final exams.

Programs change. San Francisco Public Library says its COHS contract ended in January 2026 and it now offers only Excel Adult High School. The Kansas City Public Library, with Literacy Kansas City and Mid-Continent Public Library, offers Excel scholarships to adults over 19 with a library card who can give ten hours a week. Excel High School's site also has a page for Boston Public Library. If your library is not on the COHS list, ask about Excel.

Career Online High SchoolExcel Adult High School
Credits to graduate1821.5
Most transfer credits1416
Least you take in the program4 (career electives)6
Time limit18 months24 months
Average time stated12 months8 months
Prerequisite course2 weeks, 70 percent2 weeks (Life Skills), 70 percent
Career extrasCareer certificate, 10 pathsCareer and college-ready courses

Diploma or GED: which should you choose?

Both matter, but they are not the same. COHS says some colleges, institutions and organizations require a high school diploma and may not accept the GED, and Excel says some employers, colleges and military programs may prefer a diploma.

Check the college side before you enroll. COHS says admissions requirements are always up to each college, and that an online high school diploma may not be recognized by some colleges in your state for state financial aid. It says this matters most for residents of New York and New Jersey. This page is general information, not education, legal or financial aid advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a high school diploma through my public library?

Yes, if your library takes part in Career Online High School or Excel Adult High School. Both are accredited online diploma programs, and the library pays through a scholarship for a limited number of qualified adults. Use the finder to see which libraries are on the COHS list in your state.

Is Career Online High School free?

It is free to students who receive a scholarship from a participating library. COHS says the program offers free enrollment to a limited number of qualified adult students, and you do not buy textbooks.

How old do you have to be for Career Online High School?

It depends on the library. Most portals ask for at least 19, some ask for 20, 21 or 22, and a couple list lower ages while telling minors to stay in their regular high school programs. The finder shows your library's rule.

How long does Career Online High School take?

You get up to 18 months, and COHS gives 12 months as the average. Transfer credits shorten it: you can bring in up to 14 of the 18 credits, but the 4 career elective credits must be taken with COHS.

Is a COHS diploma the same as a GED?

No. COHS is not a GED program. Graduates earn an accredited high school diploma and a career certificate. COHS notes that some colleges and organizations require a diploma and may not accept the GED.

What if I already have a GED?

Most COHS portals say people who already hold a high school equivalency diploma cannot enroll, but passed GED or HiSET tests can count as transfer credit. A few portals word the rule differently, so ask your library.

Related Library Guides

Library Career Resources Job Search Help at the Library Library Career Counseling Free Test Prep at the Library Free English Classes at the Library Free Computer Classes at the Library

Sources

Every rule, fee and figure on this page comes from the official page listed here. We read each one on September 25, 2026. Program pages were read live except Boston Public Library, which blocks our server; we used an April 2026 archived copy.