New York is in the middle of a major overhaul of its diploma, and it makes the state confusing to advise right now. The rules a current senior graduated under are not the rules a current seventh grader will face. So this splits into two parts: what New York requires today, and what is changing and when.
The short version. Today a diploma takes 22 units of credit and, for most students, passing five Regents exams. The exam requirement is being taken apart on a fixed schedule, the last required exams land in August 2027, and three diplomas are collapsing into one. Here is each piece.
What New York requires right now
The credit side is the stable part. A diploma in New York takes 22 units, and the shape is familiar:
- English: 4 units
- Social studies: 4 units, including U.S. history and government, economics, and global history
- Mathematics: 3 units
- Science: 3 units, including physical and life science
- Language other than English: 1 unit, with more required for the advanced diploma
- The arts: 1 unit
- Physical education: 2 units, taken across all four years
- Health: half a unit, plus electives to reach 22
The exam side is what sets New York apart, and what is on its way out. Under the current rules, a student earning a standard Regents diploma has to pass four required Regents exams, one each in English, math, science, and social studies, plus a fifth exam through a pathway option that can be another Regents test or an approved assessment in career and technical education, the arts, or a language. Score high enough across more of them and a student earns a Regents diploma with Advanced Designation. A narrower local diploma exists for some students through appeal and safety-net routes. That three-diploma structure, and the exams behind it, is exactly what the state is now dismantling.
The Regents phase-out and the timeline that matters
In late 2024 the Board of Regents voted to end the Regents exam graduation requirement, and in 2025 it approved the framework meant to replace it. The dates are the part to hold onto, because they decide which rules apply to your child.
The exam requirement ends beginning with the 2027-28 school year. Put plainly, the last Regents exams that students must pass to graduate are the ones offered in August 2027. After that, students are no longer required to pass the exams to earn a diploma. The tests themselves do not vanish. Starting in 2028 they shift roles, sticking around to measure student progress and to let students earn seals and endorsements, like a math mastery seal or the seal of biliteracy, rather than serving as a diploma gate.
The credit requirements change on a later clock. The new system, including new credit requirements, is expected to be fully phased in for students who enter high school in September 2029, Chalkbeat New York reported in September 2026. So there is a stretch where the exam mandate is already gone but the older credit framework still governs the students already in high school.
The Board of Regents took the next step on September 14, 2026, voting unanimously to let the state Education Department start drafting the regulations, Chalkbeat reported. The state is expected to present those regulations in February, with a final vote expected in June. State officials said that once the new rules take effect, districts "will not be allowed to require students to pass Regents exams" to earn a diploma. Under the plan Chalkbeat described, this year's seniors, the class of 2027, are the last class held to the current Regents requirements, and today's ninth, 10th, and 11th graders will graduate "according to local assessment strategies" that the state has not yet released.
One diploma and the portrait of a graduate
Two structural changes come with the phase-out. First, New York is consolidating its three current diploma types into a single diploma, ending the tiered local, Regents, and advanced-designation split. Second, it is adopting what the Regents call the portrait of a graduate, a framework that defines what a student should know and be able to do in broader terms than a set of exam scores, covering things like critical thinking and real-world application alongside academic content.
What the portrait will require in practice, course by course and assessment by assessment, is still being built out by the state, which is the honest caveat. The direction is set and the diploma consolidation and exam phase-out have firm dates, but families should expect the fine print on how a student demonstrates readiness to keep filling in over the next few years. Treat any highly specific claim about the new requirements with some caution and confirm it against the state's current guidance.
What this means for your student now
If your child is a senior this year, plan for the current rules: 22 units and the Regents exams, with the last required exams in August 2027. If your child is in ninth, 10th, or 11th grade, ask the district how it will handle the local assessment strategies the state has promised, since those details are still coming. If your child is in middle school and will enter ninth grade in 2027 or later, they are heading into the new system, so watch the state's rollout rather than assuming the diploma you remember. Either way, start from your own district, since districts translate the state framework into specific courses and are the ones fielding questions as the transition unfolds. For the national picture, our guide to high school graduation requirements by state shows how New York's exam-heavy model has compared with the rest of the country, and what is changing about high school graduation in 2026 and 2027 tracks the broader shift away from exit exams.
Data note: requirements and dates reflect New York State Education Department guidance and Board of Regents actions as of September 2026. The new system is still phasing in, so confirm specifics with your district and the state's graduation measures pages.
Sources
Chalkbeat New York: NY takes next step in graduation overhaul, leaving unanswered questions (September 14, 2026)
New York State Education Department: Graduation Measures FAQ
Chalkbeat: New York plans to end Regents exam requirement by 2027-28
State comparison figures from allk12's analysis of state graduation rules, 2026.
