 Students in the Minimum program have less stringent requirements to complete their diploma than students in the other diploma programs.By Texas state law, completion of the Recommended or Distinguished programs or a program with an equivalent curriculum and level of rigor, along with suitable scores on the SAT or the ACT, is required for a student to be eligible to be considered for admission to a four-year public institution of higher education in Texas.The General Education Development (GED) credential is offered as an alternative qualification for those who did not successfully earn a high school diploma.