The students we see thriving are those who value more agency and want to use their learning to contribute beyond the classroom. They also have an idea of their pathway (arts, STEM, business, health sciences, etc.) and connect many of the GID courses to their interests. This is definitely not a prerequisite, however, and the GID is a great way for students to find their purpose and pathway. 

Students who struggle are those who choose the GID because they are looking for an easier alternative to the IB Diploma or the AP, and they are surprised by the project-based rigor of the courses.

Schools can decide to become full Diploma Schools or Collaborating Schools that use one or more of our courses. Go here to find out more.

Universities are accustomed to navigating a variety of learning pathways and have been accepting US-style diplomas for decades. All GID students must still meet their school’s graduation requirements, and the GID is an enhancement to that. 

Having a specialization and an authentic impact will help students stand out through their personal essays and other parts of their university applications.

Last year, ten students from our AISB Innovation Diploma (which the GID is partially modeled after) earned entrance into the following universities in the US and Europe. 

With that said, there are certain universities in countries like Germany where students are often better off pursuing the IB Diploma, so it’s important for students to communicate with their college counselors. And we have a university outreach team working to build relationships and expand credibility.

Yes, schools doing the full Global Impact Diploma have authorization from the IBO for their students to take two IBDP courses in grade 10 so that they can pursue both the GID and the IBDP. They can be any IBDP course but they must be taken at the standard level (SL).

The American International School of Budapest is currently piloting this with six students and here’s how that looks. Here is the authorization letter from the IBO as well.

All GID Schools are accredited, which gives them the freedom to use and adapt our curriculum at their schools. 

It is also important to note that NEASC, CIS and other accreditors do not credit specific courses or diplomas. They accredit schools and trust them to make curricular decisions. 

Take a look at this CIS webinar to learn more (start at the 1-minute mark).

NEASC and CIS have also been supporters of the GID, inviting us to their conferences, hosting webinars for us, and continuing to be thought partners. Here’s a webinar we did with NEASC back in March of 2024.

We are a competency-based diploma, so we assess knowledge, skills, and dispositions in six core areas that are crucial for students to have an impact. 

Learn more about our core competencies here and our assessment philosophy here. 

For schools, the current costs come in the form of GID trainings and the GID Member School fee.

There is no additional cost per student.

To help with alignment and core project areas, we have a GID Steering Team and a GID Extended Steering Team, along with course design teams. You can learn a little more about these teams here.

With that said, our goal is to remain as flat as possible as an organization in order to empower schools, teachers and students with agency over the implementation of the GID at each school.