learnfinancewithMichigan
A 1/2 credit course in personal finance is required for a high school diploma, beginning with pupils entering grade 8 in 2023 (MCL 380.1278a, as quoted by MDE).
Pupils entering grade 8 in 2023 and later, in districts and public school academies. "Class of 2028" is arithmetic derivation — MDE publishes no first-graduating-class year; confirm with MDE before using it in a district-facing document.
First binds the class of 2028.
- How it may be delivered
- EITHER — students do NOT have to take a dedicated personal finance course. MDE FAQ: the credit may be earned in any course that embeds the content standards, including a CTE course or any curriculum aligned to the adopted personal finance standards. Credit is awarded on demonstrated proficiency in the state standards; testing out is an allowed pathway.
Source: MDE Michigan Merit Curriculum FAQ / personal finance credit guidance
- Credit value
- 1/2 credit, substitutive not additive (total stays 18): it fulfills 0.5 of math, visual/performing/applied arts, or a language other than English, as the district determines; it cannot replace the three standards-tied math credits or the 0.5 economics requirement. Some districts run it additive at 18.5 via the district-approved 4th math credit.
- Instructional-hour rule
- Not yet verified to a primary source — we publish only what we can cite.
- Below high school
- Not yet verified to a primary source — we publish only what we can cite.
- State-mandated assessment
- NONE at state level — the Michigan Merit Examination (SAT with Essay, WIN Work Ready, M-STEP Science/Social Studies) has no personal finance component. Proficiency for the credit is determined LOCALLY on assessments developed or selected by the department or district; students may test out.
Source: MDE, Michigan Merit Examination overview; MMC credit guidance
- Who may teach it
- NO personal-finance endorsement exists, and NO area automatically qualifies: MDE makes placement CONTENT-DEPENDENT — a valid Michigan certificate for the grade level plus the endorsement appropriate to the course's actual content, determined after content review. Endorsements MDE lists depending on focus: Mathematics (EX), Family & Consumer Science (KH), Business Education (GQ/GX), Economics (CA), Social Studies (RX), Social Science (CX). Informational only.
Source: MDE Educator Certification: courses that can be taught — personal finance
- State course codes
- Not yet verified to a primary source — we publish only what we can cite.
- Standards framework
- Michigan Merit Curriculum Personal Finance 9–12 Content Expectations (v5/2023): a flat list of seven coded standards PF1–PF7, plus sub-expectation PF4.1 (FAFSA and student aid). Content traces to the 2019 K–12 Social Studies Standards.
- Funding a district may cite
- No funding stream is designated for personal finance itself. Where the standards are delivered inside a CTE program carrying MDE approval (MDE permits a CTE course to satisfy the requirement), MDE's Office of CTE administers Perkins V, Section 61(a)/61a1 Added Cost, 61b (EMC/dual enrollment), 61v CTE Expansion Grant, and Vocational Millage — applicability is CONDITIONAL on CTE program approval and is not asserted in any MDE personal-finance document.
Source: MDE Office of Career and Technical Education funding page
- State agency contact
- No personal-finance-specific named contact. Academic standards: Education Experiences Unit, Office of Educational Supports, 517-241-2219. Endorsement/placement: Office of Educator Excellence, 517-241-5000, MDE-EducatorHelp@Michigan.gov. Course coding: CEPI, 517-335-0505 ext. 3. MDE main: 833-633-5788.
Source: MDE academic standards contacts
Facts on this page last verified 2026-08-09; every pack is re-verified on a six-month cadence, and anything we cannot cite is marked rather than guessed.
The district awards the credit — no platform can. Ours is designed to align with the state’s learning standards, and it produces the documentation a district needs to award credit: the course object with its federal course code, a pass determination that shows its arithmetic, an hour ledger that counts only observed instructional minutes, and a verified record of demonstrated mastery for every student.