Topeka ? The cost of not finishing high school will go up in Kansas.

The Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a 25 percent increase in the cost of taking the General Educational Development exam. Beginning July 1, the price for taking the GED will rise from $68 to $85.

The Regents’ staff said it could not project how much money the increased fee would raise. Last year, 1,311 people passed the test in Kansas.

Gary Alexander, vice president of academic affairs for the regents, said the price increase was needed to cover the rising costs of giving the test. He says the vendor scoring the tests is raising his rates, and the national GED testing service is considering doing the same.