The Sims 4 High School Years cheats

Learn how to cheat grades, graduation, and more in TS4’s High School Years expansion pack!

The front of a high school in The Sims 4 High School Years can be seen. A few sims are cheerleading out the front, while one football player is being hit in the face with the ball. - 1

Image credit:Maxis / Electronic Arts

Rebecca Jones avatar - 2

The Sims 4 High School Years was a franchise-first expansion pack, responding to a wish that had often been expressed by Simmers over the years: to accompany their teen Sims to an active school day, rather than simply wave them off from the curb at 8am to experience all that deliciously soapy coming-of-age drama off-screen.

Is simulated high school as interesting and fun as your memories of slash hopes for the real thing? Judging by the number of people who want to know ways to cheat grades and graduate early in The Sims 4 High School Years , the answer is “possibly no”. Or I suppose “possibly yes”, depending on your personal history.

Regardless, on this page we’ve put together a comprehensive list of cheats to help you survive high school in The Sims 4!

On this page:

  • How to use cheats in The Sims 4 High School Years
  • The Sims 4 High School Years Grades Cheat
  • The Sims 4 High School Years Graduation Cheats
  • The Sims 4 High School Years Trait Cheats
  • The Sims 4 High School Years Careers Cheats
  • The Sims 4 High School Years Trait Cheats
A sim opens their locker in the school corridor in The Sims 4 High School Years to a prank. Two more sims look on and laugh. - 3

Image credit:Maxis / Electronic Arts

How to use cheats in The Sims 4 High School Years

As a general rule, before attempting any cheats in The Sims 4, you want to enable testing cheats . While not every cheat in TS4 requires this in order to work, the vast majority do, so we always recommend this as a starting point.

To enable testing cheats, first press Ctrl + Shift + C if you’re playing on PC/Mac, or hold down all four shoulder buttons simultaneously on Xbox/PlayStation.

This will bring up the cheat console, where you need to type testingcheats true. Enter this cheat and you should receive a notification that cheats have been enabled. You can now use any cheats from further down the page by simply typing them in and hitting enter.

If you want to turn testing cheats off again once you’re done, bring up the console again and type testingcheats false. You should receive a notification that cheats have been disabled.

Using console cheats and debug cheats in TS4 is generally very safe – these are tools included in the game by the developers, after all – but there’s always a low risk of something going awry. I recommend backing up your favourite saves often just to be on the safe side.

However, console players should be aware that enabling cheats permanently disables trophies/achievements for that save on PlayStation and Xbox , even if you turn testingcheats back off once you’re done. PC players are exempt from this crackdown, however, since TS4 achievements on PC work slightly differently anyway.

The Sims 4 High School Years Grades Cheat

It might not get you appointed hall monitor on the basis of your good behaviour, but there is a cheat that allows you to raise or lower your grade in The Sims 4 High School Years.

By default, most teen Sims begin their high school career with a “C” grade, but you can raise your overall grade one level at a time using the following cheat code:

careers.promote career_Teen_Highschool

careers.demote career_Teen_Highschool

Note that there is also a very similar cheat to raise your high school grade in The Sims 4 base game. However, if you have High School Years installed, then this new cheat overrides that one . This is likely because TS4’s base game includes high school as an ordinary career track, and HSY effectively replaces this with a different, active career.

The Sims 4 High School Years Graduation Cheats

Teen Sims whose high school performance is exceptional – whether in a positive or negative sense – can receive extra traits to indicate their graduation status, so it’s a fairly straightforward process to free up your teen from their educational obligations early by cheating to get them:

TraitDescription / NotesApply with…Remove with…
Earned Online High School DiplomaSims who previously left high school without a diploma can now access careers that require onetraits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_EarnedGEDtraits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_EarnedGED
Expelled from High SchoolSim has been expelled without a diploma and cannot re-enroll in high school, but can complete a GEDtraits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Expelledtraits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Expelled
Graduated High School EarlySim has graduated early due to high grades and can now access adult careers (or university with the requisite DLC) while still a teentraits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Earlytraits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Early
Graduated with HonorsSim graduated high school with exceptionally good grades and benefits from improved career performancetraits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Honorstraits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Honors
High School DropoutSim voluntarily dropped out of high school without a diploma, but can re-enroll while still a teen or complete a GED at any agetraits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Dropouttraits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Dropout
ValedictorianSim graduated top of their class and benefits from improved career performance and higher paytraits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Valedictoriantraits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Valedictorian
Three couples are dancing at Graduation in The Sims 4 High School Years. - 4

Image credit:Maxis / Electronic Arts

The Sims 4 High School Years Trait Cheats

The process of self-discovery that nearly every high schooler goes through is a big theme of High School Years, so it should come as no surprise that there are a lot of new traits to be had from this expansion pack, particularly ones that are earned through teen-oriented gameplay.

Of course, that’s all a bit of a hassle, or maybe you just want to apply some of those valuable life lessons to your already grown-up characters. Luckily, as is so often the case in TS4, there are cheats for that:

TraitDescription / NotesTypeApply with…Remove with…
OverachieverSim builds skills faster but relationships more slowlyCreate-A-Sim - Lifestyletraits.equip_trait trait_Overachievertraits.remove_trait trait_Overachiever
Party AnimalSim can perform a variety of unique party-related interactionsCreate-A-Sim - Socialtraits.equip_trait trait_PartyAnimaltraits.remove_trait trait_PartyAnimal
Socially AwkwardSim gains charisma and relationships more slowly, but enjoys mood and sentiment benefits when around Sims they are close withCreate-A-Sim - Socialtraits.equip_trait trait_SociallyAwkwardtraits.remove_trait trait_SociallyAwkward
RelatableSim builds relationships with other teen Sims faster (only available for teens Sims with an aspiration from the “Teen” category)Bonus Trait - Teen Aspirationtraits.equip_trait trait_Relatabletraits.remove_trait trait_Relatable
DauntlessSim benefits from having completed the Live Fast teen aspirationReward Trait - Teen Aspirationtraits.equip_trait trait_Dauntlesstraits.remove_trait trait_Dauntless
HighflierSim benefits from having completed the Goal Oriented teen aspirationReward Trait - Teen Aspirationtraits.equip_trait trait_Highfliertraits.remove_trait trait_Highflier
IconicSim benefits from having completed the Admired Icon teen aspirationReward Trait - Teen Aspirationtraits.equip_trait trait_Iconictraits.remove_trait trait_Iconic
UntroubledSim benefits from having completed the Drama Llama teen aspirationReward Trait - Teen Aspirationtraits.equip_trait trait_Untroubledtraits.remove_trait trait_Untroubled
Authentic PranksterSim maxed out the Mischief skill as a teen, and can continue to perform teen pranks after ageing upReward Trait - Gameplay Feattraits.equip_trait trait_TeenPranks_Prankstertraits.remove_trait trait_TeenPranks_Prankster
The KnowledgeSim has maxed out the Entrepreneur skill, and benefits from both salary boosts and more positive social interaction outcomesReward Trait - Gameplay Feattraits.equip_trait trait_Entrepreneur_TheKnowledgetraits.remove_trait trait_Entrepreneur_TheKnowledge
Cheer ChampionSim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Cheer Team after-school activityReward Trait - Gameplay Feattraits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_cheerteamtraits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_cheerteam
Chess MasterSim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Chess Team after-school activityReward Trait - Gameplay Feattraits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_chessteamtraits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_chessteam
L33T HackerSim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Computer Team after-school activityReward Trait - Gameplay Feattraits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_computerteamtraits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_computerteam
Star PlayerSim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Football Team after-school activityReward Trait - Gameplay Feattraits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_footballteamtraits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_footballteam
Class 1 StudentTeen Sim is assigned to Class 1 at Copperdale High SchoolHidden Traittraits.equip_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_Class1Studenttraits.remove_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_Class1Student
Had OrientationTeen Sim has attended orientation with the high school principle on their first dayHidden Traittraits.equip_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_HadOrientationtraits.remove_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_HadOrientation
Learned T-Pose ChallengeTeen Sim has learned how to participate in the T-Pose ChallengeHidden Traittraits.equip_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_LearnedTPoseChallengetraits.remove_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_LearnedTPoseChallenge
Death by Stink CapsuleSim is a ghost who died by being overwhelmed by the stench from a stink capsuleCause of Death / Ghost TraitWe’re still working on figuring out how to apply this Death Trait via cheats!We’re still working on figuring out how to remove this Death Trait via cheats!
Death by Urban MythSim is a ghost who died from fear after encountering a figure from an urban mythCause of Death / Ghost TraitWe’re still working on figuring out how to apply this Death Trait via cheats!We’re still working on figuring out how to remove this Death Trait via cheats!

The Sims 4 High School Years Career Cheats

While High School Years doesn’t add any new Sim careers in the strictly traditional sense, there are a number of features that are effectively treated as careers under-the-hood, ranging from new after-school activities for high schoolers to part-time paying gigs.

Each of the following careers/activities has three advancement levels, and you can use these cheats to quickly rise through them:

Activity / CareerDescription / NotesPromote with…Demote with…
Cheer TeamAfter-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high schoolcareers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_CheerTeamcareers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_CheerTeam
Chess TeamAfter-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high schoolcareers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ChessTeamcareers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ChessTeam
Computer TeamAfter-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high schoolcareers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ComputerTeamcareers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ComputerTeam
Football TeamAfter-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high schoolcareers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_FootballTeamcareers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_FootballTeam
SimfluencerPart-time job for teenscareers.promote career_Teen_SimsfluencerSideHustlecareers.demote career_Teen_SimsfluencerSideHustle
StreamerPart-time job for teenscareers.promote career_Teen_StreamerSideHustlecareers.demote career_Teen_StreamerSideHustle
Part-Time SimfluencerPart-time job for young adults and older Simscareers.promote careers_Adult_PartTime_SimsfluencerSideHustlecareers.demote careers_Adult_PartTime_SimsfluencerSideHustle
Part-Time StreamerPart-time job for young adults and older Simscareers.promote careers_Adult_PartTime_StreamerSideHustlecareers.demote careers_Adult_PartTime_StreamerSideHustle

Note that the Simfluencer and Streamer careers for teens versus adults appear as the same career in-game, with the same hours and pay. But, like most part-time jobs in The Sims 4, they still require you to enter a different cheat code depending on the age of your Sim.

The Sims 4 High School Years Skill Cheats

The Sims 4 High School Years has plenty of opportunities for skill building, and even introduces a new skill that’s exclusive to the pack: the Entrepreneur skill, which feeds into various self-employed career options for Sims in TS4.

There are five levels to the Entrepreneur skill, and while it’s a surprisingly quick skill to build – thanks to the fact that anything that earns your Sim a little extra cash outside of a traditional job contributes – you can still speedrun your Sim’s mastery using the following cheat:

stats.set_skill_level AdultMinor_Entrepreneur [X]

Replace [X] with the desired number from 1-5 to instantly raise the active Sim’s Entrepreneur skill to that level.

For cheats to help your Sims once they’re all grown up and out in the big wide world, be sure to check out our main The Sims 4 cheats page, which covers the base game as well as its updates!

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