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
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
If for whatever reason you want your teen Sim to underperform in school, you can lower their grade level-by-level using this cheat instead:
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:
| Trait | Description / Notes | Apply with… | Remove with… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earned Online High School Diploma | Sims who previously left high school without a diploma can now access careers that require one | traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_EarnedGED | traits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_EarnedGED |
| Expelled from High School | Sim has been expelled without a diploma and cannot re-enroll in high school, but can complete a GED | traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Expelled | traits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Expelled |
| Graduated High School Early | Sim has graduated early due to high grades and can now access adult careers (or university with the requisite DLC) while still a teen | traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Early | traits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Early |
| Graduated with Honors | Sim graduated high school with exceptionally good grades and benefits from improved career performance | traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Honors | traits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Honors |
| High School Dropout | Sim voluntarily dropped out of high school without a diploma, but can re-enroll while still a teen or complete a GED at any age | traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Dropout | traits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Dropout |
| Valedictorian | Sim graduated top of their class and benefits from improved career performance and higher pay | traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Valedictorian | traits.remove_trait trait_HSExit_Graduate_Valedictorian |
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:
| Trait | Description / Notes | Type | Apply with… | Remove with… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overachiever | Sim builds skills faster but relationships more slowly | Create-A-Sim – Lifestyle | traits.equip_trait trait_Overachiever | traits.remove_trait trait_Overachiever |
| Party Animal | Sim can perform a variety of unique party-related interactions | Create-A-Sim – Social | traits.equip_trait trait_PartyAnimal | traits.remove_trait trait_PartyAnimal |
| Socially Awkward | Sim gains charisma and relationships more slowly, but enjoys mood and sentiment benefits when around Sims they are close with | Create-A-Sim – Social | traits.equip_trait trait_SociallyAwkward | traits.remove_trait trait_SociallyAwkward |
| Relatable | Sim builds relationships with other teen Sims faster (only available for teens Sims with an aspiration from the “Teen” category) | Bonus Trait – Teen Aspiration | traits.equip_trait trait_Relatable | traits.remove_trait trait_Relatable |
| Dauntless | Sim benefits from having completed the Live Fast teen aspiration | Reward Trait – Teen Aspiration | traits.equip_trait trait_Dauntless | traits.remove_trait trait_Dauntless |
| Highflier | Sim benefits from having completed the Goal Oriented teen aspiration | Reward Trait – Teen Aspiration | traits.equip_trait trait_Highflier | traits.remove_trait trait_Highflier |
| Iconic | Sim benefits from having completed the Admired Icon teen aspiration | Reward Trait – Teen Aspiration | traits.equip_trait trait_Iconic | traits.remove_trait trait_Iconic |
| Untroubled | Sim benefits from having completed the Drama Llama teen aspiration | Reward Trait – Teen Aspiration | traits.equip_trait trait_Untroubled | traits.remove_trait trait_Untroubled |
| Authentic Prankster | Sim maxed out the Mischief skill as a teen, and can continue to perform teen pranks after ageing up | Reward Trait – Gameplay Feat | traits.equip_trait trait_TeenPranks_Prankster | traits.remove_trait trait_TeenPranks_Prankster |
| The Knowledge | Sim has maxed out the Entrepreneur skill, and benefits from both salary boosts and more positive social interaction outcomes | Reward Trait – Gameplay Feat | traits.equip_trait trait_Entrepreneur_TheKnowledge | traits.remove_trait trait_Entrepreneur_TheKnowledge |
| Cheer Champion | Sim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Cheer Team after-school activity | Reward Trait – Gameplay Feat | traits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_cheerteam | traits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_cheerteam |
| Chess Master | Sim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Chess Team after-school activity | Reward Trait – Gameplay Feat | traits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_chessteam | traits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_chessteam |
| L33T Hacker | Sim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Computer Team after-school activity | Reward Trait – Gameplay Feat | traits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_computerteam | traits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_computerteam |
| Star Player | Sim benefits from having reached the highest level of the Football Team after-school activity | Reward Trait – Gameplay Feat | traits.equip_trait trait_reward_hsteam_footballteam | traits.remove_trait trait_reward_hsteam_footballteam |
| Class 1 Student | Teen Sim is assigned to Class 1 at Copperdale High School | Hidden Trait | traits.equip_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_Class1Student | traits.remove_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_Class1Student |
| Had Orientation | Teen Sim has attended orientation with the high school principle on their first day | Hidden Trait | traits.equip_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_HadOrientation | traits.remove_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_HadOrientation |
| Learned T-Pose Challenge | Teen Sim has learned how to participate in the T-Pose Challenge | Hidden Trait | traits.equip_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_LearnedTPoseChallenge | traits.remove_trait trait_HighSchool_Active_LearnedTPoseChallenge |
| Death by Stink Capsule | Sim is a ghost who died by being overwhelmed by the stench from a stink capsule | Cause of Death / Ghost Trait | We’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 Myth | Sim is a ghost who died from fear after encountering a figure from an urban myth | Cause of Death / Ghost Trait | We’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 / Career | Description / Notes | Promote with… | Demote with… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheer Team | After-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high school | careers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_CheerTeam | careers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_CheerTeam |
| Chess Team | After-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high school | careers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ChessTeam | careers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ChessTeam |
| Computer Team | After-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high school | careers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ComputerTeam | careers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_ComputerTeam |
| Football Team | After-school activity – only available to Teen Sims enrolled in high school | careers.promote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_FootballTeam | careers.demote careers_Volunteer_HSTeam_FootballTeam |
| Simfluencer | Part-time job for teens | careers.promote career_Teen_SimsfluencerSideHustle | careers.demote career_Teen_SimsfluencerSideHustle |
| Streamer | Part-time job for teens | careers.promote career_Teen_StreamerSideHustle | careers.demote career_Teen_StreamerSideHustle |
| Part-Time Simfluencer | Part-time job for young adults and older Sims | careers.promote careers_Adult_PartTime_SimsfluencerSideHustle | careers.demote careers_Adult_PartTime_SimsfluencerSideHustle |
| Part-Time Streamer | Part-time job for young adults and older Sims | careers.promote careers_Adult_PartTime_StreamerSideHustle | careers.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!