Can a Homeschooled Student Get into College?

Not every student desires to go to college, no matter what their educational background. Even so, parents – especially prospective homeschool parents – often worry that their home education efforts will not be enough to get their child into a good college.

Rest assured that many families have successfully homeschooled through high school, with their graduates being easily accepted into a college of their choice. By taking care of a few simple details along the way, you can ensure that college is a viable option for your student and make the application and transition process run that much more smoothly.

Here are a few things to work into your homeschooling to ensure that college is a viable option for your student.

Unless your student is absolutely certain that college is not a goal, plan high school courses based on a college path. Even if your student is unsure about college, a college plan provides solid preparation for a wide variety of post-graduation options.

Explore your state’s high school graduation requirements and look at the admission requirements for three or four potential colleges. Talk to an admissions counselor about ways to make a high school transcript attractive to a variety of universities. Pursue courses and electives that match both sets of requirements. For instance, filling those elective credits with further foreign language study will make a student’s transcript more college friendly.

Keeping good records all along the way helps tremendously when assembling a transcript, building a portfolio, or completing a college application. In some states, high school level work completed in eighth grade can even be counted as high school credit! Your records do not have to be complex. Simply keep track of courses completed by listing the course name and brief description in a high school planner or portfolio. At the beginning of your student’s freshman year, go ahead and create a transcript that you can add to at the end of each semester.

Keeping specific grades is not critical in elementary school. But, it is essential for building a transcript! So, beginning in middle or high school, use a numerical grading stystem to assign grades for any high school level work. This system will allow easy GPA calculation when it is time to update your student’s transcript.

Look into dual enrollment opportunities in your area. This is a great way for homeschool students to earn early college credits in high school and adds a great deal of substance to their transcript.

Have your student take college admission tests like the SAT or ACT, and have their scores sent to a few colleges. In addition, look into opportunities for AP courses or CLEP testing for college credits.

By taking the time to compile records and keeping up with them throughout your student’s middle and high school years, college admission can be a smooth process. Do a little homework in advance and focus on enjoying these years while they last!