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College Admissions for Colorado Homeschool Students

Homeschooled students have good pathways to college admissions.

How do homeschooled students get into college? It is a question I've heard often, and it turns out I've had some misperceptions about how college admissions would work. I figured the best way to figure out the answer was simply to ask the admissions offices of various colleges. I chose exclusively Colorado colleges because that's where I live. I imagine that the advice carries over to many other colleges, but people interested in a particular college should check directly with that college.

Disclaimer: Here I am faithfully passing along information from various colleges but cannot personally vouch for the usefulness or accuracy of the information provided. The information is offered as-is, and by accessing or reading it you agree to be bound by this web site's terms of use. Further, college admissions policies can change over time. Generally, parents and students should not take the information here as the final word but should instead interact directly with the colleges in which they are interested.

Below is a copy of the letter I sent out to various colleges, followed by replies I've received. (Note: Some replies were added after the original publication date.)

My Letter to Various Colleges

Dear Admissions,

I would like additional information regarding admissions to your college for homeschooling students.

My interest is three-fold. 1) I have a nine year old who homeschools, and eventually he likely will want to go to college. I'm trying to get a sense of the landscape with that end in mind. 2) I participate in discussion groups for homeschooling parents, and the question of admissions frequently comes up. So I would like to pass along relevant information to other interested parents and students, and I plan to publish replies to that end. 3) I write a column for Complete Colorado, and I likely will write about this topic there.

I am inquiring specifically regarding admissions for students who officially "homeschool" per Colorado statutes. Note that many families who self-identify as "homeschoolers" actually are enrolled in a private "umbrella" school, which may handle such matters as the generation of transcripts.

As far as I am aware, a student might send come combination of the following materials for purposes of admissions. Please let me know if I am leaving something out. Please note that I am here assuming that a student also needs to submit application essays; letters of recommendation; and a description of clubs, teams, organizations, awards, etc., so my list pertains to other materials.

• A parent-generated transcript describing courses of study during high school
• SAT or ACT test scores
• AP test results
• Transcripts of college classes completed (probably community college)
• Samples of personal work; for example, published articles, portfolio of art projects

I am looking to learn both the minimum standards of admission and what you would regard as a strong admissions package.

For example, if a student submitted only a parent-generated transcript, would that be sufficient to seek admissions to your college, or would the student also need to submit supplemental materials (please specify)?

Alternately, if a student submitted only AP test results, would that be sufficient? (If so, how many tests would you look for? Let's assume a score of 4 or 5 per test.)

If a student takes college classes while in high school, would the college transcript by itself be sufficient for admissions? If so, how many classes would the student need to have completed, and what grades would you expect?

If you could describe the sorts of admissions packages that would give a homeschooled student a good shot of getting into your college, that would be helpful.

Thank you,
Ari Armstrong

Fort Lewis College

All of the materials listed in your email would be great for us to receive.

At a minimum, we would need an official transcript of a students high school classes. It can be parent generated or sent from the umbrella organization. We would also need the official transcript for any college classes that a student may have taken.

We are test optional, so do not require ACT or SAT scores, but they can help if the student has done well on them.

We do have an optional person essay which also can help, and we like to get to know our prospective students. The same is true for letters of recommendations.

But as a minimum, we need all official transcripts and of course the actual application either through our website or the common app.

[In response to a follow-up question about whether any number of college classes would be sufficient for admissions:]

We would still need a high school transcript as they would still be considered a First Year Student regardless of the number of credits taken at the Community College. If the Community College credits are earned after their high school graduation date then they would be considered a Transfer Student. If classified as a transfer student, then we do not need a high school transcript if they have COMPLETED 24 credit hours at the Community College. If less than 24 hours, we would need the high school transcript and the College transcript.

We do have students that have completed an Associate Degree while in High School, but are still considered First Year Students and are required to submit a high school transcript.

Hope this answers your question.

Colorado State University

Thank you for reaching out. We give parents of homeschooled children a lot of latitude. The only thing we ask for is a transcript that you generate with a list of classes for each semester, or year, and a grade for each.

We do not need descriptions of each class or samples of work. We trust that you, as the parent, have evaluated their work and given them a fair grade, but if you want to include extra information, that is fine, especially if the class title isn't a standard one, like Algebra I, Biology, etc. We are test optional, so we do not use SAT/ACT test scores during our admissions process, but students can submit them, and we will use them as supplemental information, which is especially nice for homeschooled students.

It is a great idea for homeschooled students to take dual enrollment classes at a community college because this gives us another measure of their abilities that is more objective. We do not require college transcripts in order to make an admissions decision, but it is very helpful. Same with AP scores—not necessary but will help us get a better picture of your student.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions.

University of Denver

Thank you for reaching out! We are excited to hear of your interest in providing helpful information to other prospective families.

Our application standards/requirements for homeschooled students do not differ greatly from our standards for other students. You can see our standards here. We also do not require a student to be homeschooled with a specific organization or umbrella school.

For a homeschooled student we require the following:

1. A parent generated transcript

2. An official college transcript (only if the student took dual enrollment courses)

3. A completed CommonApplication (which includes a minimum 250-word essay)

4. A letter of recommendation from a non-relative (coach, community member, employer, mentor, etc.)

These items are optional for homeschooled students (and all other students):

ACT/SAT test scores
Resume
Portfolio

The more academic information we receive, the better. Students will never be denied admission/scholarship if they don't submit optional materials, however the optional materials can help boost an application.

While we accept AP test scores when awarding transfer credit, we do not consider AP test scores when reviewing applicants for admission/scholarship.

As an important note, these requirements are subject to change and we cannot guarantee that they will stay the same year-to-year. The requirements have been fairly consistent over the past few years, but it is likely that they will have changed when it comes time for your student to apply.

I hope I answered all your questions. Please feel free to reach out if you need any clarification.

Colorado College

Thank you for reaching and for your interest in CC.

You can find more information regarding home schooled applicants in our "Non-Traditional Applicants" Section of our website. You can also learn more about our no harm testing policy on our website as well.

In regards to your other questions:

1) A parent generated transcript would be sufficient in most cases.

2) We are test optional, while students can choose to submit AP scores, they do not have a significant effect on the larger application process.

3) If a student chooses to take college courses while in HS, we will need the college transcript as well as any other high school transcripts.

4) While a homeschooled student is a bit different than a traditional first year applicant, we still require many of the same documents for admission to the college. We also use a holistic approach so there is no one profile of what make a competitive applicant, regardless if they are homeschooled or attending a traditional high school. Each circumstance is evaluated as a unique circumstance. You can go on our admission portion of our website to learn more about our holistic evaluation process and overall application process toward the college.

Adams State

Our admissions process for homeschooled students is the same as it would be for another first time student. The requirements are; a submitted and completed application, and an official high school transcript, SAT and ACT test scores are optional. We do accept parent-generated transcripts for admission. After the application is submitted we will need more information about student/family residency, which would be found within the application portal.

If the student attends a college for college credits, we will need the official transcript sent from the college directly along with the high school transcript, if less than 24 college credits were taken. If the student took more than 24 college credits they would be considered a transfer student, and would only need to have the school send us their official transcript.

If the student has a 2.0 GPA or above, we would need no further documents other than what was stated above. Anything else submitted, such as AP scores, SAT and ACT scores, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities is all optional, and not required for admission. If the student had below a 2.0 GPA the application would need to be reviewed by the Director of Admissions, and a Letter of Intent could be required for admission. This letter would explain their educational plans and goals at Adams State University.

The following link will include the admission requirements for first-time students: [here]. On the right-hand side of this page is the admission requirements for other types of students if more information is needed.

If you have further questions, please let us know.

Metro State University

Thanks for reaching out! I'll do my best to answer all of your questions.

1. At MSU Denver, students are guaranteed admission if they have a cumulative, unweighted high school GPA of 2.0 or higher, or a GED score of 145 or higher.

2. All other applicants who do not meet the above criteria will be manually reviewed for admission and need to have an official high school transcript sent to us from their high school or district (in your case, the "umbrella" school or teaching parent). We may require a personal statement and a letter of recommendation, but not in every case. When a student is under Admission Review, we look at their academic record, the courses they took, factors that may have impacted your academic performance (usually detailed in the Personal Statement), and any other activities they're involved in that they feel is important.

3. Personal Statements and Letters of Recommendation are appreciated, but not required for applicant students, unless we request them. SAT and ACT scores are also not required for admission at MSU Denver, but we do suggest submitting them as they help us place students in their Math and English classes with us. It's not a problem if a student doesn't have SAT or ACT scores! They will just have to take Math and English placement tests with us before their first semester.

4. AP scores alone are not sufficient for admission, but they can be submitted to the Office of Registrar (regquery[atsign]msudenver[dot]edu) for evaluation for college credit! If the scores are accepted by our evaluation team, the AP scores will count on the student's Degree Progress Report like any other college transfer credit.

5. In terms of credits earned from other colleges, for admission purposes we would need 24 or more transferable credits to be able to waive the high school transcript or GED requirement. (Keep in mind that for Financial Aid purposes, they require 60 transferable credits to waive their high school transcript requirement, so a high school transcript may be necessary regardless).

6. The application itself is fairly straightforward. There is no application fee, no personal statement, and the application can be submitted without any supporting documents (i.e. transcripts). Please keep in mind that we will still need any relevant documentation mentioned above, we just like to give students a buffer between submitting their application and getting all their documentation in order, just in case!

For more detailed information, here is a link to our First Time College Student webpage.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Colorado School of Mines

Great questions.

In general, Mines looks at homeschool students the same way as any other high school student. Since COVID, we have seen an immense rise in non-traditional high school journeys. Yes, homeschooling was happening before COVID but we have seen a big increase in students completing high school via home school.

If you are curious about what the Mines Admissions Requirements are...I would encourage you to check out this awesome comprehensive website: https://www.mines.edu/undergraduate-admissions/first-year/

When a homeschool student applies to Mines we encourage as much information upfront. We would like a parent generated transcript, syllabus of curriculum, course descriptions, and any transcripts from duel enrollment institutions. We don't necessarily need a portfolio of work but some universities might need that.

The number 1 piece of advice I would give any family is . . . never assume . . . always reach out to the admissions office of the university the student is interested in. Each school has different admissions philosophies and protocols. No school operates the same.

University of Colorado, Boulder

Admission Criteria

The admission criteria for homeschool students is the same as it is for students attending a traditional private or public high school. The application requirements are also the same; for all first-year applicants, we require: the Common App application, an official high school transcript, one essay, one short answer question, an application fee, a letter of recommendation (this sometimes comes from a parent or guardian given the nature of their schooling), and college transcripts, if they have taken college courses. SAT and/or ACT scores are optional.

Transcripts

An "official" homeschool transcript is one that is sent directly to us from whomever is in charge of the student’s schooling. If the student has taken courses at a local high school or community college, then the normal rules apply; it must be sent directly from the issuing institution upon enrollment at CU Boulder. An Excel or Word document listing all courses taken is sufficient. We need to see all courses undertaken during 9-12 grades.

The homeschool transcript itself does not need to follow a particular format, but it does need to include:

• What the student took
• When the student took it
• What grade was received
• Date of graduation (at least month and year) if student has already graduated

If the student also took classes at another institution, it is recommended that the parent/guardian includes this in a ‘master transcript,’ but that is not required.

Grading

For any applicant, we use the cumulative weighted GPA when it is present on the transcript. We give homeschool parents/ guardians the liberty to calculate GPAs and grades however they see fit. If the student is taking advanced courses (or college courses,) the parent/ guardian has the right to add weighting to those courses; we will not recalculate it. We encourage parents to include a GPA and weight it where appropriate, in order to give their student an equitable chance to receive an auto consideration scholarship. It is also helpful if the weight scale is included on the transcript or in a letter or recommendation or school report that the parent/guardian submits.

Transfer Students

Students who graduated from their homeschool program and take college courses beginning in the fall after graduation are considered transfer students. Many students who include community college courses as a part of their high school curriculum will confuse these terms. Although these students may have “advanced standing” in terms of credit amount, they are still "first-year" for the admission process.

GED

Homeschool students do not need to take the GED to earn their diploma. We consider a completed homeschool curriculum sufficient as long as it abides by state educational laws and includes HEAR [Higher Education Admission Recommendation] coursework recommendations.

Students without a high school diploma must provide a high school equivalency exam score. In Colorado, state colleges and universities accept scores from the following exams for admission consideration: GED, HiSET, and TASC.

A GED alone is not sufficient for entry to CU. Some students consider themselves homeschooled but did not take any high school courses; they simply took the GED. For a student who has no high school work and has a GED, they will likely be found deficient in several core subject areas, which may impact an admission decision.

Students may be admitted to CU Boulder even though they have some deficiencies. If that is the case, they may need to complete additional courses at CU Boulder in order to graduate. Students may also complete missing coursework at other colleges or universities, through approved credit-by-examination programs or by testing out through the appropriate foreign language department. GPA requirements will apply.

If a student has prior high school work and a GED, their high school GPA will be considered.

Scores for minimum admission standards are listed below for each exam:

• GED (taken 2014 and after): 145 or above in each content area;
• HiSET: 8 on each subtest; 2 on the essay; 45 combined score;
• TASC: 500 on each subject area; 2 out of 8 on the Writing essay.

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