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As the ranks of home educated graduates continues to grow, the number of these students seeking college admission increases as well. College entrance requirements often catch families by surprise. The purpose of this memo is to help families understand and be prepared for the college admissions process. As you embark upon the journey of getting your children into college, keep in mind the following.

(1) Every college and university is different. We can describe what to expect generally, but you will find the application process varies from school to school as you begin your investigation. For example, a college or university might require home schooled students to provide transcripts from parents, GED scores, SAT scores, SAT II scores, ACT scores, or more than one of the above. Some schools even have their own entrance exams.

(2) Colleges often place requirements on home schooled students which they do not require of their public school applicants. Although home schooled students tend to be excellent and qualified students, their high school transcripts are not usually accredited by an outside agency. To maintain standing with their own accrediting agencies, many colleges and universities believe they must impose extra requirements on home educated students.

Planning a Curriculum
College preparation should begin when the student starts high school (around age 13). Let us look briefly at what traditional high schools do and what colleges are used to seeing on applications. Below is a typical example of courses required for graduation by most high schools. Although it varies somewhat from state to state, the plan looks something like this:
(4) 4 years of English. (Grammar, literature, composition)
(3) 4 years of Social Studies. (History)
(3) 3-4 years of Math.
(2) 2 years of Science.
1 year of Fine Arts.
1 year of Practical Arts.
(2) 2 years of Health or Physical Education.
4 years of Electives.
2 years of Foreign Language.

The numbers in parenthesis represent requirements for non-college bound students. Remaining courses (electives) may include business, technical education, consumer mathematics, home economics, etc.

Note that home schooled students are not legally required to follow this list during their high school years. This framework is provided for purposes of comparison only. As a home school instructor you have a lot of flexibility to assess your student's needs and abilities and select a course of study accordingly. Most colleges that want to see a transcript, however, will be looking for one which follows these general guidelines.

If you begin home schooling in the high school years, you may need to focus more attention on academics than students who have been home schooling most of their lives. (The tutorial method of home schooling tends to allow students to cover material in less time) home schooled students are often ready for college work before they reach twelfth grade. Carefully evaluate your own student to determine how much high school education is needed and what kinds of courses will benefit him or her. Keep an eye open for courses that will benefit his or her college career. For those who are not college bound, your program may need to be especially well rounded and complete because such students will not be receiving any other formal education. The questions to consider in this case are: Are they ready academically for adult life? Are they equipped should they choose to pursue a college education at some later date?

Let us take a closer look at what a four-year plan represents in terms of hours, weeks and years of class instruction. If you plan to prepare a transcript to use for college application, it needs to be accurate and generally conform in educational content to a four-year plan.

Each one-year course represents one credit or unit towards graduation. Public school requirements vary from state to state; however, 21-23 units is the norm. If you know what college you want to attend you should request the college's admission requirements.

Typically, one unit equals one year or 36 weeks of 45 minutes per day per subject. You may have heard this referred to as a 'Carnegie unit.' It amounts to three hours and forty-five minutes per subject each week or 135 hours per year. Studies of public schools reveal that due to several factors, real academic on-task time is actually half that or less.

In compiling your list of courses, be sure to take into account non-traditional classes. Parents can adapt these electives to meet college requirements fairly easily. The flexibility of home schooling allows for a much broader range of courses than schools normally offer. Home schools are not confined to teaching just what public schools teach. Colleges and universities receive applications from all over the world and usually are not dismayed by seeing courses that may seem unusual when compared to public school courses.

Say for example that you have chosen to teach Nutrition. As you seek to fulfill college requirements, this class can meet either Health, or Science, or elective requirements, depending on where you need it. Remember to include seminars, lectures, tours, field trips and vacations as you compile course hours. While these may not stand alone as a subject, they may be combined with other studies to form a course.

Feel free to make up the name of your course in a way that describes its content. For instance, "Contemporary Moral Issues" could meet requirements for either Social Studies or English. It would include research on contemporary moral issues like abortion, gun control, religious freedom, euthanasia or home schooling. The student would select a position and write a documented paper and report on each subject. A string of such reports would comprise a course. Preparation might include interviewing a doctor or attorney as a part of researching the topic.

You are limited only by your creativity. These courses will go further towards college preparation than simply perusing a textbook, memorizing facts and reciting them for an exam. Textbooks have their place, but you do not need to be limited to their exclusive use. Most young people find learning much more enjoyable if they use textbooks as a springboard to branch into other resources for learning. Remember, however, not to count time spent on a particular activity for two different credits. Activities may be divided, but not counted twice.

College Entrance
It's a good idea for your student to contact the colleges of choice two years prior to the planned admission to secure their college catalogs and applications. Application fees range between $15 and $50, so you will want to narrow your list of possibilities. Public libraries often have a selection of college catalogs.

When your student receives a catalog, determine entrance criteria and begin to prepare for required tests. Make note of all application and test deadlines for grant and scholarship applications right away. Some tests are only given at certain times during the year. In addition, it can take several weeks for a college to process an application. You do not want to be caught missing an important deadline.

When contacting a college, try to gather as much information as possible about what will be expected from the student. If the school does not have an entrance policy for home schooled students (or 'non-traditional' students), and your student does not seem to fit in any of the available categories, ask an admissions counselor what requirements the school has for home educated students. It is possible that they may have never admitted a home schooled student before and need to work something out for you.

If a particular requirement keeps your student from being eligible for college acceptance, contact the admissions office. Often entrance criteria can be waived and a compromise may be worked out. Persistence is often a deciding factor. Ask to speak with the Director of Admissions. He or she may be able to work out a problem that an admissions counselor is powerless to influence.

Problems sometimes arise because a college official may be unfamiliar with home schooling. If you feel this is the case, graciously explain the benefits of home education and how it works. Meet with the official to explain your home school program. Once the admissions official gets to know you and understand home education as an effective educational choice, he or she will usually be more willing to work out the perceived problems.

Achievement Tests
Colleges usually require either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT). Applications for achievement tests can be secured through local high schools and, in some cases, the local public library. Some private colleges offer to help home school students arrange to take these tests.

The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) must be taken to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. This can be done in 10th or 11th grade. Local schools who proctor PSAT do have a certain amount of authority to impose rules on students taking this test, whereas, when a school gives the SAT or ACT, they must follow strict guidelines from the test publisher. Check with the school for its rules concerning administering PSAT for home educated students.

There are several ways to prepare for these tests. The yellow pages and local newspapers list private courses that will give practice tests and test taking tips. Check with local night schools, community colleges, and continuing education centers to see if such classes are offered in your area. These courses help make students more comfortable with the exam and brush up on subjects that will appear on the test. However, such classes are not designed to teach students a subject that they have not previously learned.

Check with your college to see what test it requires and what kind of scores it is looking for. If you are interested in self-preparation, SAT and ACT study manuals are available at bookstores and libraries. Both tests are revised periodically so you will want to make sure your manual is up to date. You may want to purchase a manual in eighth or ninth grade to use vocabulary lists for spelling and other areas. Computer software is also available for test preparation.

You can take achievement tests several times and submit your best results. Some colleges ask for other test results like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, so be sure to ask. Test scores are normally combined with grades on a coordinating scale to determine eligibility for entrance. Generally, the higher the test score, the more flexible the GPA point requirement. There has been debate in recent years as to how important these scores are, and their significance varies from college to college. For instance, Bob Jones University uses test results for placement only in freshman classes. On the other hand, one can have a 4.0 or straight-A average and not be accepted at Harvard if test scores are not impressive.

You might also consider having your students take the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests. CLEP tests are designed to assess the knowledge a student may already possess for the purpose of assigning college credit. Colleges and universities across the country give college credit for CLEP scores. Many home schooled students are surprised at how much college level material they already know. Students may also save time and money by studying a particular subject on their own and taking the CLEP test for that topic. Since institutions do vary in which CLEP tests they will accept, what minimum scores they require, and how much they charge for processing CLEP credits, it is important to obtain your college's CLEP policy before having your student sign up for any of these tests.

For an information packet on these tests call:
ACT: (319) 337-1429
SAT: (609) 771-7600
CLEP: (212) 713-8064
PSAT: (609) 771-7070

Scholarships
Some colleges make scholarships available specifically for home schooled students A few colleges, such as Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and Nyack College in New York, give scholarships based on the number of years a student was home schooled.

However, home schooled students do qualify for many of the same scholarships available to traditional schooled students. A number of extensive guides cataloging available scholarships can be found in your local bookstore or public library.

In addition, home schooled students are now officially eligible for federal aid for college. The Higher Education Act of 1998, Section 483, amended 20 USCS § 1091(d) to include home educated students as a category eligible for assistance. Home schooled students are no longer required to take a GED or "ability-to-benefit" test to qualify. This legislation was passed by Congress and signed by the president on October 8, 1998. For an information booklet on federal aid for college, call (800) 433-3243 or visit the web sites www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide and www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Conclusion
It is much easier for home educated students to enter college today than in past years. As home schooling moves toward the mainstream, more colleges are writing specific policies for home schooled students. Some colleges are actively recruiting home schooled students, realizing that these students tend to be above average in academic achievement.

Whether you are dealing with home school friendly college or one which has never heard of home schooling, there are two things you must keep in mind.

First, be prepared. Do your homework and gather as much information about the schools of your choice as possible. Be ready to provide the information they request.

And second, be persistent. Persistence usually pays off when dealing with college staff. If you get encounter obstacles anywhere in the process, seek out creative alternatives. "No" does not always mean there is no way.