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Homeschoolers are successful in college
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Former homeschooled students almost always excel in college, according to university admissions officers, who verify what many studies have already proven.
“Current estimates place the number of home-educated students in the United States at 2 million and growing,” according to the Home School Legal Defense Association.
“Homeschooling is now a legal option for parents in all 50 states. Every year a significant portion of these students seek higher education.”
Why WOULDN’T a college want to accept homeschoolers?
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After all, one extensive study showed that college professors rank homeschoolers in the top tier, both academically and spiritually.
Another study shows that nearly 80% of homeschooled children test above the national average, and 54.7% of homeschoolers test in the top quarter.
Despite all this, most colleges are just now figuring out how to compare homeschoolers to others from a more traditional background.
In fact, only 44% of colleges have verbal or written policies for homeschool applicants.
However, 96% of the colleges polled had at least one and sometimes over 200 home-educated students enrolled at their college.
A survey of colleges and universities in all 50 states conducted by the National Center for Home Education revealed the following anecdotal accounts of homeschoolers in college:
A Harvard University (MA) admissions officer said most of their home-educated students "have done very well. They usually are very motivated in what they do."
In addition to Harvard, prominent schools like Yale (CT), Princeton (NJ), Texas A&M, Brown University (RI), the Carnegie Mellon Institute (PA), the Universities of Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, Hawaii and many others all have flexible transcript criteria, accept parental evaluations, and do not require any accreditation or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
At Kansas State University and others like Lipscomb University and Middlebury College (VT), transcripts are optional.
In 1996, Birmingham-Southern College (AL) had only one homeschool applicant, but the admissions officer said the college “would be glad to have many more just like him!”
Roughly 50 homeschoolers attended the University of Montana. “The homeschoolers in this state seem to be up-to-date and well-organized. We even have homeschoolers in our honors programs. I know of one student for sure. She is one of our top students,” remarked one admissions official.
Bruce Walker at the University of Delaware said one home-educated student who “had an exceptional SAT score was invited to be considered for a full scholarship!”
“Homeschooling is becoming more and more prevalent,” said Mark Wheeler of Boise State University (ID). “We’re all trying to work together.”
Pennsylvania State University had 20 homeschool applicants in 1995, double the previous year. They prefer a portfolio with as much information as possible, including extra curricular activities that demonstrate leadership. “Homeschoolers show strongly in that,” said the admissions officer for Penn State.
Lewis and Clark College (OR) has a method of application called the “Portfolio Path” where a student can bypass standardized tests and instead be “reviewed on a myriad of things that would point to, and measure academic performance.”
The Universities of Minnesota and Mississippi also look at the all-around abilities demonstrated in a homeschooler’s portfolio.
University of Kentucky homeschool applicants “have to provide a portfolio of what they have done throughout their high school years” that is “creative and informative.” A UK admissions officer also said, “Our homeschoolers (about 50) tend to be very bright, and have scored very high on standardized tests.”
The Dartmouth College (NH) admissions officer explained, “The applications I’ve come across are outstanding. Homeschoolers have a distinct advantage because of the individualized instruction they have received.”
University of Alaska/Fairbanks has had over 300 home-educated students in the last few years, several of which were in their honors program. The program director, Mary Dicicco commented, “They have been wonderful students on the whole!”
Staff from Geneva College (PA) and Belhaven College (MS) are actively recruiting homeschoolers by going to homeschool conferences and book fairs to talk to parents and students about admissions.
“Homeschoolers have to work harder thereby increasing student productivity,” Jeff Lantis said of the 75-90 homeschoolers at Hillsdale College (MI). “Homeschoolers are consistently among our top students, in fact homeschoolers have won our distinct Honors Program the last three years in a row. We tend to look very favorably upon homeschoolers applying to our college.”
USA TODAY reported on October 28, 1996, that the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s dean of admissions, James Walters, has enrolled about 20 home-educated students, all of which “are performing above average academically.”
Click here to read more about scholarships, grants and athletics for home school students, as well as state policies and suggested college admissions policies.
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