A common concern among homeschooling families is how pursuing a home education might affect their child’s future career aspirations. Some parents refrain from homeschooling, convinced it will limit college or university entrance and their child’s ability to earn a degree. This blog seeks to correct misconceptions regarding homeschooling and college, specifically accreditation and the diploma.
The Diploma Dilemma – Accreditation
For some parents, a drawback of homeschooling older kids is the lack of an official high school diploma upon graduation. They believe it is easier to gain college acceptance with a state-sponsored certificate of completion. While this may have been true decades ago, today many post-secondary institutions, including Ivy League colleges and universities encourage homeschooled students to apply. In fact, evidence suggests some schools may even prefer home-educated applicants as they are self-directed, motivated, and have had life experiences not afforded to their public school peers.
The main difference between an ‘official’ diploma and a parent-issued one is accreditation. Accreditation means a school has met specific, standardized requirements set by a state or governing body. All public schools, including virtual ones are accredited. Some homeschooling parents switch their child to an accredited program for high school, so that he or she may receive a state-issued diploma.
Does Accreditation Matter?
Currently no state in the USA requires homeschool accreditation- a good thing, since accredited homeschool curriculum does not exist. It is the school not the materials which receive accreditation. Many unaccredited homeschool resources are excellent, going above and beyond the state requirements. These resources enable parents to provide an exceptional, personalized (and flexible) education for their kids.
Of course, this does not mean that accredited homeschool options do not exist. There are several homeschool programs associated with an accredited brick and mortar or online school. These schools issue ‘official’ diplomas, just as a public or private school would. Before I list a few of these programs, keep in mind that just because a school is accredited does not mean it offers a better curriculum or educational experience.
Accredited programs are often set up as a “school-at-home” method, with little flexibility or freedom to account for individual needs and preferences. School-at-home students receive their educational materials either online or through DVD instruction. The students follow a strict schedule which closely mimics institutional learning.
Here is a short list of accredited homeschool programs:
- State Charter schools
- Mia Academy
- Accellus Academy
- Zion Academy
- Abeka Academy
Accreditation differs between states. It is important to note that sometimes credits from an accredited homeschool program will not be accepted at all colleges, specifically out-of-state ones. Not investigating this can lead to credit transfer issues, including the potential of having to repeat courses already completed. Research is a crucial step in the accredited/non-accredited decision-making process.
Yes, accredited schools typically offer a complete curriculum, grading, record keeping, transcripts, and diplomas. This is nothing you cannot do yourself or in tandem with an Umbrella school (read about these here). What matters most is that you are meeting your state’s educational requirements. An unaccredited homeschool curriculum allows for more freedom of choice in resources, materials, schedule, and learning methods while fulfilling your legal obligations.
The bottom line is parent-issued diplomas are completely legitimate. As long as your child passes the entrance exams there should be no issue (academically) with college enrollment.
