High School and College PrepThe jump to high school and then to college can be daunting. Here we have gathered resources and answers to some of the most common questions you have. |
Some of these questions might be going through your mind:
Can I really do this?
We've compiled some great resources to help you answer these and many more of your questions. You can find those below.
- If I homeschool my child on my own, without any state funding or by enrolling them in a public or charter school, what does that look like?
- I want my child to take at least one, if not more, classes from a partner school. What options are available to me?
- How do I help my child get accepted to college?
- What record keeping is needed in Utah for homeschooling high school?
- What are Utah colleges looking for from homeschool students?
- Does my child have to have an accredited diploma? And what IS that?
We've compiled some great resources to help you answer these and many more of your questions. You can find those below.
FAQ's for High School and College
Answers to frequent questions that arise about homeschooling high school and college bound students in Utah.
Dual Enrollment applies only to a situation where a student is enrolled “dually” in a Home School or Private School, for part of the day, and in a Public School for the rest of the day.
Split Enrollment is a situation where a student is enrolled at two public schools. The student is eligible for graduation and other services at both schools. Enrollment in Statewide Online Education Program (SOEP) courses is not split enrollment.
When the student participates in online courses through the SOEP, the student is an enrolled student only at their Primary School of Enrollment. The student is not considered to be “enrolled” at the online school.
Yes. There are many ways to do this. Dual enrollment is when a student is attending school at home as well as in a public school. Across the state, it is generally possible beginning in 7th grade, although a few elementary schools might make exceptions. You will want to contact your district directly for what they allow. For the official details of what dual enrollment includes, click here.
Some of the options available to you for Dual Enrollment:
- Public Schools -- Contact your local school district
- Snow College: Success Academy
- Online Schools
Snow College introduced a program in 2021 that allows high school students to dual-enroll with their local high school while also being in the Snow Online program. It is through Success Academy and you can visit their website for more information. https://online.successacademy.org/. Your child will be able to take a half schedule of electives while she finishes her associates degree & high school diploma.
Pros: This can work well for high school. Counselors are often very helpful with helping you to plan a schedule, often where the parent can take their child to school and then they can ride the bus home.
Cons: While dual enrollment is said to be a possibility in elementary school, there are very few school districts in Utah (if any) who will actually work with you on this. You'll need to contact your district directly. It's tricky in elementary because the schedules, while set, can be really fluid. Since they are in the same classroom all day, things bleed over or are taught cross-curricular. That's great if you're there all day, but your kids might always feel disoriented. If you want your kids at the school at the same time of day, each child might get different subjects at school, and you most likely won't get to pick which ones, which means you could possibly do a fair amount of duplication.
A few colleges and programs that allow concurrent enrollment while a child is 16+ and/or in their junior year of high school are the following:
- Utah Valley University
- Brigham Young University Idaho
- Southern New Hampshire University (through MTH)
A typical experience is for the classes to be set up like regular college courses with reading, homework, discussion boards, written response papers, essays and tests. Often there is online group work. Generally, the teachers are easily accessible via email.
Sometimes a program will allow a child younger than 16 to participate but it's a case by case situation.
Several colleges (SLCC, UVU, USU, Weber) allow concurrent enrollment if you have a host high school (yes, some kids only go to the high school for the concurrent enrollment class) or sometimes on campus.
Some schools offer online classes, such as BYU Independent Study, Snow College and BYU Idaho. You do not need a host high school for these programs. Check the concurrent enrollment or early college websites for more info:
- https://www.slcc.edu/concurrentenrollment/
- https://www.uvu.edu/concurrent/
- https://www.usu.edu/concurrent/
- https://www.weber.edu/Admissions/concurrent-enrollment.html
- https://is.byu.edu/university
- http://www.byui.edu/concurrent-enrollment/
- https://snow.edu/online/early-college.html
The University of Utah offers a high school university program (or HSUP) for ANY high schooler 10th grade and up. Classes are on campus or online. Homeschool transcripts are accepted. https://admissions.utah.edu/apply/high-school-university-program-orientation/
CLEP/AP testing is a way to get college credit through tests without taking a class. There are several free online classes (like https://modernstates.org/) to prepare for these tests. For all CLEP, AP, and college credits, check your institution's website to see which transfer credits they will accept. (For example, search "UVU transfer credit" to see which SLCC courses or AP tests they will accept.)
https://clep.collegeboard.org/
My Tech High once offered a Snow College Program, which is no longer available. However, they do offer 2 partnerships with SEU and SNHU to get an associates degree at no cost to you.
For a Facebook group where you can ask almost anything about college credits, go to this My Tech High college credit group: https://www.facebook.com/share/p3Z7aLgN723J1E37/?mibextid=K35XfP
In order to get an accredited high school diploma, your child must be attending classes with an approved program. You'll need to check details with whichever provider you're working with to make sure you are meeting their expectations.
Some Accredited Programs:
- BYU Independent Study online courses
- Edgenuity online courses (via Blue Peak Online from Tooele County School District)
- On-site, split enrollment courses at your local district (not charter) high school (up to two classes each semester)
- Passing state-approved competency-based tests
- Snow College Associate's Program
- Leadership Academy of Utah
- My Tech High (via their approved programs)
Accredited Utah Public Charter Schools:
These are fully accredited public-school-online charters. Many homeschoolers find them to have too much busywork and computer time and a recipe for burnout. But if you want an accredited program (because you have a high school student who wants to return to public school) or want teachers directing things, these are the schools for you:
- Utah Online School: utahonline.org
- Alpine Online School: https://alpineonline.alpineschools.org/
- Citizen's High School Online
The general experience for homeschooled students applying for Utah colleges is that their ACT score is very important, a diploma may or may not be needed (as a parent, you can issue your own diploma if you are not enrolled in a public schooling option), and that you will need to contact each school's admission office to get their exact requirements. You will especially want to do your homework as early on as possible if your child may be considering schools outside of Utah, since they are not all quite as homeschool friendly.
Links to Utah university admissions requirements and additional info:
- Brigham Young University: In regards to general BYU admissions, they look at any of the three possible criteria: ACT and full high school transcript GPA, ACT and partial transcript (at least 15 accredited credits) GPA, or ACT alone. However, it is important to note that BYU has shifted their admissions focus and now look at the “whole person” much more closely. The essays in the admission process are extremely powerful, as are the documentation of what the student has done outside academics. Lifestyle, involvement in well-rounded activities, service, and well-written, interesting essays are now key in being admitted, more than a high ACT score and GPA.
- Brigham Young University
- Utah State University
- University of Utah: TEST OPTIONAL FOR 2023 FRESHMAN APPLICANTS. The University of Utah is Test Optional for fall 2023 freshman applicants who attended a regionally accredited high school. ACT/SAT scores are not required for admission, merit scholarships (including department scholarships), or direct admission programs (including Engineering). However, homeschooled students and GED holders are required to provide ACT/SAT test scores. Freshman applications to the University of Utah will be evaluated using a holistic review process that considers a student’s high school GPA, course rigor, etc. (Source: 2023 U of U Prospective Student Guide, page 10)
- University of Utah
- Utah Tech University
- Snow College: If you want to go this route, look into doing school with My Tech High. They allow students learning at home to begin with Snow College as a high schooler and My Tech High can give you an accredited high school diploma.
- Snow College Transcript Form
- Southern Utah University
- Weber State University
One parent writes, "BYU loves homeschoolers! Especially when they write about all their unique experiences that have helped their character grow. Yes, you should be cramming for the ACT. Because homeschoolers don’t have a valid high school diploma, their ACT score is all they really have to go by to gauge their academic readiness. My nephew got into BYU and he spent a year taking practice ACT tests over and over and over again. And it paid off! If you have more questions, you can contact BYU‘s academic advisement center and they will speak with you over the phone or make an appointment with you to come in and ask all your questions. Parents do this all the time."
GED prep classes are offered all around the state at different locations. Check with your local school district and they can help you find one. There are often online classes your child can take, as well as practice tests. The student must wait until their peers have graduated before taking the class. Once your child is ready, they can go to one of the officially administered test sites, which are often local universities.
See https://gedeno.com/utah/ for more specific information.
There are also a few businesses that specialize in training students to take the ACT. Check out our Statewide HHU Marketplace page for these businesses.
If you are homeschooling with an affidavit (not through a Charter, which includes My Tech High and Harmony Ed), you would be the one to determine what his requirements are for graduation and issuing him a Homeschool High School Diploma.
If you are seeking a diploma so that your child can apply to a college or university, keep in mind that many higher education schools do not care too much about a diploma from a homeschooling student. You will do best to contact the admissions department of the school(s) your child is interested in, and ask them directly what they want from your child for admission to their school.
If you do find that a diploma is needed, you can create one yourself in any word editing software, or, you can contact an organization who has templates and printers to help you out.
Some organizations who will create a diploma for you:
- Homeschool School Legal Defense Association
- Homeschool.com - Free Homeschool Diploma Template
Any online school that says they are accredited can issue your child an accredited diploma for attendance (Examples: Connections Academy, Lumen Scholar Academy, Mountain Heights Academy, Athenian eAcademy, Leadership Academy of Utah, etc.)
Why a Transcript Is More Important:
Even though parents are usually most concerned about getting a diploma, a transcript is usually much more important than a diploma. This documentation shows what coursework your student completed and what grades they received in each course.
Keep in mind, transcripts are requested by more than just colleges. Many times, employers, the military, trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and scholarship committees also may request a copy of your student's transcript. Even your insurance company may want a copy of the transcript in order to make sure your student qualifies for a good student discount.
Ideally, you have been keeping track of their courses and grades throughout their schooling. After all, creating a transcript during their senior year can be a daunting task. So, make sure you keep track of grades and courses and add those to their transcript document each year.
You also may want to keep a separate document with course descriptions in case it's ever requested by a future employer or university. This document should contain the name of each course as well as the materials used to complete it, including textbooks, websites, online courses, lab materials, internships, and hands-on experiences.
To put together your student's transcript, you can design and print the document using a template from HSLDA, or you can use a transcript service. Additionally, HSLDA has educational consultants that help you put together your student's transcript and even check GPA calculations. Overall, your child's transcript should include the following information:
- Your student's name, the name of your homeschool, address, and telephone number
- The high school course list in order by year (grades 9-12); include grades 7 and 8 if your student took high school level courses in those grades
- The institution where each course was taken (i.e. homeschool, online school, community college)
- The grading scale used in your homeschool
- The overall GPA
- Credits assigned per course (listed by semester and per year)
- Expected graduation date
- Parent signature with a date
And, if your student took classes at a community college or local university, you want to be sure to request copies of those transcripts as well. You can have them sent to the prospective college, employer, or military recruiter who requested the transcripts along with your homeschool transcript.
(Source: Very Well Family. Click here for the entire article)
HSLDA has a transcript service that you can use. Check out this link for more details: https://store.hslda.org/hsldas-transcript-service-p962.aspx.
Most colleges are requiring only an ACT or SAT score for admittance and do not ask for a high school diploma. Also, the job prospects for a high school graduate and someone who didn’t finish high school are about the same.
One mother says, "Regular homeschoolers do not earn diplomas. You would need to enroll in some sort of accredited distance education program to get a diploma. It's wise to think about what your child wants to do after high school when making the decision of whether or not to get a diploma. My oldest went part time to high school, and took the ACT with his class, and that is all he needed to get in to college. (and they gave him a scholarship too!) My 4th kid didn't take the ACT (covid) so he decided to get his GED. He plans to work for a while then go to a trade school. My other two decided to go to school and got diplomas. All these options have worked out fine."
Another mother says, "Out of my four adult children only one got a diploma/GED. It has not been an issue. They each continue to study and learn those things that are of interest and important to them. Each of them have pursued their dreams and desires and are doing very well."
Another mother says, "Coming from a mom of a son who did NOT finish public high school (or college)... (he had some health struggles which prompted our attempt at homeschooling- we were so new and terrible at it!) and we didn’t even attempt to give him a homeschool graduation... it has honestly never come up. The job he has now simply asked if he was a high school graduate to which he answered “yes”- because he considers himself to be one. They never asked for documents but if they did then I likely would have made some homeschool graduation documents. It is legal to “graduate” from homeschool."
And one more mother says, "Sometimes it's easier to just get a diploma [through one of the above listed organizations in the FAQ] rather than stress so much about whether they should or should not. This way you don't have any regrets."
Hybrid Options for High School
Discover hybrid options for high school homeschoolers with our comprehensive list of links.
Lumen Scholar InstituteConcurrent Enrollment
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