What are the chances of a homeschooled person for admission to a university?

Question

I hear about homeschooling but dont know much about it. I am wondering what are the chances of a homeschooled person for admission to a university? Are there special quotas ? Any statistics?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Every university and college has different admission procedures for non-traditional students.

Do research into the admission requirements at the schools that you would like to attend. Do this well ahead of time. If the requirements are not obvious on their website, call the admissions office and ask them what they require for non-traditional/alternative student admissions.

The teens that are currently working towards college admission, tend to focus heavily on their SAT scores, admission essay, extra curricular activities, volunteer/work experience, community college experience and community involvement. Usually, colleges will want to see either grades from a CC or a non-parent led class, and possibly recommendations from an outside teacher or community leader.

But overall, homeschooled teens have the same chance of getting into college as traditional students. They have to jump through different hoops, but their candidacy is not hindered by their alternative education status (with a few exceptions of universities that are not homeschooler friendly. Usually these are state schools).

So, if you are a homeschooler and you are thinking of going to college, I would recommend doing your research early, and realizing that if you don't get in as a freshman, you can take CC classes and enter as a sophomore. Homeschoolers know that there is always a way, if we just keep looking.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I don't know about stats and quotas, but you express yourself very well with excellent spelling and grammar, so whoever has homeschooled you has done an excellent job.

Not long ago, I read somewhere that kids who have been homeschooled have as good a chance, if not a better one, than kids who've received a public or even parochial education.

Be sure to visit the colleges you will apply to; you'll get a gut feeling about each one. Also, take several timed SAT and ACT sample tests to get the feel of them. Once you've taken the real ones and are filling out college apps, be sure to write a good essay (I have a feeling you will), report any community service you've done, submit a transcript, and fulfill any other requirements. You'll be interviewed by college admissions, either on campus or by a college rep in your area. If you cross all the t's and dot all the i's, I have no doubt you'll be accepted by probably more than one college.

(An alternate plan would be to attend a local community college for two years to inexpensively get basic courses out of the way and live at home. At a community college, you can "prove" yourself to be college material, and go on to a four-year college.)

Answer 3

Homeschooling does not really factor into the admissions process for most public universities.
ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE, college entrance depends on how a student scores on the ACT or SAT.
I am most familiar with the universities in Michigan, and the most difficult university to get into here is the University of Michigan
http://www.admissions.umich.edu/
click to link to see what they require, its test scores, a written essay, and some other things
I sincerely doubt there are any opening set aside for home schooled students, I can't see home scholars needing a special advantage in admissions.
Let me be clear on this, getting admitted to a university is great but there is also a lot of WORK TO DO FOR PASSING university course work. Some majors, like pre-med, architecture and engineering have drop out rates of 50% for freshmen (that is ALL freshmen, not home schoolers in particular)

Answer 4

Currently, universities (including Ivy Leagues) are actively recruiting homeschooled children. These universities know that, for the most part, homeschooled children take their educations very seriously. They also (usually) have a lot of volunteerism in their history, and universities look at a student's extracurricular activites just as much, if not more than, their academic grades.

Answer 5

i think it all comes with the program the homeschooled person followed. after that it comes down to the ratings of the person in the entrance university.

PS
i do have a friend who was admitted in our university even if she was enrolled in a homeschool in another country.

Answer 6

Here are some articles about Homeschoolers getting into college. Some universities are even seeking out HSers.


http://www.homeschool.com/articles/College05/default.asp
http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/7_July/hschool.htm
http://www.e-tutor.com/whitepaper/homeschool.html
http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2000/novdec/articles/homeschooling.html

Stanford University even has a high school online homeschool program that started this year. So it is becoming mainstream as far as colleges are concerned.

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2000/novdec/articles/homeschooling.html

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000010/200410250.asp

Answer 7

Your extracurriculars sound good, as does your GPA- so all that's left is your SATs, and I'd say you should try and get them up a bit higher to really make Duke want you. Nail your APs and I'd say you're good to go. Good luck :)