Homeschoolers

Why Houghton?

As a homeschooling family, you intentionally decided to educate your children directly, with a deep commitment to a Christian worldview. At Houghton, your educational choice is not only understood and respected, but your student will build on the solid foundation you provided through rigorous programs taught from an unapologetically Christian perspective.

Jumpstart Your College Education

Get a feel for the academic rigor associated with college-level courses through Early College classes. Receive the same high-quality instruction from the expert faculty for which Houghton has received national recognition as you complete courses fully online.

Early College at Houghton may help you:

Explore early college offerings

Receive a Diploma

Houghton University offers homeschool students who complete 24 college credits of select early college courses the opportunity to receive a New York State Education Department’s High School Equivalency Diploma.

Learn more about a receiving a diploma

Transfer Credit

Many of our home-schooled students bring college credits with them earned at local universities, community, or Bible colleges. This can be a great strategy for saving money, providing flexibility in future course schedules, and impressing an admission committee. As mentioned earlier, these classes can also offer a nice introduction to the college classroom setting.

As you consider this possibility, please keep in mind that you should focus on courses at the 100 (introductory) level at an accredited institution. It’s also a good idea to confirm whether your course work will transfer to assure that the course taken will meet a Houghton University curricular requirement.

View of sidewalk through campus on a summer day.

What Houghton Homeschooled Students Had to Say:

Preparation for Admission

Perhaps the most common concern shared by homeschooling families involves how to organize and present a transcript. In some cases, homeschoolers have an official transcript from a homeschooling agency or extension school. If this is not the case, we ask for the parent or guardian to submit a list of courses and grades received. If you need assistance generating a transcript, you can use our Homeschool Transcript Template.

Some families assign grades for homeschool work; others do not. Houghton does not require that grades be assigned. If that is the case, please provide a brief description of each class including texts used and activities/assignments completed.

Regardless of transcript method you choose to employ, upon deciding to enroll at Houghton, we will need to have a final and official transcript that has the following features:

  • Graduation Date (month and year)
  • Signature of parent/person overseeing homeschooling
  • In most cases, you can use the same Homeschool Transcript Template you used when you applied for admission and update it with final grades or final results (if ungraded) and add a graduation date and signature.

Financial Aid Eligibility

All homeschooled students seeking to receive federal financial aid (PELL, etc.) and New York residents wishing to receive state need-based financial aid (N.Y. State TAP) must demonstrate “Ability to Benefit” (ATB) to be eligible for these funds. There are several methods to establish ability to benefit and more information can be found via the links below.

Ready For What's Next?