Homeschoolers

Why Houghton?

Our commitment is to make our admission process as friendly and simple as possible because we believe Houghton is a good match for the background and aspirations of homeschooled students.

Advice from Houghton's Homeschoolers

  • Get as much preparation as possible in subject areas such as mathematics, lab science, writing and foreign language.
  • Take some courses at a local college to get the feel of a classroom situation and to prepare you for the adjustment of education in a college setting.
  • Participate in extracurricular activities or organized sports
  • Enjoy the freedom of your homeschooling, but be disciplined; the process of developing self-discipline will be a great help in college.
  • Concentrate on your strengths, but don’t neglect your weak areas in your high school academic work.  Especially don’t neglect developing strength/competence in math and science.
  • Take an Early College online class or two at Houghton to get a feel for the academic rigor associated with a college-level course.
Receive a NYS High School Equivalency Diploma for your early college credits

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.

What Houghton Homeschooled Students Had to Say:

The class size is encouraging, because you don’t feel miles away from the professor, and the classrooms themselves are small and not intimidating.

Most homeschooled students have come from a strenuous learning background, and Houghton University continues this process.

One of the reasons I chose Houghton was because I thought it would stretch me and challenge me academically, and I have not been disappointed.

It is a small college with a strong sense of community.

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.

Federal Ability to Benefit
New York State Ability to Benefit
Learn More about Ability to Benefit