Can a non accredited high school diploma still work for colleges?

Hey I am about to graduate and receive a non accredited high school diploma due to the fact that i was part of a homeschooled workshop for my high school years. I want to know if the colleges will still accept the diploma with my transcripts signed by the homeschooled workshops principal and if there is anything else i should get that concerns my high school years???

Most colleges allow applications from home schooled students. Just explain you studied at home with a homeschool program. My daughter was in the same situation as you (homeschooled with an online high school program that was not accredited) and got admitted to a top university. Of course a lot more will weigh on your SAT/AP exams.

Each college will have its own documentation requirements for your application. It’s best you review thoroughly each college you’re considering. Good luck

Does it meet the homeschool requirements of your state? You have to check each college website to find out what documentation they require, but make sure it meets your state standards as well.

If you want federal financial aid, you will need some confirmation from your local school district that you have the equivalency.

@blprof I’m not sure about this. My daughter got Fed financial aid (worked out by the university based on her FAFSA) and no paperwork from any school district was required.

According to the [FAFSA website](https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/eligibility/infographic-accessible), to receive federal aid a student must have a high school diploma, GED/TASC certificate, or have completed a homeschool education according to their state’s regulations.

My daughter was homeschooled for high school and will have a non-accredited diploma. She’s been accepted to 4 very good schools already… When we were looking some schools had more “hoops” to jump through as a home schooled student, SAT 2 tests, for example. NY state seemed to be the only place we were looking that seemed nearly impossible to be admitted without taking the GED, even with many college classes taken already. If you google the “school name” and “homeschool” you should be taken to the schools requirements for homeschoolers, many of whom have unaccredited diplomas.

This will be somewhat university/college dependent, but it shouldn’t be an issue at many schools as long as you have a transcript that gives the school the information they are looking for (graduation date, credits earned, signed by parent/guardian, etc.).

My son has a non-accredited homeschool transcript and has been accepted to 7 schools so far. He does have multiple dual enrollment credits.

We hit a bit of a “wall” with UF because they require homeschoolers to submit outside validation of all or most core classes, and there were a couple of areas (social sciences is one) where my son did a home-ed course (good courses too, very in depth) but ran out of time to take SAT II, or another DE class for accredited validation. He probably won’t get in there even though he has the scores and multiple DE credits with a high GPA. But we are OK with that - he has many good options.

If you’re targeting the elite schools you will want to look very closely at their admission pages. Most of them provide specific guidance for homeschoolers.

Good luck!

Sorry for the confusion. I am from New York and homeschooled students in NY need a confirmation from the local school superintendent to receive the equivalent of a high school diploma.

Yeah, the requirements vary from state to state. The OP will have to check the rules for their state. My daughter was applying from abroad at the time but her FAFSA was based on Texas residence (on her mother’s Texas tax returns). The colleges she applied to were private and OOS. All she submitted was the transcript from her online homeschool program and we were never asked for anything else.

@blprof, State regs differ. There are actually several ways NYS homeschoolers can show equivalency: passing the GED/TASC, getting a Letter of Substantial Equivalency from the district superintendent, taking 24 (specific) college credits, or passing 5 particular Regents.

But the equivalency regulation wasn’t set by the colleges. NYS education law requires that NYS colleges have proof that every student – public, homeschooled, international, or private schooled – has the equivalent of a high school education before they issue a degree. Homeschoolers have to know their state regs and investigate individual college’s requirements before they apply.