Homeschool Diploma - Yes You Can Do It Yourself
80You have homeschooled through elementary school, stuck it out through those frustrating junior high years and even dipped your toes into homeschooling high school. As it gets closer to your student’s junior or senior year you may wonder what you are going to do about a diploma.
Can homeschoolers write their own diplomas? The short answer is that in most states they can.
The End of an Era
A high school diploma is not only a milestone for the homeschooling student – it is also a milestone for the homeschooling parent. It is the proof in the pudding, so to speak. It is the evidence that you have successfully completed twelve years of blood, sweat, tears, and threats of groundings if assignments are not completed.
Graduation is something that both you and your child have worked hard for and an accomplishment to be proud of.
Definition of Diploma
In order to understand why a homeschool family can write their own diploma you need to understand exactly what a high school diploma is, no matter where it comes from.
In essence the diploma is a certificate of achievement. It just states that your child has successfully completed the courses that were required by the state and the school, not always the same thing. The state may require only two years of science for graduation but the school might require four. In other words, the state requirements are usually the minimal requirements and the school can require anything above that. The diploma is only a symbol of the work that was done.
The diploma is not what you child will need to get into college. Anyone can design their own high school diploma, any way they want. It is merely a decorative bit of paper to be used in the traditional graduation ceremony.
So, as far as a diploma? You can create it any way you like, in any color you like, with any font you like – or not bother with it at all. There are many templates and printable diplomas on the Internet and you can even get them at office supply stores like Office Depot. Of course, you will need to buy them in bulk at the store but it works well for homeschool co-ops and other groups.
Once you have your diploma made and printed, make sure the information is all correct and then take the diploma and have it stamped by a notary so it looks official.
The Transcript Is the Necessity
The paper that you do need for college is the transcript, the record of your student’s classes, grades, and attendance in grades 9 – 12. There are places on line where you can get these as printables. Colleges will want to see a notarized copy of the transcript.
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Doesn’t It Need to Be Accredited?
Because of the sheer number of homeschool, private school, and alternative education “graduates” most places do not require a transcript from an accredited school. The military was quite strict about this until recently but even they do not require an accreditation anymore.
Be proactive, however. If your student wants to go into a specific school after graduation be sure to check with the organization to see what they require. This should be done by the beginning of the junior year. If they do require accreditation then you can either sign on with an accredited umbrella school for the last two years or consider other options.
Some schools that will work with homeschool parents to ensure an accredited diploma are:
Creating Your Own Diploma
When you make your child’s diploma spend some time on it to make it attractive. Use your school name, decorative fonts, and colored inks to make it worthy of being hung in the front hall. Following are some links to printable diplomas. Print them out on a high quality paper, not printer paper, so that they will look professional. These printables are free to use.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Be sure to check with your state about what they do require and look into any special requirements that your student’s school of choice may want. By looking into and preparing for the details ahead of time you will have plenty of time to make any adjustments or changes to your plans.
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CommentsLoading...
I wondered how homeschooled children got their diploma.
Excellent advice, Marye. I spoke to one mom recently who said to keep a portfolio to show to colleges of best work and also to get good SAT or ACT scores. Every school looks at different factors, though. I'm voting this up :)
Very interesting. I never thought about it, but I suppose this does come up as an issue for home-schooled kids. Informative hub.
This is a useful hub, Marye. Voted up and bookmarked. Always good to think about how my daughter will fulfill her educational requirements along the way so that by the time this moment comes, we'll be confident about her accomplishments.
She is only about 7 1/2 now, but I know that time flies. :0)
I voted this up. I know more and more families that are chooseing to homeschool. This is good information for those who are thinking about it. I know several adults who were homeschooled and are very successful.I am not sure I would do it if I were rasing a family, but I support thoses who do.
A home-schooled high school student who plans to attend college should take the GED to have a better chance of admission. Somebody who has been well-educated at home will have no trouble getting a high score on it, and GED scores are something that colleges can use to easily compare a home-schooled student to his or her peers.
Not true. Sorry. The GED is not necessary.
I didn't say they were strictly necessary. But like SAT and ACT scores, it provides colleges with another measure to assess home-schooled students. Obviously the quality of home education varies greatly from family to family. Not all colleges, especially selective ones, will take home schooling transcripts and diplomas at their face value. That's why standardized test scores of some sort make a college application stronger.
I worked for a family that home-schooled their children with the help of private tutors for some subjects. One was accepted to a college that didn't require any test scores, but an admissions counselor at the college told her she would have a better chance if she submitted SAT/ACT/GED scores. (So she took the SAT.) Another went to a trade school, and he was required to submit GED scores for admission. It depends on what you want to do and where you want to go to further your education. In any case, it's something that home-schooling parents should look into in case their children have to take it for whatever reason.
Great information Marye - we've homeschooled for a year now, and absolutely love it. My 7 year old even tells others that he wants to be homeschooled through high school. It's helpful that it seems to be going through a boom right now in the U.S. - lots of wonderful information out there.
Great topic! A zillion years ago when I wrote for Ehow I was given this subject and handled it as a "how to" using Word. Even a simple word processing program can make a nice looking diploma, if you know your way around it.
As one who home schools and has just 3 yrs left, I was wondering what I was going to do for my daughter. This hub was very informative. Thanks for the insight.
Awarding your children with a homeschool diploma is very possible. Many higher-education institutions even have a homeschool category -- along with the private and public school options -- on the applications. My children were able to successfully graduate, enter college, and receive scholarships with their homeschool diplomas.
GEDs are important for students who do not have a highschool deploma. Just as CLEP classes/tests can shave off time on a college diploma.
Wendell Patterson 3 months ago
Very informative