Common Pathways for Homeschoolers After High School
Depending on their educational goals, most homeschooled children will take one of three paths after high school:
Apply to Trade or Career School
Apply to a Community College and then Transfer to University
Apply to a 4-year University
Trade and Technical Schools
Trade and technical schools offer solid options for children who don't want to pursue long-term or in-depth university studies. Many of these schools offer higher education options with shorter time frames (think 2 years instead of 4 or more), less cost to families, and the ability for your child to start their careers sooner (often with competitive salaries).
Preparing your child to enter a trade or technical school is similar to preparing for your child to attend college. You'll want to:
Have your child's priorities and goals in mind
Complete their homeschool course work and have their transcript ready.
Reasearch what specific careers your child is interested in pursuing and which schools offer relevant programs.
Speak with a school representative to learn about all of the specifics of the school, what their program offers, and what specific documentation they'll require from your homeschooled child during the admissions process.
Prepare your documents and apply to the schools of your choice.
Community College
Community Colleges have a lot of options for homeschooled children, including two year degrees and career certificates, transferrable credit options that can be put towards a participating 4-year university, and even the option to earn college credit while still in high school, helping your child get a head start on their pursuit of higher education degrees.
Hands down, attending a community college before university, or while your child is still in high school, can also help families save a lot of money.
Preparing your child for a community college starts once again with determining your child's educational goals and plan. Afterwards, you'll want to:
Research the Community Colleges in your area to see what they have to offer and what their admissions processes are.
Prepare any documentation required from homeschooled applicants.
If you plan on transferring credits to a four-year university, make sure to speak with an admissions officer to see which universities will accept the credits and what their requirements are.
If you plan to use the community college route while your child is still in high school, make sure to choose a school that allows for dual enrollment. You'll also want to add their courses taken to their high school transcript and note how many college credits they were worth.
NJ Community Colleges that allow homeschoolers to take college courses while still in high school (called dual enrollment) include, but are not limited to:
Raritan Valley Community College
Passaic County Community College
Four-Year Colleges and Universities
4-year colleges and universities are a good option if your child is interested in more in-depth and specialized higher education degrees. Though the costs of attending university is increasing, studies still show that graduating from college has higher earning potential, lower unemployment rates, and more ability to make it through recessions.
If you want to prepare your homeschooler for a four year university, here are a few things you'll need:
Completed high school coursework with transcript
Completed homeschool portfolio with work samples
SAT and ACT scores (note: colleges vary on this requirement)
Research on the specific schools that your child wants to apply to, what they require from homeschooled applicants, and all of their admissions deadlines.
Completed application essay
Homeschooling the high school years offers many doors your child can walk through to begin their adult life. With each, it's important that you know your priorities so you can help your child choose the path that will best help them reach their goals.