A homeschool transcript colleges can read

What goes on a homeschool transcript for college?

Peabody's transcript tool prints these eight parts on one page, because they are what a reader needs to understand a record from a school they have never heard of:

1. The school: your homeschool's name, address and phone.
2. The student: full name, date of birth and graduation date.
3. The courses, grouped by grade level, each level headed by its school year ("9th grade, 2026-2027").
4. Credits for each course.
5. The grade for each course, with H, AP or DE beside honors, AP or IB, and dual enrollment courses, and "In progress" where there is no grade yet.
6. Credits earned and a GPA for each year, then credits earned and taken and the GPA for all years together.
7. The grading scale: what each letter is worth in points, and the extra points for weighted courses if you use them.
8. A statement that the record is true and complete, a signature line for the parent or administrator, and the date issued.

What are course descriptions, and do colleges want them?

A course description is a short paragraph for each course: what it covered, the main books and materials, and how the work was graded. It turns "English 10, 1 credit" into something a reader can weigh. You can send them with the transcript; ask each college whether it wants them.

Peabody's tool keeps a description beside each course and can add the books your child finished that school year from the reading log. When you print, tick "Print the course descriptions after it" and they follow the transcript, grouped by year.

How are the GPA and credits counted?

• GPA is quality points divided by credits. The all-years GPA adds every year's points and credits and divides once; it is not the average of the yearly figures.
• You choose how plus and minus count, and how many extra points an honors, AP or dual enrollment course earns. The extra points go on passing grades only.
• A passed pass/fail course (P) earns its credit and is left out of the average.
• A course with no grade yet is in progress: it prints, and it is not counted.
• A few states put a number on a credit. Missouri's record says: For purposes of high school credits, a completed credit is one hundred hours or more of instruction in a course (RSMo 167.031).

What makes a homeschool transcript official?

For a homeschool, the school is you. A transcript is your school's official record once the person who runs the school signs and dates it. Print it, sign it, and keep a copy. Ask each college how it wants it sent: uploaded, mailed or in a sealed envelope.

States differ on diplomas and credits. Some say the state issues none and the parent does; some say a public school does not have to accept homeschool credits if the student enrolls there. The table lists what our state records say.

Does a college need test scores from a homeschooler?

That is each college's call. If your student takes College Board tests, the College Board's homeschool guide says homeschoolers register for the SAT online without contacting a local school, and enter 970000 when asked for a high school code.

For the PSAT, it says homeschoolers are "away students" who contact a local participating school at least four weeks before the testing window. It says parents and students cannot order AP Exams directly, so AP testing goes through an authorized local school. For CLEP, it says no school enrollment is required.

When should we start the transcript?

In 9th grade, or earlier if your child takes a high school course in 7th or 8th grade; the tool has a row for each. Add each course as it ends, while you still remember what it covered. A transcript built in senior year from memory is the hard way.

Make the transcript

Open the transcript maker: add courses by year, set how grades count, and print it with the course descriptions after it. It stays on your device. Plan ahead with the four-year plan.