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Home Schooled Applicants FAQ

  1. Does the University of Illinois admit home school graduates?
    • Yes
  2. Is the University interested in having home schoolers apply?
    • We are very interested in having talented, well-qualified applicants from a variety of settings.  Home schoolers would provide a diversity of academic experiences to the campus.
  3. How many home schoolers have you admitted?
    • Approximately 30-40 home school students are admitted each year.  A limit is not set on how many home schooled students can be admitted.  The best qualified applicants from the applicant pool will be selected for admission.
  4. What are your admission requirements for home schooled applicants?
    • Students apply to a specific college and applicants are reviewed in the context of the college applicant pool.  Strength of the coursework, ACT or SAT combined scores, high school percentile rank, and application essays are required of all applicants.  If a student does not have a rank, we will calculate an estimated rank based the grade point average provided.  These requirements are for all applicants.  With some home schooled applicants, no grade point average or grades are provided, so no high school percentile rank can be generated.
  5. When a home school teacher submits a high school transcript, what else might prove helpful for review?
    • We would like the traditional information such a course titles, grades, credits, dates of completion, and test scores.  In addition, it would be extremely helpful to have a course description, textbook list, and some idea of the amount of writing or laboratory time required of the student.
  6. Do you require the GED?
    • The Admissions Review Committee and the Office of Admissions reviews each application. If a student is eligible to take the GED, we require the student to provide the results to us. If a student is not eligible to take the GED, we continue to look very closely at the student’s other application requirements. The strength of the test scores, type of home school experience, and application essays all go into making this decision.
  7. Would you accept a letter of recommendation from the parent when the parent is the primary instructor?
    • Recommendations are not required of any applicants. 
  8. What can home schoolers do to strengthen their high school preparation?
    • Augmenting the home school experience with some more traditional schooling experiences, such as community or local college coursework or selected courses at the local high school, can be helpful. Taking Advanced Placement exams can substantiate the strength of preparation and may also result in earning college credit.
  9. Can home schoolers compete successfully for academic scholarships?
    • All applicants for admission will automatically be considered for any merit-based scholarships. Most colleges and departments use the high school percentile rank as a significant factor when considering students for scholarships. Since home schooled students will not have a class rank, we will place more weight on other factors such as test scores, activities, awards, community service, etc.