Alabama · high school · 2026-2027 school year
Alabama homeschool graduation requirements, diploma, and transcript
Trellis has no step-by-step law page for Alabama yet. The state's own statute and agency sources at the end of this page are the primary references.
Alabama has no standalone homeschool statute; families must operate as a church school, private school, or certified private tutor, each of which sets its own diploma requirements independent of the public-school credit rules.
The short version
- Who sets the requirement: the state's graduation rules bind public schools, not homeschools. The parent issues the diploma.
- The reference standard: the public-school minimum is 24 credits, and that table is the common starting point a transcript is read against; colleges set their own expectations on top of it, below.
- What colleges actually look for: the universities in the table below publish their own course expectations.
- What a transcript must show: courses by year, credits, and grades, kept by the parent, with the same subject headings the reference table uses.
- Across states: compare what 51 flagship universities ask.
The public-school credit table, for reference
Alabama's public-school diploma requires 24 credits. A homeschool is not held to it. It is shown as the reference a transcript is commonly read against. A recruited athlete also registers with the NCAA Eligibility Center, which grades home-school core courses against its own worksheet, separate from this table.
| Subject | Credits | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | |
| Math | 4 | |
| Science | 4 | |
| Social studies | 4 | Includes required US Government course, which carries the civics test. |
| Foreign language | — | Not separately required for base diploma; counted within the combined elective bucket (see 'other'). |
| PE and health | 1.5 | Physical Education (1 credit); Health Education (0.5 credit). |
| Arts | — | Not separately required; counted within the combined elective bucket (see 'other'). |
| Electives | 2.5 | |
| Other | 4 | 1 credit Career Preparedness course (financial literacy, digital/technology literacy); hands-on CPR training (non-credit); 3-credit combined bucket: student's choice among CTE, foreign language, and arts courses. Career Preparedness and the CTE/foreign-language/arts bucket together make up these 4 credits. |
Assessments in the public-school rules: A passing score on the civics exam is required in the Government course; Class of 2026 and later must also earn one college/career-readiness indicator (e.g., ACT benchmark, AP/IB score, dual enrollment, or WorkKeys Silver/Gold). These exams bind public-school students; a homeschooled student is not required to take them.
What Alabama colleges ask a homeschooled applicant for
Alabama's 24-credit diploma governs public schools only; homeschoolers under a church school, private school, or certified tutor set their own requirements. Requirements were being revised for 2026-27; verify current rules with ALSDE. ALSDE publishes an Option B pathway for the same classes; the table shows Option A.
Years of each subject. 0 means the university lists no requirement in that subject; a dash means it publishes no figure for it.
flagship University of Alabama
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 3 |
| Science | 3 | 3 |
| Social studies | 4 | 4 |
| Foreign language | 1 | 1 |
| Arts | – | – |
5 additional academic units (fine arts/computer literacy recommended); the 1 foreign-language unit may be met with courses reflecting global and cultural perspectives if a student's school did not require or offer foreign language
UA publishes these as required units with embedded course recommendations; no separately stricter 'recommended' tier is published. University of Alabama requirements (source), checked 2026-09-04.
Auburn University
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 3 |
| Science | 2 | 3 |
| Social studies | 3 | 4 |
| Foreign language | – | 1 |
| Arts | – | – |
Math: Algebra I & II (2 credits) plus one of geometry/trigonometry/calculus/analysis (1 credit); Science: biology (1) and physical science (1)
Auburn does not state a lab requirement or mandate foreign language; foreign language is recommended only. Auburn University requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
Questions families ask
Does Alabama require a homeschool diploma?
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How many credits does an Alabama homeschool diploma need?
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Who signs a homeschool transcript in Alabama?
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What does University of Alabama expect from a homeschooled applicant?
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How Trellis checks your transcript against this table
In Trellis, the courses you plan and the work your children check off become the transcript as you go. The graduation card reads that transcript against the table above and says, subject by subject, what is earned and what is still open, and it notices a course filed under the wrong heading before a college does. Nothing is retyped at the end of senior year.
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