High school · college planning
College planning for homeschoolers, state by state
A homeschooled applicant files the same application as anyone else, but supplies pieces a school's counseling office would normally send: the transcript, course descriptions, and often the counselor's report. Every college reads it against the expectations it publishes for all applicants, and the clearest of those are the flagship public universities' course lists. Here is each state's course list. It comes from the university's admissions page or, where the state system publishes it, the system's own requirements. Each source is linked in its row.
43 of the 51 universities publish a subject-by-subject minimum; all of them require four years of English, and 14 require four years of math. The rest admit on grade point average, test tiers or a holistic read, and their row says so.
What the file usually holds
- A transcript the parent prepares: courses by year, credits, and grades, with the grading scale stated, under the same subject headings the reference tables use.
- Course descriptions for the courses a reader cannot infer from a title, and the materials behind them.
- A short school profile: how you graded, what a typical course load looked like, and any outside instruction used. The Common App, the Coalition application, and state systems such as ApplyTexas each collect this through the counselor's school report, which the parent usually completes as the home school's counselor of record, including the FAFSA and CSS Profile counselor fields, which the parent completes as the school official. State the grading scale there too: 4.0 unweighted, or which courses add weight, held constant across the four years.
- A stated grading scale: print it once on the transcript, say whether honors or dual-credit courses are weighted, and grade to it consistently. Readers work from the scale you state.
- Outside validation where it exists: dual-credit courses named by kind (college faculty, concurrent enrollment at the high school, AP, CLEP), test scores where a college asks for them (some test-optional colleges still ask a homeschooled applicant), and letters from anyone other than the parent who taught.
- The state's own line: most states set no graduation requirement on a homeschool; the parent issues the diploma. Each state's page below says whether that state sets one.
- For a recruited athlete: the NCAA Eligibility Center reviews home-school core courses on its own terms, separately from admission.
Flagship university course expectations, by state
Years of study the university lists as its minimum, with its recommendation in parentheses where it publishes a higher one. A 0 means the university lists no requirement in that subject, even if it recommends one in parentheses; a dash means it sets no minimum, and a number in parentheses beside it is a figure the university publishes without making it a minimum. A row of all dashes means the university publishes no numeric course pattern at all. The full tables, the university's own note, and the state's diploma line are on each state's high-school page.
The full table stays available when the box is empty.
Showing all 51 states.
| State | Flagship | English | Math | Science | Soc. studies | Language | Arts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | University of Alabama | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | – | University of Alabama requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 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 | ||||||||
| Alaska | University of Alaska Fairbanks | 4 | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | 0 (2) | – | University of Alaska Fairbanks requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 16-credit core curriculum; math, science and social sciences can each range 3-4 credits depending on program, with 1 lab-science credit required; 2.5 minimum GPA | ||||||||
| Arizona | University of Arizona | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | University of Arizona requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 1 year American history within social studies; ABOR allows admission with one deficiency in no more than two competency areas, never both math and laboratory science | ||||||||
| Arkansas | University of Arkansas | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | 0.5 | University of Arkansas requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 0.5 Oral Communication, 0.5 Physical Education, 0.5 Health and Safety (1.5 elective units total) | ||||||||
| California | University of California (UC) systemwide A-G requirements | 4 | 3 (4) | 2 (3) | 2 | 2 (3) | 1 | University of California (UC) systemwide A-G requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 1 college-preparatory elective (G); minimum 15 A-G courses total with grade C or better; GPA 3.0+ (3.4 nonresident). | ||||||||
| Colorado | Colorado statewide Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | Colorado statewide Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR) requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 2 units of academic electives; total 17 units under the statewide Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR). | ||||||||
| Connecticut | University of Connecticut | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 (3) | – | University of Connecticut requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 3 elective college-prep units; 15-16 college-prep units total minimum | ||||||||
| Delaware | University of Delaware | – (4) | – (3) | – (3) | – (3) | – | – | University of Delaware requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| No numeric course pattern: UD publishes suggested years, not minimums: 16 units in all, with 3 academic electives from English, math, science, social science, foreign language or other academic areas | ||||||||
| District of Columbia | University of the District of Columbia | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of the District of Columbia requirements verified 2026-09-02 |
| No numeric course pattern: Its Flagship program asks for a high school diploma or GED plus a 2.5 GPA with an 890 SAT or 16 ACT, or a 2.0 GPA with a 1030 SAT or 19 ACT; tests are optional for now. The Community College admits any diploma or GED holder. | ||||||||
| Florida | University of Florida | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | University of Florida requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 16 academic units in all, as UF lists them | ||||||||
| Georgia | University of Georgia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | University of Georgia requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Hawaii | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 4 units of other college-prep coursework (a 4th unit of math/science/social science; foreign language also counts here) | ||||||||
| Idaho | University of Idaho | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Idaho requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| No numeric course pattern: No published subject-credit list; admission is GPA-tiered (3.00+ GPA = automatic; 2.60-2.99 needs ACT or SAT scores or the Vandal Gateway Program), and an Idaho resident scoring 3 or higher on both ISAT Math and Literacy is eligible regardless of GPA | ||||||||
| Illinois | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 4 | 3 (4) | 2 (4) | 2 (4) | 2 (4) | – | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 2 years of flexible academic units (extra coursework in the above categories, or approved art/music/vocational courses) | ||||||||
| Indiana | Indiana University Bloomington | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | Indiana University Bloomington requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 34 semester credits of college-preparatory courses in all, IU's stated minimum; shown here as years. | ||||||||
| Iowa | University of Iowa (Board of Regents' Regent Admission Index and course requirements, shared by Iowa's three Regent universities) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | University of Iowa (Board of Regents' Regent Admission Index and course requirements, shared by Iowa's three Regent universities) requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 15 total college-prep units; a Regent Admission Index (RAI) score of at least 245 gives automatic admission for an Iowa resident, and below 245 means individual review | ||||||||
| Kansas | University of Kansas | – (4) | – (4) | – (3) | – (3) | – (2) | – | University of Kansas requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| No numeric course pattern: The KU course page publishes no minimum pattern; it encourages the Kansas Scholars Curriculum, shown as the recommended figures | ||||||||
| Kentucky | University of Kentucky | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | University of Kentucky requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 0.5 health + 0.5 PE; 7 elective credits; 24 total credits minimum, per UK's own published Pre-College Curriculum | ||||||||
| Louisiana | Louisiana public universities (TOPS University pattern; LSU reviews holistically) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | Louisiana public universities (TOPS University pattern; LSU reviews holistically) requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Maine | University of Maine | 4 | 3 (4) | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 2 | – | University of Maine requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Maryland | University of Maryland, College Park | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | University of Maryland, College Park requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: Math must include Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II; science needs at least 2 lab experiences across 2+ subject areas. | ||||||||
| Massachusetts | University of Massachusetts Amherst | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | – | University of Massachusetts Amherst requirements verified 2026-09-05 |
| Also: 2 elective courses from core subjects, arts/humanities, or computer science; math must include a senior-year course; 3 science courses must include lab work | ||||||||
| Michigan | University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) requirements verified 2026-09-05 |
| Also: 5 units from the subject groups (4 for Engineering and Nursing); Business, Engineering, Nursing and Pharmacy ask for 4 units of math, Nursing and Pharmacy for 4 of science; at least two rigorous writing courses inside the English units and at least two laboratory science courses inside the science units | ||||||||
| Minnesota | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: A 4th year of math (two years algebra, one geometry, plus a 4th course) is required for Twin Cities admission | ||||||||
| Mississippi | University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) | 4 | 3 (4) | 3 | 3 | – | – | University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) requirements verified 2026-09-05 |
| Also: 2 advanced electives, one of them foreign language or world geography (foreign language, world geography, a fourth year of lab science or of mathematics), and one-half unit of computer applications; 15.5 Carnegie units in all | ||||||||
| Missouri | University of Missouri (Mizzou) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | University of Missouri (Mizzou) requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 17 required core units total (4 English, 4 math, 3 science, 3 social studies, 2 foreign language, 1 fine arts); all math must be Algebra I or higher. | ||||||||
| Montana | University of Montana | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 (2) | 0 | University of Montana requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 2 years electives from foreign language, computer science, visual/performing arts, or vocational education | ||||||||
| Nebraska | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 16 total academic units; a student unable to take 2 years of world language in high school may still qualify for admission | ||||||||
| Nevada | University of Nevada, Reno | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – | University of Nevada, Reno requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 3 units of math at Algebra I or higher; a 3.0 weighted GPA in these core courses; UNR's page names no language or arts units | ||||||||
| New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire | 4 | 3 | 2 (3) | 2 | 0 (2) | 0 | University of New Hampshire requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 15 total units; 2 more full-year college-prep courses beyond the thirteen named-subject units (4 English, 3 math, 2 lab science, 2 history or social science, 2 of one world language) | ||||||||
| New Jersey | Rutgers University | 4 | 3 (4) | 0 (3) | 0 (3) | 0 (2) | 0 | Rutgers University requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 16 total academic units; exact subject mix (science, social studies, foreign language) varies by the specific Rutgers school/college applied to | ||||||||
| New Mexico | University of New Mexico | – | – | – | – | – (2) | – | University of New Mexico requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| No numeric course pattern: UNM asks for the standard New Mexico high-school curriculum, or its equivalent in another state, and publishes no unit counts or GPA floor of its own | ||||||||
| New York | SUNY system (illustrated via SUNY Cortland) | 4 | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | 4 | 3 (4) | – | SUNY system (illustrated via SUNY Cortland) requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| North Carolina | UNC-Chapel Hill | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 (2) | – | UNC-Chapel Hill requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 2 additional elective units from English, math, science, social studies, world languages, or computer science | ||||||||
| North Dakota | University of North Dakota | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | – | University of North Dakota requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 1 additional unit from English, math, science, social studies, or world language. | ||||||||
| Ohio | Ohio State University | 4 | 3 (4) | 3 | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 1 | Ohio State University requirements verified 2026-09-02 |
| Also: one extra unit in any of the core subjects above may count toward the total | ||||||||
| Oklahoma | University of Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Regents' statewide college-prep curriculum) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – | University of Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Regents' statewide college-prep curriculum) requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: additional units from foreign language, computer science or technology, psychology, sociology, AP, or qualifying concurrent enrollment (the Regents' page lists the categories without a count) | ||||||||
| Oregon | University of Oregon | 4 | 3 (4) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | University of Oregon requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 15 college-prep units total | ||||||||
| Pennsylvania | Penn State University Park | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | see Social studies | Penn State University Park requirements verified 2026-09-05 |
| Also: Category 2 figures shown (all four-year majors outside Smeal Business, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, IST, and Eberly Science, and their counterparts at other campuses). Category 1 majors need 3.5 math units (adds a half unit of trigonometry, precalculus, or calculus) instead of 3; both categories need the same English, science, and world-language units. The 3 social-studies units are a combined 'Social Studies/Art/Humanities' bucket, so arts is not itemized separately and is not additive on top of it. | ||||||||
| Rhode Island | University of Rhode Island | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | University of Rhode Island requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: Remaining 5 core academic units: up to 3 may be academic electives such as computer science, engineering, business, art, or music; 18 core academic units expected overall | ||||||||
| South Carolina | University of South Carolina | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | University of South Carolina requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 2 additional academic elective units | ||||||||
| South Dakota | University of South Dakota (USD) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | 1 | University of South Dakota (USD) requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: Plus one of: GPA 2.6+, top 50% class rank, ACT 21+/SAT 1070+, or a 3 or higher on the English Language Arts and Mathematics Smarter Balanced Assessments (Board of Regents system-wide core) | ||||||||
| Tennessee | University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) | – (4) | – (4) | – (3) | – (2) | – (2) | – (1) | University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| No numeric course pattern: No published minimums: the figures in parentheses are the course loads UTK suggests, not required minimums; ACT/SAT scores and core GPA carry the actual review | ||||||||
| Texas | University of Texas at Austin | 4 | 3 (4) | 2 (4) | 3 (4) | 2 | 0 (1) | University of Texas at Austin requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: math should include Algebra II or a higher-rigor equivalent (UT's word is 'should'); UT publishes no figure beyond the requirement for English or foreign language, so those cells show one figure rather than a minimum and a recommendation | ||||||||
| Utah | University of Utah | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Utah requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| No numeric course pattern: no published subject-credit minimums; review is holistic, weighing course rigor, grade trends, and GPA | ||||||||
| Vermont | University of Vermont | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | University of Vermont requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: Math includes Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II or equivalent; science includes at least one lab science | ||||||||
| Virginia | University of Virginia | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Virginia requirements verified 2026-09-05 |
| No numeric course pattern: No fixed numeric minimums published; UVA uses fully holistic review and is test-optional through the 2026-27 cycle | ||||||||
| Washington | University of Washington | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | University of Washington requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: 1 senior-year math-based quantitative course as its own CADR line, beside 3 math and 3 science; 0.5 academic elective credit in a core subject; total 17 CADR credits | ||||||||
| West Virginia | West Virginia University | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | – | West Virginia University requirements verified 2026-09-01 |
| Also: Test-optional admission; the 4 Social Studies units may combine Social Studies, Fine Arts, or Humanities but must include U.S. History | ||||||||
| Wisconsin | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 (2) | – | University of Wisconsin-Madison requirements verified 2026-09-05 |
| Also: 4 years of electives; total of 17 credits minimum | ||||||||
| Wyoming | University of Wyoming | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | – | – | University of Wyoming requirements verified 2026-09-04 |
| Also: 4 years of additional coursework in one combined bucket (foreign language, fine arts, or career education) with two years in the same subject, so language and the arts show as dashes | ||||||||
How you would know your transcript meets this
In Trellis, the courses you plan and the work your children check off become the transcript as you go, printed on one page with the grading scale, the credits, and a footnote for every dual-credit course worded for its kind. The graduation card, a checklist in Trellis, reads that transcript against your state's reference table as credits accumulate, so what is still missing shows years before an application does. It is a record, never a verdict.
Start your family's transcript Every state's pages