Maine · high school · 2026-2027 school year
Maine homeschool graduation requirements, diploma, and transcript
Trellis has no step-by-step law page for Maine yet. The state's own statute and agency sources at the end of this page are the primary references.
Maine's home-instruction statute (20-A M.R.S. section 5001-A) sets curriculum, notice, and annual-assessment rules but says nothing about diplomas; families or an umbrella program typically issue their own diploma. The home-instruction notice must show that the student will demonstrate proficiency in the use of computers at one grade level from 7 to 12 (§ 5001-A); that is a homeschool notice item, not a public-school diploma requirement.
The short version
- Who sets the requirement: the state's graduation rules bind public schools, not homeschools. The parent issues the diploma.
- 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
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 | 2 | State minimum is 2 years; the university rows below show what the public universities ask for. |
| Science | 2 | at least 1 year must include laboratory study. |
| Social studies | 2 | American history; government; civics; personal finance. All four topics must be covered within the 2-year minimum. |
| Foreign language | 0 | Schools must offer world-language instruction, but state law sets no student credit minimum. |
| PE and health | 0 | Schools must provide health and physical education instruction, but state law sets no explicit credit minimum. |
| Arts | 1 | art, music, forensics, or drama. |
| Electives | 0 | Not set by state law; determined locally. |
| Other | 0 | The diploma statute adds no non-credit conditions beyond the program areas above. |
Assessments in the public-school rules: None: neither the diploma statute (20-A M.R.S. § 4722) nor the Maine Department of Education (DOE) page sets a graduation exam or civics test. These exams bind public-school students; a homeschooled student is not required to take them.
What Maine colleges ask a homeschooled applicant for
Maine sets only subject-area minimums (no statewide total credit count), and its homeschool law is silent on diplomas, so there is no single state number; the university tables below carry the published expectations.
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 Maine
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 4 |
| Science | 2 | 3 |
| Social studies | 2 | 3 |
| Foreign language | 2 | 2 |
| Arts | – | – |
UMaine's own page states ranges (e.g. 3-4 math, 2-3 science, 2-3 social studies) rather than a single fixed number; minimum/recommended above are the low/high ends of those ranges. University of Maine requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
University of Southern Maine
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 3 |
| Science | 2 | 2 |
| Social studies | 2 | 2 |
| Foreign language | – | – |
| Arts | – | – |
Math: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II or equivalents; science must include lab components.
USM's general-admission page did not distinguish a separate 'recommended' tier, and did not state foreign-language or arts requirements. University of Southern Maine requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
Questions families ask
Does Maine require a homeschool diploma?
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Who signs a homeschool transcript in Maine?
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What does University of Maine 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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