Maryland · high school · 2026-2027 school year
Maryland homeschool graduation requirements, diploma, and transcript
Trellis has no step-by-step law page for Maryland yet. The state's own statute and agency sources at the end of this page are the primary references.
The Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) home-instruction regulation (13A.10.01) covers notice, portfolio review, and required subjects, but has no diploma provision. The parent issues the diploma. MSDE's position, as HSLDA reports it, is that an umbrella program cannot issue a valid diploma because it is not a school, and HSLDA reports problems with umbrella-issued diplomas in some Maryland job applications, so a parent-issued diploma is the safer paper.
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 22 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: University of Maryland, College Park's own published course expectations are in the table below.
- 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
Maryland's public-school diploma requires 22 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 | one course aligned to the state assessment (English 10). |
| Math | 4 | Algebra I; Geometry. Raised from 3 to 4 credits for students entering 9th grade in 2021-2022 or later. |
| Science | 3 | life science; physical science; Earth/space science. Lab-based coursework required. |
| Social studies | 3 | U.S. History; World History; Government. |
| Foreign language | 2 | May instead be satisfied with 2 credits in a Career & Technology Education program. |
| PE and health | 1.5 | Physical Education (0.5); Health Education (1). Health rose from 0.5 to 1 credit for the 2021-2022-and-later cohort. |
| Arts | 1 | dance, media arts, music, theatre, or visual art. |
| Electives | 2.5 | Remaining credits needed to reach the 22-credit total. |
| Other | 1 | Computer Science, Engineering, or Technology Education. |
Assessments in the public-school rules: Maryland Comprehensive Assessments in Algebra I, science, government, and English 10 (or approved substitutes such as AP/IB/SAT scores) are required to earn a diploma. These exams bind public-school students; a homeschooled student is not required to take them.
What Maryland colleges ask a homeschooled applicant for
Maryland's 22-credit diploma and its Board of Regents college-prep minimum leave arts credit unaddressed on the college side; Maryland does not define statewide diploma endorsements (COMAR leaves those to local school systems).
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 Maryland, College Park
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 4 | 4 |
| Science | 3 | 3 |
| Social studies | 3 | 3 |
| Foreign language | 2 | 2 |
| Arts | – | – |
Math must include Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II; science needs at least 2 lab experiences across 2+ subject areas.
The University of Maryland (UMD) calls this the 'Board of Regents standards' minimum and reviews applications holistically; it does not publish a separate numeric 'recommended' chart, only that competitive applicants add honors/AP/IB coursework. University of Maryland, College Park requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
Questions families ask
Does Maryland require a homeschool diploma?
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How many credits does a Maryland homeschool diploma need?
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Who signs a homeschool transcript in Maryland?
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What does University of Maryland, College Park 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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