Minnesota · high school · 2026-2027 school year
Minnesota homeschool graduation requirements, diploma, and transcript
Read how the state rule appliesThe full source context behind the short version.
Minnesota has no state homeschool diploma and no state graduation requirements binding a homeschooled student. Minn. Stat. § 120A.22 sets the subjects and the yearly assessment home instruction must cover; no Minnesota statute sets homeschool graduation credits. The parent issues the diploma; the state does not review a transcript or accredit a home school.
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 21.5 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
Open the public-school credit referenceA planning reference, not a homeschool requirement.
Minnesota's public-school diploma requires 21.5 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 | Public-school minimum under Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(a)(1), for reference only. |
| Math | 3 | a sequence meeting the state's academic standards in mathematics (MDE's guidance: through Algebra II or Integrated Math III). Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(a)(2): three credits sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in mathematics; the statute names no course sequence. |
| Science | 3 | earth and space science; life science; chemistry or physics. Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(a)(3): one credit each in the three named areas. |
| Social studies | 3.5 | US History; Government and Citizenship; World History; Geography; Economics. Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(a)(4): three and one-half credits encompassing at least United States history, geography, government and citizenship, world history and economics, including a government and citizenship course in grade 11 or 12 (or an AP, IB or other rigorous government course under § 120B.021, subd. 1a) for students beginning grade 9 in 2025-26 or later. |
| Foreign language | 0 | No statewide public-school requirement. |
| PE and health | — | Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(a)(6) and (7): enough credit to meet the physical education standards, with no number set; health follows once statewide health rules are adopted. Neither university table below asks for a PE credit. |
| Arts | 1 | Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(a)(5): one credit of the arts sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in the arts. |
| Electives | 7 | Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(a)(8): a minimum of seven elective credits; in practice the district, not MDE, decides which courses count (that is local practice, not the clause's words). |
| Other | 0 | personal finance course in grade 10, 11, or 12. Minn. Stat. § 120B.024, subd. 1(b): a personal finance course, taken for credit in grade 10, 11, or 12, for students beginning grade 9 in 2024-25 or later. No credit count of its own, but the course is still required to graduate. |
Assessments in the public-school rules: None for a homeschooled student. A homeschooled student instead takes the yearly nationally norm-referenced test that Minn. Stat. § 120A.22, subd. 11 sets, unless the instruction is accredited by an accrediting agency, or recognized under section 123B.445 or by the commissioner (subd. 11(d)). Public-school students do not take that test, and it is not a graduation exam.
What Minnesota colleges ask a homeschooled applicant for
Read the admissions and homeschool detailsLaw, testing, and application context
Minnesota places zero legal requirements on a homeschool diploma or transcript. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities asks for more than the public-school floor in two places, a fourth year of math and two years of a second language, so its course pattern below is worth reading on its own terms. Minnesota's Postsecondary Enrollment Options program is open to home-schooled students as "alternative pupils" (Minn. Stat. § 124D.09, subd. 4): 11th and 12th graders for college courses generally, 10th graders for career and technical courses.
Years of each subject. 0 means the university lists no requirement in that subject; a dash means it publishes no figure for it.
University of Minnesota Twin CitiesPublished course expectations
flagship University of Minnesota Twin Cities
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 4 | 4 |
| Science | 3 | 3 |
| Social studies | 3 | 3 |
| Foreign language | 2 | 2 |
| Arts | 1 | 1 |
A 4th year of math (two years algebra, one geometry, plus a 4th course) is required for Twin Cities admission
Holistic, test-optional review; a rigorous curriculum matters more than any single missing course. UMN lists a second language (2 years) and visual or performing arts (1 year) in the same list as the other subjects. UMN publishes one figure per subject, so the minimum and recommended columns repeat it. UMN's guidebook adds that its College of Biological Sciences expects a year each of biology and chemistry, and its College of Science and Engineering a year each of biology, chemistry and physics. University of Minnesota Twin Cities requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
Minnesota State universities (e.g. Mankato, St. Cloud)Published course expectations
Minnesota State universities (e.g. Mankato, St. Cloud)
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 3 |
| Science | 3 | 3 |
| Social studies | 3 | 3 |
| Foreign language | – | 2 |
| Arts | 1 | 1 |
Math: 2 years algebra (one intermediate/advanced) plus 1 year geometry; science: 1 year biological + 1 year physical with lab
The system procedure publishes one figure per subject, repeated in both columns; the uniform minimum applies system-wide to recent high school graduates; Mankato's own page adds that a student out of school 3+ years is admitted on proof of graduation or satisfactory GED scores, and that its one-year arts line can be met by a World Culture course as well as music, drama or visual arts. The system-wide core sets no world-language minimum, while Mankato's own preparation-standards page lists two years of the same language, so check the campus you want. Minnesota State universities (e.g. Mankato, St. Cloud) requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
Questions families ask
Does Minnesota require a homeschool diploma?
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How many credits does a Minnesota homeschool diploma need?
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Who signs a homeschool transcript in Minnesota?
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What does University of Minnesota Twin Cities expect from a homeschooled applicant?
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Does my child need to pass Minnesota's yearly test to graduate?
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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.
Start your family's transcript Minnesota's homeschool law, step by step