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Montana · high school · 2026-2027 school year

Montana homeschool graduation requirements, diploma, and transcript

Trellis has no step-by-step law page for Montana yet. The state's own statute and agency sources at the end of this page are the primary references.

Montana sets no state-mandated graduation requirements, curriculum, or credits for a home-school diploma. Parents determine graduation criteria and issue the diploma themselves.

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 20 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

Montana's public-school diploma requires 20 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.

SubjectCreditsWhat that means
English 4 Public-school minimum (Administrative Rules of Montana, ARM 10.55.905), for reference only.
Math 2
Science 2
Social studies 2 0.5 civics or government embedded.
PE and health 1 Health enhancement and physical education (PE) combined.
Arts 1
Electives 7
Other 1 career and technical education (1); economics/financial literacy (0.5, embedded in social studies, math, or CTE). The 0.5 economics/financial-literacy requirement is embedded in social studies, math, or CTE, so it is not counted a second time here.

Assessments in the public-school rules: none required statewide for graduation. These exams bind public-school students; a homeschooled student is not required to take them.

What Montana colleges ask a homeschooled applicant for

Montana's public-university admission standard (the Montana University System College Preparatory Program) is uniform statewide and higher in math/social studies than the bare public-school graduation minimum.

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 Montana

SubjectMinimumRecommended
English44
Math33
Science22
Social studies33
Foreign language02
Arts00

2 years electives from foreign language, computer science, visual/performing arts, or vocational education

Math must include Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II; one of the two lab-science years must be earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics. University of Montana requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.

Montana State University

SubjectMinimumRecommended
English44
Math33
Science22
Social studies33
Foreign language02
Arts00

Same Montana University System College Preparatory Program as University of Montana

MSU and UM apply the same statewide Montana University System College Preparatory Program admission standard. Montana State University requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.

Questions families ask

Does Montana require a homeschool diploma?

Show answer
No. The graduation rules above bind public schools; the parent issues the diploma, and the state neither reviews nor accredits it.

How many credits does a Montana homeschool diploma need?

Show answer
None by law. The public-school minimum is 20 credits; it is the table colleges commonly read a transcript against.

Who signs a homeschool transcript in Montana?

Show answer
The parent. The state does not review, sign, or accredit it. What makes it credible is that it is complete, consistent, and kept as the work happened.

What does University of Montana expect from a homeschooled applicant?

Show answer
The course pattern in the table above, and the same application everyone files; the note under that table summarises the university's published admissions guidance.