West Virginia · high school · 2026-2027 school year
West Virginia homeschool graduation requirements, diploma, and transcript
Trellis has no step-by-step law page for West Virginia yet. The state's own statute and agency sources at the end of this page are the primary references.
West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) Policy 2510 sets public high school graduation credits; independent home instruction under W. Va. Code 18-8-1 requires only a notice of intent and annual assessment, so the parent sets course/credit requirements and issues the diploma.
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 23 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
West Virginia's public-school diploma requires 23 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 | English 9; English 10; English 11; one personalized ELA credit (e.g. English 12). |
| Math | 4 | Algebra I/Math I; Geometry/Math II; two personalized math credits. |
| Science | 3 | Earth and Space Science; Biology; one personalized science credit. |
| Social studies | 4 | World Studies or AP Social Studies; US Studies or AP US History; Civics; one personalized credit. |
| Foreign language | 0 | not a prescribed graduation credit; WVU's own minimum is 2 units of one language (its table below) |
| PE and health | 2 | Physical Education (1); Health (1). |
| Arts | 1 | |
| Electives | 4 | Personalized Education Plan: a CTE program of study or coursework leading to college, enlistment, or employment. |
| Other | 1 | Personal Finance. prescribed credit added starting with the 2024-25 freshman cohort; earlier cohorts graduate at 22 total credits without it |
Assessments in the public-school rules: A cumulative exam in U.S. History and one in Civics within those courses, required under W. Va. Code § 18-2-9(a)(3); the citizenship-style civics test in § 18-2-9(f) is an indicator the statute says creates no accountability requirement. No separate statewide exit exam. These exams bind public-school students; a homeschooled student is not required to take them.
What West Virginia colleges ask a homeschooled applicant for
Policy 2510's 22/23-credit framework governs public high schools only. Independent homeschoolers filing under 18-8-1 (notice of intent plus annual assessment at grades 3, 5, 8, 11) set their own graduation criteria; families can instead enroll through a church school or learning center, which counts as private or parochial school instruction under W. Va. Code § 18-8-1(k) and sets its own requirements. West Virginia law (18-8-1a) requires public schools to accept homeschool transcripts for placement and credit.
Years of each subject. 0 means the university lists no requirement in that subject; a dash means it publishes no figure for it.
flagship West Virginia University
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | – |
| Math | 3 | – |
| Science | 3 | – |
| Social studies | 4 | – |
| Foreign language | 2 | – |
| Arts | – | – |
Test-optional admission; the 4 Social Studies units may combine Social Studies, Fine Arts, or Humanities but must include U.S. History
Math minimum is Algebra I and II; world-language exceptions are granted case-by-case for students without access to 2 years of one language. West Virginia University requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
Marshall University (West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Universal Admission Requirements, used across WV's public 4-year colleges)
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | – |
| Math | 4 | – |
| Science | 3 | – |
| Social studies | 3 | – |
| Foreign language | 2 | – |
| Arts | 1 | – |
minimum 2.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale; test scores not required for admission
Marshall frames these as recommended academic core units and says applicants who have not completed them may still be admitted. 3 of the 4 math units must be Algebra I/Math I or higher; science units must be college-prep lab courses, preferably biology, chemistry, and physics. Marshall University (West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Universal Admission Requirements, used across WV's public 4-year colleges) requirements (source), checked 2026-09-05.
Questions families ask
Does West Virginia require a homeschool diploma?
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How many credits does a West Virginia homeschool diploma need?
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Who signs a homeschool transcript in West Virginia?
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What does West Virginia University 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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