Homeschooled Students

The Value of Your Homeschool Experience

We at UW–Madison greatly value and appreciate the unique experiences and strengths that our homeschooled applicants bring to our campus and to our student body. Our applicants who were homeschooled often have access to highly rigorous and personalized courses that delve deeply into the student’s specific areas of interest and provide enriching out-of-classroom opportunities. Homeschooling is often a great option for students who want to accelerate to rigor beyond what is offered at their local high school or for students who want more control in the content and pacing of their studies. These students are highly prepared for the rigor that UW–Madison has to offer and often make a large impact on our campus both in and outside of the classroom. We are excited to welcome future homeschooled Badgers for years to come!

Expectations and Guidance for High School Applicants

Applicants who were homeschooled at any point during their high school experience will apply as either a first-year or transfer student and will need to submit additional materials with their application for admission consideration.

These additional materials will help our admissions counselors put each student’s educational journey into context and help assess the level of rigor the student reached. We have adapted these requirements, as they reflect best practice as suggested by AACRAO.

As UW–Madison receives applications from many highly qualified applicants every year, we look for students who have taken breadth and depth in the rigor of their high school coursework. Rigorous coursework would include any honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual enrollment courses the student has taken in English, social science, mathematics, science, and world language. Students are more than welcome to also take elective courses at a rigorous level to show their interest in a particular area of study; we like to see students explore their areas of passion whenever possible.

We are committed to helping our students navigate the admissions process as smoothly and easily as possible. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact our homeschool admissions representative, at homeschool@admissions.wisc.edu.

Next Steps for Homeschool Applicants

All students who were homeschooled will need to submit the following additional materials with their application:

1. A complete homeschool transcript, showing all coursework taken and grades earned. A complete transcript should also indicate the level of rigor of each course, denoting whether a course may have been at the honors or Advanced Placement level, and include a grading scale for reference. A sample transcript can be found below in the “Resources” section. If the student completed a program or took courses at an institution which provides a transcript, those materials must be submitted alongside the complete homeschool transcript.
2. Course descriptions for all courses taught by a homeschool administrator or with an online program such as Time4Learning, Khan Academy, or another self-directed online curriculum that does not provide a transcript. Course descriptions should include the following information: the title and level of the course, the name and accreditations of the teacher (if applicable), the approximate number of hours spent on the course, a brief description of topics covered in the course, and the texts or resources used to cover the course material (if applicable).
3. All applicants, regardless of their educational background, are required to show proficiency in two units of a world (foreign) language. We encourage students to consider taking these courses at a local or community college if the opportunity is available. Our faculty do not currently recognize programs like Rosetta Stone as meeting these requirements. In rare and unique circumstances, a student may be admitted without having demonstrated this proficiency in world language, in which case, they will be given the opportunity to demonstrate this proficiency once they are on campus.

Students who were homeschooled can submit a letter of recommendation written by a homeschool administrator, such as a teacher, tutor, mentor, or someone who has knowledge of the student in an academic capacity. Those looking to write a letter of recommendation might consider including information about the student’s academic and personal journey, information about the student’s educational process while they were homeschooled, and information that highlights the student’s strengths and challenges in that learning environment.

How to Submit Materials:

Homeschool transcripts and course descriptions can be submitted by the parent or school administrator to homeschool@admissions.wisc.edu with a subject line of “Homeschool Materials.”

Letter of recommendation can be submitted by the recommender to homeschool@admissions.wisc.edu or by submitting our Recommendation Form.