Homeschool Applicants | Penn Admissions

Penn welcomes applications from students who chart non-conventional academic paths, including those educated through homeschooling. Homeschool applicants submit the same application materials as applicants who attend traditional schools. However, because of your unique schooling environment, there are a few things to consider to ensure our Admissions Committee can create a clear picture of you when reviewing your application. As part of our comprehensive evaluation process, we want to learn more about what motivated you to choose a rigorous homeschool journey. We’ve prepared a few tips below to help you prepare your best application to Penn.

Application Tips for Homeschooled Students

Be your best self-advocate. Consider the following guiding prompts as you complete your application:

What inspired you or your family to seek homeschooling as an option for your education?
Describe your curriculum in detail and tell us how you, your family, or oversight group has organized your pursuit of knowledge across core academic disciplines including humanities, math, social and natural sciences, and foreign languages.
How has being homeschooled helped you grow intellectually and personally or enhanced your opportunities for learning?

Ask your academic advisor for help. Our Admissions Committee wants to learn more about how you have worked to demonstrate mastery across the curriculum and distinguish yourself as a scholar. We get to know you best when you or your academic advisor detail and contextualize your educational circumstances.

Submit a consolidated transcript. It’s important that you submit a consolidated transcript that pulls together and organizes your academic work. If the name of a course isn't clear or needs further explanation, include a brief course description. Course listings, grading/rating scales, syllabi, lab work, reading lists, textbooks, or historical/current information help enhance our understanding of your academic program. The person creating your transcript may find it helpful to view our recommendations for submitting a school profile.

Consider submitting test scores. Though not required, standardized test scores in subjects you wish to showcase may provide objective evidence and support for grades and ratings.

Ask outside instructors for recommendations if possible. Recommendations and viewpoints provided by instructors from outside of your home provide objective evaluations and lend additional context to your academic work.

You have options for submitting your Secondary School Report. The Secondary School Report may be completed by a high school counselor, homeschool program coordinator, academic advisor, or family and may include motivations for homeschooling, and a description of curricula.