U Mass

[GoodGrief]

What is the current situation with homeschoolers and UMass? I've been browsing past threads and getting the impression that Amherst was the only one that provided difficulty for homeschool applicants. Is that correct?

[Matryoshka]

I have a dd currently at UMass Amherst. :)

 

I was going to just post that they'd added in the past couple of years that now you can use 27 CC/DE credits as 'proof of high school graduation' rather than just GED, but I just went to check for details, and the most recent thing seems even more promising - the bolded (bolding mine) at the bottom seems to indicate that they finally will accept a homeschool transcript.  MA state law does NOT require or award any additional credential or outside accreditation to homeschool, even though in the past that has been one thing they've insisted they want if you don't have a GED.  :glare:   Someone must have finally smacked them with a sanity stick:  :hurray:   The 27 credit thing seems to have gone poof, but if they'll just accept a normal homeschool transcript, who cares?

 

https://www.umass.edu/umfa/sites/default/files/Forms/Even_VER_HSDIPLOMA.pdf (link to doc, text copied below):

 

Provide one of the following documents that indicate your high school completion status at the time you will begin college in 2017–2018:

 

• A copy of the student’s high school diploma.

• A copy of the student’s final official high school transcript that shows the date when the diploma was awarded.

• A copy of the student’s General Educational Development (GED) certificate or GED transcript.

• An academic transcript that indicates the student successfully completed at least a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree.

• A “Secondary school leaving certifi cate†for students who completed secondary education in a foreign country and is unable to get copy of high school diploma/transcript.

• A copy of the student’s DD-214, if it indicates that the individual is a high school graduate or its equivalent.

 

If state law requires a homeschooled student to obtain a secondary school completion credential for homeschool (other than a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent), a copy of that credential.

 

If state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a secondary school completion credential for homeschool (other than a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent), a transcript or the equivalent, signed by the student’s parent or guardian, that lists the secondary school courses the student completed and documents the successful completion of a secondary school education in a homeschool setting.

 

When my own dd applied, she was transferring from another state school, and they still wanted her to take the GED!!  I had to point out to them that according to their own site said 27 credits was sufficient proof of graduation, and dd was transferring near 70!  Oops, the transfer office hadn't coordinated the policy with freshman admissions.  Dd did not have to take the GED.

 

LOL, wait, hold the presses - I found the 27 credits or we need additional documentation from your local school district or homeschool association (both things NOT available to MA homeschoolers so WTH dudes) on their main admission page - didn't pop up when I did a search but there it is.  So, two dueling documents - apparently the two hands still aren't talking to each other!.  The first one is better and has this year's date on it.  I'd refer any recalcitrant admissions people to the doc above, but here's the other info:

 

https://www.umass.edu/admissions/apply/admissions-requirements/freshman-admissions-requirements (link to admissions page; text copied below)

 

Home-Schooled Applicants

Home-schooled applicants are required to submit all of the application materials required for freshman applicants, including standardized test scores, a personal statement, and a transcript.  It is understood that the transcript of a home-schooled student may be different from that of a traditional high school student.  Regardless of the format, a transcript should include all 9th to 12th grade courses (including those in progress) and the timeframe of each course (academic year and semester).  In addition, an assessment of performance (a letter grade, percentage, narrative assessment, etc.) is needed.  Occasionally applicants are asked to submit additional information describing the curriculum and/or texts used.

Home-schooled students who are admitted are required to provide the university with proof of graduation in one of the four following ways:

• An official final transcript from the local school district.
• An official final transcript from a home school association or agency.
• An official GED/HiSET score report.
• An official college transcript(s) showing successful completion of 27 college credits

Home-schooled students who have completed AP exams and/or college coursework must request that those official score reports and transcripts be sent directly to the Admissions Office. 

 

[Matryoshka]

 About other UMass campuses - I know a ton who go to UMass Lowell, and have never heard of a problem.  I know less about Dartmouth and Boston, but I've never heard anyone say they had a problem.  The state university campuses I think are also fine - dd now at UMass Amherst attended one freshman year (Bridgewater State).  They practically had never heard of a homeschooler and didn't have any kind of policy, but then they accepted my homemade transcript just fine.

[GoodGrief]

Thank you for digging that up! I was talking to a homeschooling MA mom today about college options and could not recall the UMass situation precisely. Seems very hopeful at this point!