Issue Description
Information and recommendations regarding college admissions and financial aid requirements and preparing your homeschool student for college.

Issue Background
For several years, the Home School Legal Defense Association has been working on state and federal issues to improve admission procedures for homeschoolers at colleges and universities across the country. In 1996 HSLDA conducted a nationwide college survey sampling the homeschool admissions policies in all 50 states. This survey revealed that although many colleges eagerly accepted homeschoolers, just as many had not formulated any policies regarding homeschool admission, and were confused about the legal issues involved. This was compounded by the fact that homeschooled students could not get Federal financial aid without obtaining a GED or state-certified diploma. Therefore, the Association drafted federal legislation to place homeschool college applicants for admissions and financial aid on the same footing as traditional applicants.

This language was included in The Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998 (Pub. L. No. 105-244) and changed what post-secondary schools could require of homeschool applicants. These new guidelines, however, have only slowly reached local financial aid offices, and HSLDA has recently been heavily involved in educating these offices on the documentation homeschoolers can be required to give for financial aid.

Help for Homeschool Grads: The College Bound and Job Seeker
2010 Update on Homeschool Graduates and the FAFSA
Federal Requirements for Homeschoolers Seeking College Admission and Financial Aid
	Colleges and universities frequently ask two questions about homeschoolers: (1) Are homeschoolers eligible for financial aid without obtaining a GED or passing an ability-to-benefit test? and (2) Can a university admit a student with a homeschool high school diploma who is under the age of compulsory attendance and still retain its eligibility for federal funding? The answer to both questions is "Yes."
College Complications: Homeschool Graduates Overcome Obstacles
	More and more colleges and universities are recognizing the success of homeschooling by changing their admissions policies—treating homeschool graduates as valued scholars.
Once Again Homeschoolers Score High on the ACT Exam
Home Schooled Students Excel in College
	This document contains information on home school graduates, their ACT and SAT scores, their academic and social performance in colleges, college admission officials' viewpoints, model home school college admission guidelines and applicable federal laws.
The College Board: Home-Schooled Students and College Admission
	Information on the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, CLEP tests and college admission resources
ACT Test
	ACT Online Registration, Test Dates, Locations, and Codes