Admission for Home Schooled First-Year Students

We welcome applications from students who are receiving their secondary level education at home and we value the different perspective "home-schooled" students bring to our classroom and community.

Since 2000, we have received over 100 applications from home schooled students and we have made offers of admission to 81% of those students. We are pleased to note that more than half of those admitted home-schooled students have enrolled at UNH and become a part of our community.

You are a "home schooled student" if you are receiving your "secondary school" education from your parents or through an accredited distance learning program. Our admissions criteria for home-schooled students are the same as for those students who receive their diploma through the local public school system or through a traditional private secondary school. With as many as two million students receiving their secondary education at home, we view home-schooling as simply another viable and well established means of preparation for the transition to college or university.

In evaluating your preparation for admission to UNH, we focus primarily on the quality of your academic preparation, particularly as it relates to the major you wish to study. We value strong, consistent achievement in a diverse and progressively demanding selection of courses.

Although we will consider your accomplishments in every discipline, we encourage students to study English, foreign language, mathematics, natural science and social science each of the four years during secondary school education. We do so because most successful applicants have four years of study in each of these disciplines. A specific breakdown for enrolling students is provided below.

Course Selection for Admitted Students

Standardized Testing

We require submission of either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT. We do not have a "cut off" score for admission, however, the average SAT scores for admitted students fall 2005 were Verbal 550, Mathematics 560. Although not required, we do welcome Subject Tests (formerly known as "SAT-II" or "Achievement Tests"), particularly in those subject areas related to your area of academic interest.

Effective for fall 2006, the SAT has an added "Writing" component. While we will collect and study these scores, for admissions purposes, we will use the new "Critical Reading" component in the same manner we have previously used the "Verbal" score and we will continue to utilize the "Mathematics" component as we always have.

Documentation for Application Review and Enrollment

When you apply for admission, we will ask you to send us an official copy of your transcript or a synopsis of your portfolio outlining the breadth and depth of the material you have covered in your studies and the method of evaluation. If you choose to enroll at UNH, you will need to provide documentation of successful completion of your secondary level studies in the form of a final transcript, a General Equivalency Diploma (GED), or a certificate of completion from your local school district or state board of education. If your home school program does not provide a "diploma" please feel free to contact us to discern the final documentation we will require before your enrollment.

We are also interested in learning how your personal interests and talents have developed over the past few years. We will review your responses to the questions on our application and evaluate your letter(s) of recommendation. We also encourage you to highlight your experience or leadership in local activities such as sports organizations, community service, or other extracurricular activity.

If you have any questions about admission to UNH, please contact us.