Same application, same review
Homeschooled students apply through the regular first-year application: no fee, no essay, about twenty minutes, and a decision in about two weeks once your file is complete. Porter receives roughly 70 applications a year from homeschooled students; for fall 2026, 71 applied and 58 were admitted, a rate close to the overall 80 percent.
You are held to the same 17-unit course pattern described on first-year admission requirements — four years of English, three of math through algebra II, three of science with two labs, three of social studies and four academic electives. The only real difference is that you, rather than a school counseling office, document it.
Building the transcript
A parent- or administrator-prepared transcript is fine. Readers do not need it to look like a public school’s; they need it to be complete. Include:
- Every course by year (ninth through twelfth grade), with the title, units earned and final grade.
- Your grading scale and how you define a unit (most families use 120–150 hours for one unit).
- A cumulative GPA, calculated on your scale.
- Your expected graduation date and a signed statement that the program was completed under your state’s home-based education law.
- A one-paragraph description for each math, lab science and English course: the curriculum or textbook, what the labs were, and how work was assessed.
Send transcripts from anything taken outside the home too — online academies, co-op classes, a technical college course. A GED or equivalency diploma is not required.
One piece of outside evidence
Because a home transcript is hard for a stranger to calibrate, Porter asks homeschooled applicants for one piece of outside evidence. Test scores are still optional for everyone (see test-optional admission); a score is just one of four ways to meet this:
| Option | What we need |
|---|---|
| A college course | A grade of C or better in any college-level course, including Porter dual enrollment |
| An ACT or SAT score | Any score, self-reported on the application |
| A nationally normed annual test | Your most recent results from a standardized achievement test your family already uses |
| A counselor conversation | A 30-minute video or campus meeting plus Porter’s online math placement assessment |
Most families pick whatever they already have. None of the options is weighted above the others.
Labs, portfolios and program prerequisites
Lab science is the course readers ask about most. Say what the lab component was — a co-op lab, a kit-based course, a summer program — and roughly how many labs you completed. Engineering and computing applicants should show math through precalculus; Nursing wants biology and chemistry. Design applicants follow the same portfolio review as everyone else.
Porter’s summer academies and school-year workshops (see precollege programs) are open to homeschooled students and are a low-stakes way to take a lab in Founders Hall before applying.
Aid, scholarships and athletics
- Federal aid: completing a homeschool program under state law makes you eligible on the FAFSA. Answer the high school completion question accordingly.
- Merit scholarships: automatic, using the GPA on your transcript and your outside evidence. Be admitted by December 1, 2026 for the first round and by February 1, 2027 for full consideration — see scholarship deadlines.
- Honors: the Honors Program weighs curiosity and readiness for seminar work; homeschooled students do well in it.
- Athletics: the Ironclads compete in NCAA Division III, which does not require a separate eligibility certification. Contact the coach directly.
Dates and a person to call
Annika Brekke, the counselor for Porter County and the Valley, also serves as Porter’s homeschool liaison and reads every homeschool file. Two information evenings are scheduled this cycle:
- Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:30–8 p.m., Welcome Center — in person, with a transcript-building workshop.
- Thursday, January 14, 2027, 7–8 p.m. — virtual.
Families who want a campus look first can book any Ironclad Preview Day; the senior-year timeline applies to homeschooled seniors month for month.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. The homeschool policy, liaison, information evenings and admission figures on this page are invented for a fictional university; check any real college’s own requirements before building a transcript for it.