Homeschoolers

The University of Wisconsin welcomes applications from homeschooled students. All homeschooled applicants must submit a complete application for admission as outlined below.

The application review process for homeschooled students parallels that of traditional high school applicants. We do, however, take into account the variety of settings and situations in which homeschooling can occur. Ultimately homeschooled students are expected to cover required course work at a level of achievement similar to that outlined on our freshman admission requirements and expectations page. Because comparative information such as class rank and grade point average is not always available from homeschooled applicants, standardized test scores may play a more significant role in our review process.

A complete application file from a homeschooled student consists of the following:

1. Application for Admission. You can apply online or download a paper application (PDF, 365K).
2. Application Fee. This nonrefundable $44 application fee must accompany your application. Online applicants can pay the fee by credit card. Paper applicants can pay by check or money order (payable to the University of Wisconsin). Do not send cash.
3. Official Test Scores. Scores from either the ACT or the SAT are required and must be sent directly from the testing agency. We also require the standardized writing test. Our test codes are 4656 for the ACT and 1846 for the SAT and TOEFL.  
4. Transcript. A transcript indicating the course work completed and in progress is required. The transcript should indicate grades that have been received for each course. Detailed performance evaluations are helpful, but not required. While courses do not have to be named in traditional terms, a brief summary of course content is required. Other materials such as course bibliographies or syllabi may be submitted but are not required. If homeschooling has been supplemented by formal course work either at the secondary school or post-secondary level, official transcripts from the school(s) or college(s) are required.
5. Statements. Section 9 of the application (online and print) is the Statements Section. The two statements are a crucial part of your application. They are your chance to tell us things about yourself that aren't revealed throughout the rest of your application. Ultimately, you'll want to provide us with all the details you would like us to know before we make a decision on your application. We do not impose a word-count limit; however most statements are 250–500 words in length. You should use as many words as necessary to tell us what we need to know while still submitting concise and focused statements.
6. Letters of Recommendation. We would like to see a recommendation from your primary instructor, as well as up to two recommendations from independent sources.