Homeschool Scholarships - A Helpful Guide Securing College Scholarship for Home-Schooled Students

If you are thinking about, or are new to the concept of homeschooling, one factor to always consider is the cost for the privilege of being your child’s educator.

If your child possesses the aptitude for higher education, you and your college-bound student will also need to consider the same cost challenges impacting conventional high school graduates including tuition, and room and board.

So, how do homeschooled students get a college scholarship? Homeschooled students are eligible for college scholarships and grants much like most financial aid, including grants, are available to conventional students. Further, many scholarships are specifically designed for students educated at home.

Keep reading to learn the best places to look for scholarships and money for college.

Homeschool Specific Aid

More than 2 million students across the country are educated at home, and although most scholarships will not exclude home-schooled students (although some do), there are a growing number of financial aid options specifically geared for the homeschooler.

The following is a sample list of traditiona and homeschool-specific awards, both locally and nationally.

Institution-based Scholarships

Many institutions support and believe in the right to homeschool. And, as the trend continues to grow, the list of state-based institutions offering financial assistance to homeschooled students in pursuit of post-secondary education from a college, university, or trade school, appears to have a growing trend.

Though some institutions posses a national footprint, some are strictly state-based and offer great scholarships options to qualified students.

Since we reside in Arizona, the best example that comes to mind is Arizona Families for Home Education (AFHE), a statewide, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that has been serving the needs and protecting the rights of Arizona’s homeschooling families since 1983.

AFHE offers designated scholarships based on the following criteria:

Academic achievement, integrity, conduct, financial need, character, leadership, professionalism
A particular college, university, or trade school
A particular field of study
Grade Point Average (GPA)
A specific undergraduate or postgraduate degree program
ACT, SAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT results, etc.

Most scholarships come from private donations and can thus be designated (open to specific applicants) based on the criteria listed above.

For more information about AFHE and to apply for a scholarship, click HERE.

Other examples, of state-based, homeschooler friendly scholarships, include:

Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship
Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship, and
Louisiana’s TOPS, to list a few.

Keys to success for state-dependent scholarships include:

Academic achievement
College admittance standardized test scores, and
Adherence to application deadlines.

Remember, each scholarship has its own qualifications and criteria, so do your homework and apply early!

College-dependent Scholarships

Offered to all students, college-based scholarships are often sponsored by alumni through donations or fundraisers and can thus be directed to help specific groups or applicants.

Though they are open to everyone, more and more colleges are awarding these scholarships to homeschool students based on visible success trends continuously set by home-educated students.

With some colleges, the application for these scholarships is separate from the college application form. At other colleges, all scholarships are awarded as part of the financial aid package, and thus, no additional application is required.

Each college has its own policy on freshmen scholarships and on how a gap year or community college credits could affect student eligibility. So check the details!

The best way to validate application criteria is by visiting the colleges’ website or financial aid office.

Again, deadlines are important, so begin to gather college-specific information early in the junior or senior year of high school.

For college-based scholarships, the keys to success are:

High test scores (ACT, SAT, or CLT )
Academic achievement (AP, dual enrollment, honors), and
Extracurricular activities

Athletic Scholarships

Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be! More and more homeschooled students are receiving athletic scholarships these days.

This is because both the (NCAA) and (NAIA) recognize the legitimacy of home school diplomas and transcripts, making your child eligible for athletic scholarships in colleges throughout the country.

How do homeschoolers apply for an athletic scholarship?

First, when it comes to athletic scholarships, being a good athlete is only part of the equation. Academics, course standards and core course requirements of the colleges in which you are interested also place a role.

You need to do your research early on (high school juniors year) and contact your university of interest to ask these questions. Doing so better will better equip students to ensure that their transcripts reflect the necessary core course requirements.

The college’s financial aid office can provide the necessary paperwork to begin the eligibility determination process through one of the athletic associations. This step is a must in order to obtain an athletic scholarship!

For athletic scholarships, the keys to success are:

Understand the Athletic Association’s Standards and Requirements

NAIA – amazingly, NAIA has no specific standards for homeschool students. Furthermore, the organization is not aware of more than a handful of home schooled applicants annually.

NCAA – The NCAA on the other hand, has established some clear guidelines and procedures for home school students matriculating into Division I or II schools.

While the scholarship money comes directly from the colleges, the national collegiate associations serve the schools to determine whether a particular student is academically eligible to receive the money from the school.

Thus, homeschool students must, like all other students, be certified and meet the NCAA initial eligibility standards in order to be eligible for scholarships at their university.

Traditionally schooled student-athletes are certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse as having met the initial eligibility requirements.

Homeschool student-athletes, on the other hand, can be certified as having met the initial eligibility requirements, by going through an initial eligibility waiver process administered by the NCAA national office.

The initial eligibility waiver application must include the following:

Homeschool transcript
ACT or SAT test scores
Description of the home school teaching environment
List of titles of all textbooks for home school courses
Copies of the table of content for textbooks utilized in core courses (a sampling), and
Samples of work completed, such as papers by the students

In addition, the NCAA requests a letter from the parent indicating that the home schooling was conducted in accordance with applicable state laws.

For more information on athletic scholarship eligibility and how to apply, check out the NCAA’s website, and contact your university’s financial aid office.

Federal Financial Aid

Provided eligibility is met, every high school graduate (including homeschooled), has to some degree, access to financial aid including grants, scholarships, and federal and private student loans.

Four Main Types of Financial Aid:

Grants
Scholarships
Loans
Work-study

Federal Grants

The best type of aid is one that does not have to be repaid, and grants lead the way in this category.

Grants are offered by federal and state government entities as well as by some institutions. And, for the most part, grants are usually merit-based, need-based or student-specific.

Examples of student-specific grants might include grants for minorities, women, and students with disabilities; however, the largest qualifier for federal grants is fiinancial need.

Grant Types

Pell Grants – Are grants usually awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s degree or professional degree.

The amount of aid you receive depends on your financial need, the school’s cost of attendance, and other factors.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)– Are grants for undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. FSEOG are administered directly by the financial aid offices of participating schools.

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants– Are grants that can help you pay for school if you plan to become a teacher and teach in high-need fields in low-income areas.

In order to qualify for a TEACH grant, you must commit to teaching for a certain length of time.

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants– Are grants that provide money to students whose parent or guardian died during military service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Federal Scholarships

Federal Scholarships are commonly used to fill the gap left by federal assistance. Like grants, most scholarships do not require repayment.

Federal Scholarships are typically offered by individual institutions or private organizations and can be awarded based on a number of factors including:

Academic performance
Athletic ability
Religious affiliation
Financial need, and
Race

Loans

Offered by both the federal government and private institutions, loans are money that you borrow to attend college. You must repay your loans with interest.

Loans provide students and families with immediate access to funds to help cover the cost of college.

Federal Student Loans

The four main types of student federal loans include:

Subsidized Loans –Usually reserved for students who have demonstrated financial need, subsidized students loans have slightly better terms than unsubsidized student loans because the US Department of Education pays the interest while you are in school and for a six month grace period after graduation.

Unsubsidized Loans –Unsubsidized loans are available to students regardless of financial need. However, students are responsible for repaying interest during all periods, including while attending school.

PLUS Loans –PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students) loans are a specialized student loan type made to graduate or professional students and parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for expenses not covered by other financial aid options.

Typically with a PLUS Loan, the parent can borrow money on the student’s behalf to cover the entire amount the student needs for his/her education including:

Housing
Tuition
Books, andOther related expenses, based on the cost of attendance (determined by the school) less any other financial assistance received.

Perkins Loans –Perkins loans are school-based loans for undergraduate and graduate students with exceptional financial need.

Private Loans

Private loans are granted by private banks and may help to bridge the gap between the cost of your education and the amount of financial aid you receive from the government.

Eligibility for private loans often depends on your credit score, and private loans tend to have higher interest rates than loans that the government offers.

Students are encouraged to pursue all options for federal student aid before entering into a private loan.

Federal Work Study

A work-study program is a work program where students earn money to help pay for school while working a federally subsidized job, on or off campus.

The campus facilities at many colleges and universities, including the student center, career center, athletic department, and residence halls, employ work-study students.

Homeschool Scholarships – A Helpful Guide Securing College Scholarship for Home-Schooled Students