Home-Schooled Applicants

Emerson warmly welcomes students who have completed their high school education through home-schooling. You’ll follow the same first-year application process as students from public or private high schools, with a few additional requirements to ensure we have the documentation needed to fully evaluate your application.

Additional Requirements

Your Home-School Transcript Must Include:

  • Your full name, address, phone number, and date of birth
  • The courses you completed in grades 9–12
  • The grades you earned in each course
  • Any grade 12 courses that are planned or currently in progress
  • The grading scale used
  • Your graduation date or anticipated graduation date
  • Your home-school registration number from your state Department of Education (if applicable)
  • The notarized signature of the home-school administrator

Confirm Graduation Before Enrolling

If you’re admitted and planning to enroll, you must provide documentation confirming you have met high school graduation requirements. Any one of the following is accepted:

  • A certified high school diploma
  • A letter from a local school district official or state education agency certifying that your education is substantially equivalent to a public or private high school diploma
  • A Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED)

Submit an Outside Letter of Recommendation (If Possible)

If you completed coursework with an instructor outside your home—such as through an online school, college, co-op, or another educational organization—we strongly encourage you to submit a recommendation from that instructor. This letter can give the Admission Committee additional perspective on your academic work, participation, and readiness for college-level study.