Holy Cross College welcomes applications from home-schooled students wishing to pursue a liberal arts education. We make a deliberate effort to accommodate the special circumstances of home-schoolers during the admission process.
Application
Holy Cross requires the Common Application from all home-schooled students seeking admission as first year students.
In accordance with the requirements for the first year application or the transfer applications, home-schooled applicants must submit official high school transcripts from a home-schooled clearinghouse, guild, or association. If transcripts are unavailable, consider FastTranscripts.com, offered in concert with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). Or, we will accept detailed course descriptions, along with proficiency levels and textbooks used.
In the absence of transcript information, GED, or HSED, you’ll need to present a portfolio of the work you consider most indicative of your academic achievements. This may contain:
- Records such as grades from community college or other post-secondary level courses you may have taken
- Scores from AP tests (these are also administered independently of schools)
- Recommendations from qualified tutors or teachers
- Examples of independent research
- Evidence of completed units in science, mathematics, or other academic subjects
- Descriptions of books and other curricular materials used and mastered in preparation for college-level courses
Letters of recommendation
Letters of recommendation are particularly important for home-schooled applicants. Select your recommenders carefully; they should be qualified to:
- Evaluate you not only as a student but as an individual and member of the community
- Describe specific activities in which you participated together
- Analyze your performance through the eyes of experience and objective judgment
In the absence of conventional records, the only way we can understand what you bring to Holy Cross is to have it explained clearly and without prejudice.