But, I thought I’d share the news that both major universities in Saskatchewan have homeschool admission policies! (The other degree-granting institutions in SK offer degrees through one of these two universities, so I’m only including the two here for admission purposes.)

University of Regina’s Homeschool Admission Page

Home Based Learner
Applicants in this category must supply the following to the Admissions Office:

1. A completed Application for Undergraduate Program Admission
2. The application fee.
3. A statement of identification as a home-based learner and a letter of intent (sample) outlining their educational goals and objectives, and including relevant extracurricular activities (arts activities, athletics, community service, employment) as they pertain to university preparation; a Home-Based Learner Profile can be found under Printable Forms.
4. A Home-Based Learner transcript detailing grade 11 and 12 courses (sample 1 and sample 2).
5. Evidence (as noted below) of having achieved the following:
   1. a minimum combined score of 1100 in the SAT I (Critical Reading and Math portions only) or a minimum average of 24 in the ACT ; and
   2. One of:
   • A minimum grade of 60% in one university course in a relevant admission subject; the course may be taken from the University of Regina as an accelerated student or another accredited university
   • A minimum grade of 65% in one 30-level high school course taken through a provincial correspondence school or by challenging a provincial departmental examination; the course must appear on the official provincial transcript of high school grades
   • A minimum grade of 4 in an approved Advanced Placement course
   • A minimum score of 650 on one SAT II subject examination

   Evidence of achievement is provided by the following documents, to be sent directly from the responsible institution or agency to the Admissions Office (documents are not accepted from applicants unless otherwise indicated):

   test scores: official statement of results
   from the testing agency
   30-level high school course: one official provincial high school transcript (accepted from applicant)
   University of Regina course: no evidence required; applicants should note attendance on the application form
   Other university course: two official university transcripts
   AP course: official statement of results from the College Board

An interview with a Faculty advisor may be required by the University or requested by the applicant.

Successful applicants will be admitted to the Faculty of Arts (with a condition of “mandatory advising”), the Faculty of Fine Arts or the Faculty of Social Work. Home Based Learners applying to other faculties may ask to be admitted to the Faculty of Arts to qualify for transfer to their faculty of choice (see post-secondary transfer requirements).

Further details can be found in the Admission Profile for Home-Based Learners.

University of Saskatchewan’s Admissions Page (click the tab for Home Schooled Applicants)

The University of Saskatchewan offers applicants who have elected to complete a home schooling program the following options:

1. Admission to all direct-entry colleges by successfully writing the Saskatchewan Learning provincial examinations (or equivalent) and obtaining Adult 12 standing in the required subjects and meeting the required admission average
2. Applying for Special (Mature) admission at the age of 21
3. Applicants will be considered for admissions into the Colleges of Arts & Science and Agriculture & Bioresources based on the provision of one or more of the following assessment tools:
• A Home Based School Transcript with details of all Grade 11 and Grade 12 courses taken
• Independent third party examinations including nationally normed standardized achievement tests such as a minimum score of 1100 in the SAT I or a minimum average of 24 in the ACT
• An educational portfolio

Please note:

An interview may be requested
The University of Saskatchewan reserves the right to request additional information at the institution’s discretion.

Two of the four universities do have stated homeschool admission policies (quoted and linked). The other two do not mention homeschoolers so I have emailed the admissions departments and I will update when I receive a response. They both have mature student admission at age 21, and the University of Brandon appears to accept a GED in place of a high school diploma, should you choose to go that route.

University of Winnipeg 2010-2011 Admissions guide (pdf download)

Home School
Home-schooled students will be considered for admission to The University of Winnipeg on an individual basis. Each applicant must provide proof of completion of Grade 12 or its equivalent including Mathematics and English.

Canadian Mennonite University Home School Admission Page

Home-Schooled Students
Home-schooled students who are 21 years of age or older may be considered for admission as Mature Students. Students who are under 21 years of age and have not, or will not, receive a certificate of graduation through a public or an accredited private secondary school system, may apply for admission under one of the following two options:
Students who have successfully completed a provincial secondary school study program must submit a final mark statement and a graduation certificate from the Department of Education of their home province to demonstrate that they meet CMU’s regular admission requirements.

Students who have been home-schooled on a private basis must submit a written declaration or transcript prepared by the primary educator outlining the secondary level courses completed, the type of program, material used, and the length of the program. To be eligible for consideration, such students must have achieved a minimum of 60% or “C” grade average. After the student has completed a minimum of eighteen credit hours of coursework, or at the end of the first academic year, whichever occurs first, the student will be evaluated in accordance with CMU’s academic performance policy and the student’s status will be changed to regular status if the student has achieved a minimum GPA of 2.0, or to probationary status if the GPA is less that 2.0. The student must fulfill the Academic Writing Requirement within the first term of study.
Students admitted as Home-Schooled students are ineligible for Academic Entrance Scholarships, but they may be eligible for a Leadership Scholarship or one of the Specialized Entrance Scholarships in the areas of music, athletics, or church service.

Brandon University Admissions Page

According to Brandon University’s admission website, students may apply with a GED or a mature student in lieu of a high school diploma. No specific homeschool policy is indicated. I have written to them to ask for further information.

University of Manitoba Admission Requirements Page

According to the University of Manitoba’s admission website, students may apply as a mature student at age 21 in lieu of a high school diploma. No specific homeschool policy is indicated. I have written to them to ask for further information.

While collecting information on Open Universities (Athabasca University and Thomspon Rivers University) for the upcoming KW Christian Home Educators’ conference, I discovered that the University of Guelph now has an Open Learning Program with “no formal admission requirements.” Their website goes on to say:

Guaranteed Admission to a B.A. Program

English proficiency requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Calendar apply. Contact Admissions at 519 821-2130 for details.

Open Learning program students with no previous post secondary experience who complete four courses (2.0 credits) with a 70% minimum cumulative average, may qualify to transfer into the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Commerce Programs at the University of Guelph. Please contact the Office of Open Learning for information regarding these opportunities, since there are different course requirements for each program. Please note: University of Guelph admissions requirements are subject to change at anytime

Way to go, Guelph!

Guelph’s Open Learning Program Website – http://www.open.uoguelph.ca/prospective/open-learning

But, homeschoolers pose an interesting problem to post-secondary program admissions because they often want to attend these formal, accredited programs after an informal or unrecognized course of study in the high school years. Certainly, most people use a high school diploma to gain entrance to these programs. But just because most people do it, does that mean it’s required?

So, before I answer the common question, “How do I get a high school diploma as a homeschooler?” I thought it would be a good idea to make it clear that, depending on your situation, you might not need a diploma at all.

ARE YOU ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION?
People often write me asking how best to go about earning a high school diploma in their particular situation. But, for most people, the high school diploma isn’t really what they want.

What they really want is to open the doors that a high school diploma typically opens. Do you want a high school diploma for its own sake, or do you want to get into university? Do you want to qualify for a particular college program or internship?

Furthermore, if you could achieve that larger goal without a high school diploma, would you still want to focus on the high school diploma?

ONLY YOUR MOST ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS MATTER
If you plan to earn a university degree, no one will care about your high school credentials. If you plan to earn a professional degree (law, medicine, teaching) or a graduate (Master’s, PhD) degree, few will even care about your undergraduate (first) university degree.

If you are not planning on attending college or university, then you will likely want a high school diploma (or GED, an equivalent exam-based credential). Most jobs require at least a high school diploma or GED, and without credentials of higher education, the high school diploma becomes more important.

But, if your goal is a university degree, then the question you should be asking yourself is, “What do I need in order to be accepted into university?” Fortunately, we already know that most Ontario universities will admit you without a high school diploma as long as you have fulfilled their other admission requirements. (And, an “open university” such as Athabasca University will admit you without any prerequisites.)

But what about advanced degrees and professional programs? The same reasoning applies: if your goal is law school, start your educational planning by asking yourself, “What do I need in order to be accepted into law school?”

WORK BACKWARDS TO FIND THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
The typical educational path to law school looks something like this:

high school diploma -> university degree -> law school

But, did you know that a university degree is not a pre-requisite for law school? And, since a high school diploma is not required for university entrance, neither credential is actually required for admission to law school. (There are educational requirements that you must satisfy, but neither a diploma nor a degree is one of them.)

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider a high school diploma or a university degree if you want to go to law school (or medical school, which has a similar entrance process). But it means that you have options, and you may wish to explore them to find the path of minimum formal schooling that will allow you to focus on your education instead.

JUST TO GO TO UNIVERSITY? THE SHORT ANSWER IS, “NO!”
We do know that there are several ways to get into university without a high school diploma, but some college or technical programs may not support these methods. In short, though, if your educational path relies on a university education, then you can feel confident that you can avoid a high school diploma if you so desire.

RULE OF THUMB BASED ON THE LEVEL OF STUDY YOU EVENTUALLY WISH TO ACHIEVE
High School Education, but nothing further:
While you may never need formal proof of your high school level studies, there is a good chance that at some point you will want to present formal educational credentials to an employer, an investor (if you start your own business) or to an organization (if you must meet certain criteria* to join or volunteer). Of course, you can still be admitted to university if you find you do need credentials down the road, but it will typically take years to earn a university degree. If you need a piece of paper, and need it quickly, you’ll probably choose to write the GED exams instead. Even then, there is studying involved and waiting until a test is offered, so be aware that while your opportunities may not be limited, the speed with which you can act on them might be.

Undergraduate Degree (your first university degree):
No you do not need a high school diploma because alternative admissions are possible.

Professional degree (law, medicine, teaching, veterinary):
You need some level of university study, but since you don’t need a high school diploma to get into university, therefore no you don’t need a high school diploma for professional programs, generally speaking.

Graduate Degree (an advanced academic degree such as an MA, MSc, PhD):
You need an undergraduate university degree, but since you don’t need a high school diploma to get into university, therefore no you don’t need a high school diploma for graduate degrees, generally speaking.

College/Technical/Apprentice Programs:
In Ontario, these programs often do require a high school diploma unless you wait until age 19 or 21 (depending on the school) to apply as a mature student. Read admissions information carefully and look for “high school diploma or equivalent” to see whether there may be a loophole or some flexibility.

JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN BUCK THE SYSTEM DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD
As you can see, it is possible to follow an advanced academic career without a high school diploma through alternative entrance to an undergraduate program.  But, it is important to make sure that the alternative path you choose is actually preferable to simply earning the high school diploma.

Some people will prefer being assigned a curriculum, having lessons planned and work graded externally to the more independent options such as studying for standardized tests. Some students will benefit from the social experience of attending a high school (even if only in an “it’s like watching a sociological experiment” kind of way!) and others may find that the high school really is the resource hub of the community with the best music, athletic or science equipment, and therefore opportunities, in town.

Responsible academic planning is as much knowing when to take advantage of a well-worn path as it is knowing when you can safely cut corners.  As always, think about which path offers the best combination of challenge and support for your child; a solid high school education requires both.

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* a local husband-and-wife bowling tournament in our old neighbourhood required you to submit a marriage license with your application to prevent contestants from pairing up with ringers. So, you just never know when you might need an official piece of paper!

Although it’s not in Ontario, neither am I now, so how about the university you probably never thought you’d consider: UPEI? Added bonus, now I can say I’ve collated the university admissions for a whole other province! Whew, I think I deserve a break now!

In their own words:

“UPEI offers undergraduate degrees in Arts, Science, Education, Business, and Nursing; and graduate degrees in Veterinary Medicine, Education, Arts, Science, Business and Applied Health Sciences Research. We also offer a Pre-veterinary Medicine stream and a brand new Computer Science gaming program.

We are a university on the move. We are consistently in the TOP 10 in the Maclean’s rankings of 21 primarily undergraduate universities, we were Canada’s TOP university for student-faculty interaction in the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement, and we ranked #1 for research publication effectiveness by RE$EARCH Infosource.”

PEI may only have one university, but it has a dedicated homeschool application page that is easily reachable from their admissions page. I’m looking at you, straggling Ontario universities! And it’s a sensible URL at that. So, consider the Gentle Island. They won’t hold it against you that you’re “from away” (for too long).

From http://www.upei.ca/registrar/admission_home_schooled

The basic entrance requirements for home schooled students are the same as for all other students. Home schooled students can meet the requirements by:

* attending a local high school for Grade 12 or the final year of schooling;
* taking the Grade 12 academic entrance subjects through a correspondence program acceptable to the University; or
* presenting Advanced Placement test scores on an official transcript for the entrance subjects.

Added bonus: I hear there’s a pretty good math tutor in the area . . .

Ontario Universities’ Fair – http://www.ouf.ca/ ~ Sep 26-28, 2008 at the Metro Convention Centre in Downtown Toronto.  This is the big, annual university fair.  Keep in mind that this is not the place to get serious answers to your questions or spend any quality time with an informed admissions officer.  But, since the universities consider this to be a huge marketing opportunity, you’ll be able to bring home lots of written material, probably pick up some swag, and those little “fill this out to receive more info about . . . ” cards will be taken seriously.

Note: The “Canadian University & College Fair Annex” will be held at the same time, in the Skywalk between the MCC and Union Station. Only Ontario universities have booths inside the MCC. Read more at http://www.studentlifeexpo.com/.

In related news, Maclean’s will be hosting a “virtual” university fair on October 22, 2008.  All info will be archived and accessible on the website for 90 days after the event, but live chats and other interactive features will only be available on October 22.

But, admissions isn’t an exact science with students applying to several more institutions than they could possibly attend, and therefore with universities offering conditional acceptance to far more students than they can actually admit, the summer is when all the gaps get filled.

Here’s a direct link to the search page that this year’s high school seniors are using to see which Ontario universities still have open spots, and in specifically which programs.  The search allows you to narrow down or view all openings.  Simply choose an institution (or not, to see all), a program (or not, to see all) and enter a “Top Six” average and you can view the list of all programs with open spots that meet your criteria.

Of course, one hopes that you won’t have to use this tool when it’s your year to apply, but it’s good to know that it’s there, just in case!

Link to OUAC web application