George Mason University

Please ensure that you have completed (or will complete) the minimum preparatory course work required for admission before enrollment at George Mason. You cannot have required coursework outstanding upon entry to George Mason. We understand that in many instances homeschooled students may not have a traditional, “official” transcript. However, to evaluate your preparation for higher education, we require some form of transcript. Please see the guidelines provided below. There are many approaches to a homeschool instruction, including: a set curriculum, a parent-created curriculum, co-op programs, dual enrollment, etc. To aid in the review of your application, a thorough description of the curriculum used in your education is strongly encouraged.

• If you utilized a prepared curriculum, please include information on which program and the years it was used. It should be noted if this is an accredited program.
• For parent-created curricula, please provide a syllabus that includes the information taught for each class and the benchmarks of success or how mastery of the material was measured.
• If you participated in a co-op for classes, particularly those with Honors or AP designation, please provide the co-op information and a syllabus if available.
• For dual-enrollment classes, please provide a transcript from the college the classes were completed for those classes to be factored into a weighted GPA. All dual-enrollment students are considered freshman applicants regardless of the number of college credits earned during high school. A Secondary School Report, which usually accompanies a school counselor recommendation, can be completed by a parent or guardian. We ask that you solicit recommendation letters from non-family members who can attest to your academic achievements and abilities. Official ACT and/or SAT scores must be sent to the Office of Admissions directly from the testing agency. Homeschooled applicants are eligible for Score Optional admission.
• Homeschooled students also have the option to self-report their scores during the admissions process. Guidelines on the submission of self-reported scores can be found under the freshman admissions requirements.

In addition to your standardized test scores and high school transcript, it is important for homeschoolers to include letters of recommendation from non-family members and a resume. Extracurricular activities are also beneficial to demonstrate active engagement outside of academics. To be more competitive for the Honors College and University Scholars, you should challenge yourself with advanced classes. We recognize it can be difficult to access advanced classes, so dual-enrollment classes through a community college are a viable alternative to IBs and APs.

Homeschooled students will be reviewed in the same holistic manner as traditional students for entrance to majors with selective requirements.

Homeschool applicants who apply by the Early Action November 1st deadline are eligible to be reviewed for merit scholarship, including those who choose to apply Score Optional.

The base of a college application is the high school transcript. If you are not enrolled in an accredited program that provides an official transcript, one will need to be created. Parents/guardians of homeschooled students can create one, or a transcript service can be used instead. For example, both the Home School Legal Defense Associate (HSLDA) and the Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV) have transcript services. Our transcript guidelines are listed below, and a sample transcript is available to view here. General Information

• The transcript should contain the name, address, email, and phone number of the student for ease of contact.
• If you are using an accredited program with a dedicated academic counselor, please list the counselor’s contact information. In lieu of a traditional counselor’s information, the parent who should be contacted with questions regarding coursework should be included.
• It is not necessary to include the student’s social security number on the transcript.

George Mason University prefers classes divided by which grade they were completed in (9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th). If high school level classes were completed in middle school, they should be labeled as such.

• Next to each grade (9th-12th), include the years in which they were completed.
• Honors (H), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Dual-Enrollment (DE) classes, should be noted on the transcript. The grade earned, whether a letter or numerical grade, should be included with each class.
• Include in-progress coursework for senior year. If a grade has not been earned yet, input IP.

The transcript should include a cumulative count of credits completed.

• While you can calculate the cumulative GPA by yourself, it is typically easier to use an online calculator to ensure accuracy. Courses are typically assigned one credit per class and the calculator will add .5 extra credit for Honors classes, and 1 extra credit point per AP, IB, and DE class. You can also calculate a yearly GPA and add it to each year.
• Include the expected date of graduate, particularly if the student is finishing outside of a traditional May/June graduation or graduating late.

Homeschoolers have the option of including extracurricular activities as a part of the transcript packet, listed on the application itself, or on a resume.

• Some extracurricular examples are: community sports teams; music and dance lessons; volunteer activities; work experience; participation in an academic co-op; 4-H; Boy and Girl Scouts; etc.

You are encouraged to contact your admission counselor who can help guide you through the application process. The admissions counselor for homeschooled students is Morgan Cahill.