Information for Home-Schooled Students
Brandeis University welcomes and encourages applications from students who have pursued alternative learning options, particularly in a home-school environment. Students from such educational experiences are reviewed with the same care and attention to detail as all other applicants. In order to ensure that we give your application full consideration, students and their families are encouraged to fully document all aspects of the curriculum and to provide detailed information with the application.
All applicants to Brandeis must submit:
- A completed Brandeis Application Online or Common Application and required supplement or a Brandeis University paper application
- The SAT I exam and two SAT II exams or the ACT (with the optional writing section)
In addition, home-schooled students must provide:
- Home-school transcript
- Any transcripts received from other educational institutions (i.e., community or four-year college work, local high school, etc.)
- Detailed description of the curriculum
- Information regarding any affiliation with a state or national home-schooling organization
- Letter of recommendation from a teacher (or person in a "teacher" role)
- Letter of recommendation from an "administrator" or curriculum adviser
- A secondary letter of recommendation from an outside teacher if course work taken beyond the home school or, when not available, from an employer, coach, art instructor or other community leader
- A supplemental essay describing why the student chose to be home-schooled
- A graded paper in addition to the personal statement
When possible, it is also advisable to request an interview with a representative of Brandeis. Interview requests are only accepted from the summer before the student's senior year to Dec. 15 of that year, so proper planning is important. Students and families having more specific questions about the requirements for home-schooled applicants are encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions at 781-736-3500.