(With Free Homeschool Transcript Templates)
One of the things that intimidates people the most about homeschooling high school is how to make homeschool transcripts. Thankfully, the solution is much easier than homeschoolers expect it to be, and it's free—you don't need a homeschool transcript service or expensive record-keeping software in order to create a homeschool transcript for high school to send to colleges. If you are intimidated by the whole college admissions process, before reading about creating homeschool transcripts you might want to read Jeanne's article about college admission requirements for homeschoolers.
This homeschool transcript template is offered in good faith at no cost, but you are responsible for checking the accuracy of all information in the completed transcript, including GPA calculations. TheHomeSchoolMom is not responsible for any potential errors, including the formulas and/or resulting GPA calculations. Use at your own risk.
Get the Free Homeschool Transcript Template »
We often receive questions about homeschool diplomas, but it's important to understand that when colleges ask for student records, they are asking for high school transcripts—the student's official academic record.
There are several ways to produce homeschool transcripts for your student, including availability from various organizations, online planner services, or creating your own. We have made it easy to print your own transcripts with our free homeschool transcript template for Excel—just input the information, set the print area, and print the spreadsheet.
Get the Free Homeschool Transcript Template »
Homeschool Transcript FAQ:
- What is the purpose of a transcript?
- What is the best way to keep track of records/grades for high school?
- What goes on a homeschool high school transcript?
- How many high school credits are needed to graduate?
- Which courses should be included on a homeschool transcript?
- Do courses have to be accredited/do the transcripts have to come from an accredited institution?
- If we covered AP material, can I count the course as an AP course?
- Is there a special format and/or contents needed for homeschool transcripts sent to colleges?
What is the purpose of a transcript?
Homeschoolers have many experiences and activities that they want admissions officers to notice, but care should be taken to promote those in the appropriate manner. This may or may not be on a homeschool high school transcript. As the student's official academic record, a high school transcript is shared with colleges and universities to show the student's academic readiness to do work at the college level.
While homeschoolers often think of homeschool transcripts as the place to help their student stand out in a crowd of applicants, college admissions officers may have a different purpose for transcripts. The admissions personnel with whom we spoke look to the application itself to see the individuality of the applicant, while transcripts were strictly used to verify that the base admission criteria for the college or university have been met.
Some schools are moving to a SRAR (self-reported academic record) in which the student enters their courses and grades in an online form as part of the college application. If the student is offered admission, a final official transcript is required to verify the self-reported information. In this case, it is important to make sure that the information in the transcript matches the SRAR, but it is also important to realize that the school will not see the transcript until after an offer of admission has been made.
What is the best way to keep track of records/grades for high school?
The best method is the one that YOU will use, because done is better than perfect. You may even wish to have your student keep the records.
No matter which record-keeping method you choose, it is a good idea to save everything your homeschooler is doing from about 8th grade on. Optimally, you will have some kind of written overview of the material covered and activities completed, including keeping the paperwork and any files from each class should you need them (larger projects can be photographed or videoed and filed digitally) as a reference. Beyond that, you can keep records either in a printed homeschool planner, a digital homeschool planner (online service, software, or spreadsheet), or simply keep a notebook with written notes.
Delight-directed or interest-led homeschooling does not mean transcripts have to be difficult. Vanessa Wright has suggestions for assigning credits for non-traditional learners. Unschoolers can keep track of learning using our unschooling record keeper, included in our printable homeschool planner.
When the time comes to create homeschool high school transcripts, your record-keeping should make it a simple process to enter the needed information (detailed below) into the transcript form/template. It is easiest if you keep up with the courses and grades as you go rather than waiting until you need to submit a transcript to start working on it.
What goes on a homeschool high school transcript?
While we may think of homeschool transcripts as record-keeping on our part, it's important to keep in mind that a transcript's main job is to communicate the student's readiness for college by proving that they have completed all of the requirements for admission. As such, a homeschool transcript should include course names that are as descriptive as possible and that appropriately reflect the difficulty level of the work.
Student information
A homeschool transcript should include:
- Student's name
- Your homeschool name (see "Should You Name Your Homeschool?")
- Your homeschool address (usually your home)
- Your phone number
- Student's date of birth
- Graduation date (use projected graduation date for pre-graduation submissions)
- A section for each grade OR a section for each subject area in which high school courses were completed, with the information below included for each individual course
- Number of credits (both cumulative and, if organized by year, for each year)
- GPA (both cumulative and, if organized by year, for each year)
- Grading scale
Course information
For each course on your transcripts, you should include:
- Course name
- Grade earned for each course
- Course weight (if additional weight is given) for each course
- Number of credits for each course
- GPA for each course
Other homeschool transcript considerations
Course descriptions. You may wish to also keep a course description for each course in your personal records (this won't be needed on the transcript), and you may even want to submit this with the homeschool transcripts. Some colleges find course descriptions helpful; if you decide to include them with your transcript submission, be sure they are no more than one page. Whether or not to include them is an area you may wish to ask for guidance from the admissions office of the school to which your child is applying—giving them more than they want to see can actually be detrimental.
Format. Students who have taken longer than usual to complete high school courses may find it beneficial to list courses by subject rather than by grade. The same information is shared but in a way that de-emphasizes the number of years in which the courses were completed. On the other hand, if a student is weak in a specific area it can be de-emphasized by grouping the courses by grade.
Outside evidence. You may wish to include information about where your child took specific courses, either on the transcript or a supplemental submission. While colleges accept homeschool transcripts, showing them outside evidence of the student's work helps colleges to see that a variety of professionals have worked with the student and evaluated their work. Jeanne has written extensively about outside evidence for college admissions, including sources for obtaining outside evidence.
Outside evidence may not all fit appropriately on a transcript. Some may be in the application, some may be included as references, and some might be submitted as test scores. Forecasting (during the early planning stages for high school) the content of the student's final transcripts (and applications as a whole) will help to illuminate gaps that need to be filled. You might find our high school course planner (part of Homeschool Planner Plus) helpful, and Jeanne has written previously about teaching subjects where Mom's not the expert, which is useful in the planning stages for high school.
Social Security number. Some homeschoolers include the student's social security number on the transcripts, but this is generally not necessary (or even advisable, since it can introduce the possibility of identity theft). You may wish to state "SSN available upon request" if you are concerned that the school might want to see the SSN. An alternative identification is to include the ID number from the student's Common Application submission on the transcript.
How do I make a transcript for my unschooler/non-traditional learner?
Often the learning experiences of non-traditional learners don't fit neatly into a traditional transcript format. Not a problem! Just as non-traditional homeschoolers think outside of the box for learning, they can put together a transcript with the same kind of thinking. Check out Vanessa's "Tips for Assigning High School Credits for Your Non-Traditional Teen Learner or Unschooler" for how to create a great transcript for your student.
How many high school credits are needed to graduate?
In most states, you decide how many credits your student needs to graduate. At the time of this publication, no state requires homeschoolers in the US to follow public school requirements for graduation, but a few states do have graduation requirements for homeschoolers in their homeschool statutes. Be sure to know the homeschool law in your state regarding graduation requirements, if any.
Even if you are in a state where you get to decide the number of credits needed for graduation, it can be helpful to know what colleges are seeing on transcripts for the public school students with whom the homeschooled student is competing. You can find the course and credit requirements for graduation for each state and territory in the US on the website of the Education Commission for the States.
Homeschoolers should also be aware that their state may have other requirements related to high school that affect college graduation. An example of this is New York's "preliminary education requirements," which do not prevent homeschoolers from graduating from high school or enrolling in college, but are required in some form before a student can graduate from college. Since at least one of the options must be completed while the student is still of compulsory school age, it is imperative that homeschoolers know the education laws of their state and of any state where they may wish to attend college.
Which courses should be included on a homeschool transcript?
Math starting with Algebra I (or Geometry if your student takes that before Algebra), high school level foreign languages, and high school level sciences are all included no matter when they are taken. Typically, these courses are first taken around 8th grade, but of course this varies by individual. All other courses taken from 9th-12th grade should be included as well.
Every college has different high school course requirements, so check to see what the individual colleges to which your student is applying require. If you have no idea which school your child might attend, you can find a general list of requirements on the College Board website. Requirements also vary by program, so whether your student is going into arts (BA) or sciences (BS) will make a difference in requirements. Typically, a high school transcript will include something similar to the following:
- 4 years of English including literature and writing
- 4 years of math including a minimum of Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Trigonometry
- 2-4 years of social sciences, such as World History, World Geography, US History, and US Government
- 2-3 years of lab sciences, such as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
- 2+ years of the same foreign language (some colleges give credit for ASL as a foreign language and some do not)
- electives for the balance
Be sure that your student covers the material that is expected by the institutions to which they will apply. If your student doesn't yet know what they want to do after high school, it is a good idea to examine the requirements of a variety of institutions so that you can plan for all of the options. Most schools have a page listing the high school requirements (like this one for Virginia Tech) for applicants, but requirements may be different for specific colleges/degree programs within each university.
Do courses have to be accredited/do the transcripts have to come from an accredited institution?
In almost all cases, neither courses nor institutions need to be accredited for a course to be put on a high school transcript. Notable exceptions are if a student is interested in playing NCAA sports (high school programs must be approved by the NCAA), or if a student is planning to go from homeschooling to a public or private high school, which have their own restrictions about what can be transferred in. You can read more about accreditation in our article about homeschool accreditation and in Jeanne's article about homeschool diplomas.
If we covered AP® material, can I list the course as an AP® course?
AP® is a registered trademark of the College Board, and a course can only be listed on a homeschool transcript as an AP® course if the instructor and materials "go through a process called the AP Course Audit, which ensures that each AP® course meets specific standards..." and is approved by the College Board as an AP® course for the year in which the audit was done. Homeschool teachers can be approved to teach AP® classes by going through the course audit process before the course is taught.
A less restrictive option is to designate a course using AP® material as an honors course. Honors courses earn that designation through the use of advanced material and homeschoolers should be diligent to use the term only when appropriate.
Dual enrollment courses (usually taught at a community college or through a local high school) are another option. Dual enrollment courses are those for which a student earns both high school and college credit at the same time.
Typically more weight is given for AP, honors, and DE courses on the transcript, but not always—Lee Binz of The Home Scholar never weights classes on transcripts. And keep in mind that just because a course is designated as DE doesn't mean that the student will be awarded college credit for it.
As with determining the number of credits required for graduation, remember that it is your school, and you decide.
Is there a special format and/or contents needed for homeschool transcripts sent to colleges?
Transcripts you send to colleges should:
- State that they are official transcripts (and if they are final, state that as well)
- Show the grade point average based on grades and weighted credits (this is automatically calculated in our free homeschool transcript spreadsheet template)
- Be free of spelling/grammar errors
- Be printed on good quality paper (you don't need to spend a fortune, but avoid the lowest grade paper)
- Be signed by the school administrator (you!)
- Be in a sealed envelope with a signature across the seal and submitted via USPS
If you have any issues, you may wish to offer a notarized copy of the transcripts, although this should not be necessary.
Free Homeschool Transcript Template
Homeschool Planner Plus includes an older version of our transcript template, but we have revised and updated the transcript and are making it available as a separate file. The revised and separate homeschool transcript workbook for Excel has options for creating a transcript either by year or by subject, and includes both 10 point scale and 10 point scale with +/- options.
For questions, see the FAQ & Troubleshooting section below. At this time, we are only offering the updated homeschool transcript template for Excel and not other spreadsheet programs. Simply choose the style you prefer and enter the courses with the grades. For courses that should be weighted (honors courses, for example), simply add the extra weight in the indicated column and it will be figured into the final GPA.
This homeschool transcript template is offered in good faith at no cost, but you are responsible for checking the accuracy of all information in the completed transcript, including GPA calculations. TheHomeSchoolMom is not responsible for any potential errors, including the formulas and/or resulting GPA calculations. Use at your own risk.
Get the Free Homeschool Transcript Template »
Troubleshooting/Customizing FAQ for the Homeschool Transcripts
- I'd like to make changes and the sheet is locked. What is the password to unlock it?
- I can't enter my student's info at the top of the transcripts because the sheet is protected.
- I can't find the Student Info tab (or another tab). Why is it missing?
- What is the difference between the 10pt. +/- scale and the 10 pt. scale?
- Can I change the grading scale?
- I can't set the print area.
- When I print the transcript the grid lines are all on the transcript. How do I get them to not print?
- Can I use the transcripts in Google Sheets?
- How can I add a row so I can insert another course?
I'd like to make changes and the sheet is locked. What is the password to unlock it?
The spreadsheet is locked to avoid changes that might affect the GPA and credit calculations. If you are experienced with Excel and wish to unlock the tabs, you can do so with the password letmein. Each tab must be unlocked separately. I highly recommend checking the calculations manually after making any changes to ensure that they are correct.
I can't enter my student's info at the top of the transcripts because the sheet is protected.
All of the student information is entered on the very first tab (Student Info) and feeds automatically to the other tabs. The Student Info Tab is unlocked.
I can't find the Student Info tab (or another tab). Why is it missing?
There are directional arrows at the bottom left (the location of the arrows may be different in your spreadsheet program) that allow you to scroll through the tabs if they aren’t all on the screen. If you don’t see the Student Info tab, you need to use the left pointing arrow to scroll back to it. Screenshot of the tab and arrows:
What is the difference between the 10pt. +/- scale and the 10 pt. scale?
Some schools uses a +/- system when grading (B+, A-, etc.) and others simply use a straight A-F system without any +/- assignments. It’s entirely your preference the way you wish to grade your students.
Whichever scale you choose, the template for that system will use the correct grade points to figure the GPA. You’ll see the grade point assignment scales at the bottom of each template, so you can tell what grade point is assigned to that letter grade, whether it be a straight A-F system or a +/- system.
Can I change the grading scale?
The scale needs to be changed in the formula in order for the GPA to reflect your preferred scale. You'll find the formula by unlocking the sheet with your preferred scale (straight A-F or A-F with +/-) and clicking on each cell in the F column beside the courses entered. You should be able to choose one cell to correct, then copy and paste it into the other rows (the relative cells will change for each row, so if you copy the code from row 9 and paste to row 10, the references to C9 and D9 will change to C10 and D10). The formula looks like this for the A-F scale:
Where you see "0,60,70,80,90" in the cell, that is the ranges for the grades. 90+ is a 4.0, 80 - 89 is a 3.0, etc. The +/- scale has more numbers to account for the additional point values assigned for the +/- grades. You can change the number to indicated the lowest grade for each grade point range. You will need to edit the footer to match your new grade range. To edit the footer, click on the View ribbon and choose Page Layout. Click the center cell in the footer to edit the footer text.
One thing to note about this is that typically colleges do not rely on grade-based GPA as much as the number grade because schools have varying scales, so it may not be worth changing the scale. It's entirely your choice, but many colleges will average out the GPA based on their preferred scale regardless of what is on the transcript so that students are on equal footing.
I can't set the print area.
If you are sending in physical copies of the transcript, there is no need to set the print area (which you can’t do without unlocking the sheet). It will print correctly as is, but it will add pages on the end for the area that says “do not print the content below.”
All you have to do is visually check how many pages the actual transcript will be (should match the way the page breaks are set up visually and it prints top to bottom, then goes over to the pages on the right that you don’t want to print) and tell your printer in the dialogue box to print only those pages. Typically this will only be the first 2 or 3 pages.
If for some reason this doesn’t work, or if you need to set the print area to print the appropriate pages to pdf, just unlock the tab (Tools > Protection > Unprotect Sheet …) using the password letmein and then set the print area.
When I print the transcript the grid lines are all on the transcript. How do I get them to not print?
Grid line view options are in the Page Layout ribbon all the way to the right (on my Mac – Windows may vary slightly but it should still be similar). Be sure that the box next to Print under Grid lines is unchecked:
Can I use the transcripts in Google Sheets?
The transcripts have not been tested with Google Sheets, and we have had reports of a compatibility issue. Open Office, a free suite of office software, is similar to Excel and is more likely to work, but we have not tested it.
How can I add a row so I can insert another course?
If you need to add a row to include another course, you must ensure that the formulas to calculate the GPA are in the correct cells. The easiest way to do this is to :
- highlight an existing row that you want to duplicate
- choose copy
- right click where you want to insert the new row (also BELOW the grading scale rows)
- choose paste
Enter a grade and test the GPA cell for that line to be sure it is calculating. If it is not, click on the GPA cell and look at the contents to see if there is a formula there. If not, the row did not correctly copy and paste. You will need to copy a row that is correctly calculating the GPA and paste it in the row you created and test it again.
Homeschool Transcript Sample Screenshots
Homeschool High School Transcript with Courses Organized by Year
Homeschool High School Transcript with Courses Organized by Subject
Do you have questions about transcripts? Let us know in the comments.
My oldest DD is wanting to play soccer for our local school district. We will need to submit a transcript for her. My question is since she's currently in 8th grade, do I submit 7th grade or her current grades for 8th? Also, do you happen to have a sample of an 8th grade transcript? I found one on one of your resources, closed the window out on accident and now can't locate it. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!
The free transcript is available on this page using the button in the post above. You should be able to edit the document so that it shows the years you want.
As to what grades to show, you need to ask the local school district which years they want transcripts for. That will be specific to them. Then you can adjust the transcript document to include those years.
Good luck!
Jeanne
I didn't catch u ,can u send to me please
Hi Elisha - You can access the transcript spreadsheet from this page using the red "Get the Transcript Template" buttons. We don't send the transcript by email.
Mary Ann:
My homeschooled daughter is applying to an Ivy League school and we may need NCAA certification for a sport. Looking for expertise in this direction.
NCAA requirements for homeschoolers are met most easily when parents and students think about them ahead of starting 9th grade. That's because NCAA guidelines have more specific regulations around how credits are earned and documented than most state governments have for "just plain homeschoolers." NCAA guidelines are also different from what most colleges require from non-athletes. Your first step should be to read the homeschool information from the NCAA itself. I also encourage you to do a search on Facebook for "NCAA homeschool" to find groups with experienced parents who may be able to guide you. Your local and state homeschool organizations may have parents and teens who have successfully navigated the NCAA requirements, so contact them or ask through their Facebook groups.
Good luck!
Jeanne
Hello, thank you so much for making this template available. I have the problem that I am required to provide a transcript for 8 years and the template only makes provision for 5. Is there some way I can add another 3 years to it?
Sandie
You should be able to do the same thing to add 3 more years that you did to add the additions rows, but include the headers when you copy and insert (so copy the header rows and all of the blank rows for a year, and then insert them). That said, I have never heard of a transcript needing to include 8 years of courses—is this for college admission? If not, you might be better off with a simple report card.
Thank you for this template. Could you tell me how I can insert more lines as I have more subjects per year than the grid allows for and I have no experience of using excel.
Thanks Sandie
Hi Sandie - You can insert lines by right clicking on a row that is BELOW the rows that contain the grading scale to the right. Choose copy, then right click where you want to insert the new row (also BELOW the grading scale rows) and choose paste. When doing this, please double check the calculations to be sure that the formulas are working with the new row inserted. You can do this for as many rows as you need. You may need to unprotect the sheet (Tools > Protection > Unprotect Sheet)using the password letmein if you try to make these changes and it will not let you.
Thank you! It seems to be working great with the calculations. Is there any way I could add 3 more years to the transcript. Unfortunately the university we are applying to wants 8 years of transcript and the template is for 5 in total. Sorry to be such a pest!
Sandie
Thank you for this it’s awesome. I have a quick question though, when I add a line it won’t calculate the coarse GPA. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Kirsche - If you are just inserting a row, it isn't putting the necessary formulas in to calculate the GPA. You need to use copy instead of insert. Highlight an existing row that you want to duplicate, choose copy, then right click where you want to insert the new row (also BELOW the grading scale rows) and choose insert copied cells.
What do you suggest that we do if we need to eliminate the extra lines and spaces? I would like for the extra
(0.0, and -, spaces) to removed from my final Transcript.
Thank you so much for offering this free template
Hi Allison - You can highlight the rows you want to not show and right click and choose hide from the menu. That will hide the rows you have chosen both when you view the spreadsheet and when you print.
Hello! Thank you for this template! It is very helpful. I am having difficulty getting the GPA to automatically calculate. Is it automatic after I enter in the grade and credit, or do I need to do something else to get it to calculate.
Thank You
Hi Regina - The GPA should automatically calculate if you have entered the grade and number of credits. I will email you for more information so we can try to figure out the problem.
Hello!
I would like to convert the transcript into PDF or Word.doc but without the thing on the right side (the thing that help calculate the GPA). How do I do that pretty please?
I do not want to messed up the transcript I have been creating for my child the last 2hours haha ^^'
Hi Lys,
Use your "Print as PDF" function instead of saving the file as PDF. All you have to do is visually check how many pages the actual transcript will be (should match the way the page breaks are set up visually and it prints top to bottom, then goes over to the pages on the right that you don’t want to print) and tell your printer in the dialogue box to print only those pages. Typically this will only be the first 2 or 3 pages.
If for some reason this doesn’t work, or if you need to set the print area to print the appropriate pages to pdf, just unlock the tab (Tools > Protection > Unprotect Sheet …) using the password letmein and then set the print area. I hope this helps!
Hello again!
It is working but this time is the grading scale at the bottom of each page that is kind of not cool. do we have to let it show ?
You can change the footer to not print that by unprotecting the sheet as instructed above and deleting the grading scale from the footer. That said, most schools would like to see the grading scale used.
oh, mmh then I guess I will let it there. alright! Thank you so much for everything !! Everything here is so helful and you are so quick to answer!
Thank you so much again and have a good day!
Since the transcript is for reporting classes that have been completed, does that mean I don't include the 12th grade courses that my son is planning on taking?
That is correct.
Hi
When I print the transcript the grid lines are all on the transcript. How do I get them to not print? Thanks...
Hi Rhonda - Grid line view options are in the Page Layout ribbon all the way to the right (on my Mac - Windows may vary slightly but it should still be similar). Just be sure that the box next to Print under Grid lines is unchecked.
Hi
I have downloaded and filled in the transcript field on my Mac. When I attempt to set the print area I am unsuccessful. Can you provide further instruction?
You may need to unlock the sheet to set the print area - the password is letmein.
Hi Ms. Kelley, I need to add a few rows in the elective column, but I cannot copy the part that calculates the GPA as the sheet is locked by a password. Could you share the password?
Hi AnnMarie - The password to unlock the sheets is letmein
Is there any way to adjust the grading scale on this template? I use 93-100 A, 85-92 B etc. I have very little experience with Excel and am not sure if this could be done. Thank you.
[Updated 2/25/2020: Instructions for changing the grading scale are here.]
Hi! Thanks so much for this valuable resource!
I am entering in my daughters information but the spreadsheet isn't calculating her GPA. I've added a numeric grade and the credit earned. I'm working on google sheets and wondering if this is compatible for google or just works with Excel.
Hi Keturah - I have not tested it with Google Sheets, so it sounds like it might be a compatibility issue. You might try Open Office as it is more similar to Excel than Google Sheets is.
Hello!
I have a problem: the homeschool association refuse to recognize the level of my child courses in 9th grade In this situation the GPA is 0.2 lower.
I want to send just mine as the official transcript for 9th grade. Is it a good idea?
My child is in a public highschool now and he has higher grades confirming the ones received from me.
Thank you,
Lena
Hi Lena - It's hard to determine without more details of the situation. If the homeschool association was in charge of the 9th grade courses and assigned the grades, in my opinion, it would be unethical to override those assigned grades and assign your own. I may be misunderstanding the situation, though.
If he is in public school now and doing well, I would think that colleges will take that into account. Part of what colleges look for when evaluating homeschoolers is what we call outside evidence, or evidence from someone other than the parent that shows readiness for college. Both the co-op and public school classes can show that, and the most recent performance (in this case public school) is likely to be most indicative of the student's ability.
I hope that helps.
Good afternoon, Mrs. Kelley!
I did the work: choosing courses, grades, sending the regular reports (no feedback from administrator over the years) . When I asked for transcript , I noticed that the administrator just cut the level of courses, the grades without logical, pedagogical reasons for her decisions, showing a biased attitude towards another student of association during our conversation, plus other things.
Thank you for your advice. I will take it in consideration.
Have a nice day,
Lena.
Since I don't have experience working with that type of situation (which sounds like an umbrella school system which is not used in my state), I don't believe that I'm qualified to give advice about how to treat it on the transcript. I recommend checking with your state's homeschool organization. Many of them have helplines for situations like this. I hope you are able to get assistance with this question.
Thank you, Mrs. Kelley for your advice.
Lena
Hi, I am having trouble filling it out. I keep trying to select Email address and homeschool name, it is not allowing me. it is saying that "The cell or chart you are trying to change is on a protected sheet. To make a change, unprotect the sheet. You might be requested to enter a password." Please Help.
Hi Stephanie - all of the student information is entered on the very first tab (Student Info) and feeds automatically to the other tabs. The Student Info Tab is unlocked.
How do you get to the student info tab? There is no tab by that name in the document I downloaded.
Hi Janna - There are directional arrows at the bottom left (the location of the arrows may be different in your spreadsheet program) that allow you to scroll through the tabs if they aren't all on the screen. If you don't see the Student Info tab, you need to use the left pointing arrow to scroll back to it. You can see a screenshot of the tab and arrows here.
Thanks so much!
My child took dual enrollment classes at the community college. When I gave them his transcript, I had those listed as "in progress." I'm told by university he doesn't have to count his cc classes if he had fewer than a certain amount. One was a getting used to college class; seems like it would have been easy but it had a lot of work, and he did poorly on it. Do I have to keep it on there or can I remove it? Can I take some or all the community college classes out (he did okay on most) or am I required to only add to the transcript since I've given it to the community college and not subtract?
Hi Darlene,
Those are some tough questions. I personally would not want multiple versions of a transcript floating around, so if I had submitted a transcript to an institution, I would only add to it. That said, if the college to which your son is applying says that it isn't necessary to count them and you prefer not to (and he's not applying to multiple colleges with differing policies), then you might be fine going with that (see the caveat below re: transferring credits).
The getting used to college class could easily be classified as an extra-curricular opportunity rather than a class for high school credit, but it does introduce more of a quandary since it was submitted as in-progress on the initial transcript. It's important to realize that if he wants to receive college credit for any of the classes that he took at CC, they will send his entire transcript, not just the information for the class(es) he wants to transfer for credit.
I'm honestly not sure how an admissions office would view this situation were you to omit any or all of the classes. This is actually a great question for the forums at College Confidential. You can ask anonymously with a username of your choice, and often admissions staff for various colleges monitor the boards. You could be specific in the details of your question without compromising your son's chances of admission because of the anonymity of choosing your own username.
I wish I could be more helpful, but I hope I've at least pointed you in the right direction.
Hi! Thank you so much for this template. By far the bast on the web. I am looking to add weight to a class and I am wondering how much to add? I guess a typical Honors Bio class... how much would you add to that?
Thank you,
Robin
Thanks for the kind words, Robin. I haven't ever weighted honors classes, only DE classes that my kids took at the local community college. I weighted the community college classes .5, but I don't feel qualified to say what weight should be given to various courses. As more schools move to a self-reported academic record—which lessens the workload of the admissions department by having all incoming records in the same format—weighted grades may take on less importance. Since colleges want to compare apples to apples (and not all schools offer honors and/or AP classes), many of them prefer unweighted grades and look separately at the rigor of the curriculum. This means that your course names (and descriptions, if you submit a supplement) are more important than the weight you may assign.
Also I
m having trouble setting the print area. It keeps telling me I have one cell selected. I cannot seem to change that. How do I go about that?
Hi Robin - It looks like I need to update the instructions; thanks for bringing this to my attention.
There is no need to set the print area, which you can't do without unlocking the tab (password is letmein). It will print correctly as is, but it will add pages on the end for the area that says "do not print the content below."
All you have to do is visually check how many pages the actual transcript will be (should match the way the page breaks are set up visually and it prints top to bottom, then goes over to the pages on the right that you don't want to print) and tell your printer in the dialogue box to print only those pages. Typically this will only be the first 2 or 3 pages.
If for some reason this doesn't work, just unlock the tab (Tools > Protection > Unprotect Sheet ...) and then set the print area.
My 9th grader (1st of four) has taken a drama class at our coop. It was only for 6 weeks. Can I count any of this on her transcript. This is all new for me. :///
Your daughter's drama experience can certainly be considered part of an English 9 credit, or, if she does other learning in theater, she could have a credit related to acting, theater, or the performing arts. A six-week class, by itself, is often not enough time or does not lend itself to "mastery" in order to be a full credit, but it can be combined with other learning that is awarded a credit.
Thank you so much for this Downloadable Template! It's been a lifesaver! Can you direct me to where it's discussed the difference between the 10pt +/- and the 10pt style transcripts? I figured you already covered this, but I can't find the information.
Thank you again!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer - I'm so glad you are finding the template useful! I don't know that I mentioned it explicitly, but some schools uses a +/- system when grading (B+, A-, etc.) and others simply use a straight A-F system without any +/- assignments. It's entirely your preference the way you wish to grade your students.
Whichever you choose, the template for that system will use the correct grade points to figure the GPA. You'll see the grade point assignment scales at the bottom of each template, so you can tell what grade point is assigned to that letter grade, whether it be a straight A-F system or a +/- system. I hope this helps.
My son is in 11th grade. He goes to the High School for a weights class only so that he can play baseball for the school. The state athletic committee is now asking for a transcript of 1st semester and also the current home school classes he is taking.Is there a way that you can do like a report card with both semester on them?
dazed and confused --thank you
If you are using our transcript template, complete it as you normally would for previous years. For the current year, only list what he has taken the first semester (showing it as a half credit). I would submit the list of current classes separately, since transcripts are only for classes completed.
What about if your state (GA) does NOT require you to meet the standard graduation requirements as public school? what do you recommend as important on a transcript for a student who is not college-bound but will be joining the military? also, what if he was college-bound? i assume if he was college bound the GPA would be the most important thing to include? Thanks.
I haven't kept up with what the military looks for specifically in a homeschool transcript but if you have concerns, a military recruiter would be a good person to ask. For a child who is college bound, please see the sections above on "How many high school credits are needed to graduate?" and "Which courses should be included on a homeschool transcript?" There is no one right answer, and just like for public school students, there are many paths that homeschool students can take to get to college. Jeanne's article about Outside Evidence (linked above under "Other homeschool transcript considerations") goes into detail about what colleges might look for in applications and transcripts from homeschooled students. I hope this helps.
Hello:
I have a fairly unusual situation.
I'm the student! My homeschooling process was very nontraditional and there's no real record of what I did. I studied all of the required course materials, including taking courses in mathematics through the HS level.
Here's the thing: I tested at 12 grade level at about 12 years old, and I didn't really do anything after that until I turned 16. I applied to a local community college at that time and became a full time student there. Some time afterwards, I called my state dep. for a HS diploma because I realized I didn't have one. After verbally confirming what I did they issued a diploma, but it was dated 2 years /after/ I started full-time college.
How do I write out a transcript that reflects when I actually finished my coursework, but also accounts for when the diploma was issued? The credits I took at the college for those two years weren't dual enrollment credits, since that's a separate admissions process. They didn't require a diploma when I applied, just a placement test which I obviously 'passed'. If I write them as dual enrollment, it'd be lying and they likely wouldn't transfer for credit and I'd waste a large amount of money on the two years of undergrad I did while 'not graduated from HS'.
Any advice? I'm really stumped now at age 20, because colleges I want to transfer to require HS transcripts and my mother and I don't have a clue.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Rachel,
The colleges you want to transfer to require transcripts, but they may not require a diploma. Most colleges do not ask to see a diploma; they do ask for a high school transcript. There may be an exception for some colleges in a few states, so look at the websites of colleges you want to transfer to. I just looked at the guidelines for admission of homeschool students for a handful of colleges, and not one asks for their prospective students to submit a diploma. All ask for transcripts. It is possible that what you assume they want will not be necessary. I've never been asked for my high school diploma and neither were my sons, including those who are now college grads. All of us have been asked for our transcripts.
Community college classes are a benefit to transferring students whether they were taken as dual enrollment or as a full-time admitted student. Assuming you made decent grades, your community college credits will make you more attractive to four-year colleges. You can ask the community college to send transcripts to the colleges you want to transfer to. They show you are prepared to do college level work. Most colleges will put more weight on your community college record than your high school record.
You and your mom could make a transcript to reflect what you learned up to the point of your enrollment in community college. Homeschooling in a nontraditional way does not preclude you from having credit for your learning. Create a transcript with credits that reflect that learning. For example, if you passed the placement tests at community college, you may decide to put down credits for English 9, English 10, English 11, and English 12. Another way to do it would be to name what you actually did. For example, if you read a lot including some classics during those years, there may be a credit for American and Popular Literature; if you knew how to write and practiced good writing skills on your job or in projects, there may be a credit in Writing Mechanics, etc. Even if nontraditional, you learned or knew transcript-worthy content and skills. Your learning did not have to have been arranged in "courses" to count. You do not have to feel covert about this. If someone asks how you homeschooled, explain how it was nontraditional and experiential, and you still managed to excel at placement tests and community college courses!
High school transcripts do require a date of graduation. I would put the year of graduation on your transcript that you mom and you consider you to have graduated from homeschooling.
Quite a few homeschoolers do graduate at 16 and enroll full-time in community college.
If you look into what documents are required and determine that you will not need to submit a high school diploma, there won't be a discrepancy. The problem is the error in the date on the high school diploma, but that doesn't need to lead you to lie on transcripts to make dates agree. Your date of high school graduation is the one on the transcript you and your mom will make. Go out for coffee, take your old calendars, and make lots of notes about the things you did, so you can create your transcript. Yes, it's easier to do it in "real time," but you are not the first person who has had to re-create a record of nontraditional high school learning.
Good luck!
Jeanne
Hi, do you have any suggestions on how I should write courses that I took in eighth grade?
HI Sarah - It's best to only include the high school level courses you took in 8th grade (math & foreign language, usually). You would just set the first year for the 8th grade year and write those courses in just like you would your high school courses. In my daughter's transcripts, there are only two courses listed for 8th grade.
Thank you for offering this transcript form to us. It is most helpful. I would like to add more rows to a few years on the spreadsheets, could you give us the password to "unprotect" the sheets?
Hi LalaV - Thanks for asking about that. I provided the password on the page with the overall planner (of which this was originally a part) but I forgot to include it here. The password is letmein . Just right click the tab you want to unlock and enter the password. Each tab has to be unlocked separately.
I have a site that teaches Ap courses that are approved by CollegeBoard as an actual Ap Class.
They even offer paid certificates to prove you took that course if you wanted to by choice. Would I be able to list it as Ap on my transcript then? And I think my best bet is to pay the certificate for extra safety.
Thank you.
Typically, as long as the College Board has approved the course for the term it was taken and your student completed all of the coursework required, you can list it on the transcripts as an AP course. Usually a certificate would not be necessary but without knowing the specifics of the organization through whom the course was taken, I can't speak to whether that is needed.