When Should I Graduate My College Bound Homeschooler

Q. My homeschooled child would like to start college early. Is this possible, or should I homeschool her for four years before she starts college.

A. Age is not a determining factor for when a homeschooler can attend college, in most cases. There are some students who are ready for college so young that they are a novelty and their parents have to escort them on campus, but it is not unusual to find a 15 or 16 year old walking around a college campus. As a parent, you have to help them determine when they are ready to transition from homeschooler to college student.

To even get her into a college, your homeschooler must meet college prerequisites. These vary from school to school, the consensus is that a student who has had an equivalent of four years of Language Arts, four years of high school math, 3 years of social studies, and at least 2 years of science, and two years of foreign language is ready for college. For a student who is clearly learning at an advanced level, they can start college early through a dual enrollment program where they take their senior year of classes at the college, or by taking CLEP exams that count both toward high school and college. Passing these exams will persuade a college to enroll the students early. In some cases, young students with very high college entry exams can by-pass many hurdles and start college at a young age.

When allowing a homeschooled student to start college early, you must consider more than her academic prowess. You must also assess the maturity of the homeschooled student to exist in a world with twenty-something year-olds who don't always use the best judgment. You have to ask yourself if your child might feel isolated, or even worse, if she will become self-destructive like so many of their older classmates. You should evaluate her ability to complete assignments without nagging, to keep herself and her surroundings clean, and to handle stress before allowing her to move on to the next level.

With that said, I am all for creating the goal for a homeschooler to graduate young either through accelerating their education or test taking. You can always take an extra year or two for maturity in which the child can add a unique experience to their education.