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Homeschooled Applicants

Best College for Homeschoolers

St. John’s College welcomes homeschooled students. Nearly 10 percent of Johnnies are homeschooled, and they find a college of fellow independent learners who value a community passionate about ideas. St. John’s can be a particularly great place to continue an education that breaks the mold.

The college is a perfect fit for homeschoolers because of our distinctive, discussion-based pedagogy, which supports students of all backgrounds in their quest to free their minds through the great books and conversation.

Want to learn more about being a homeschooled student at St. John’s? Read about current St. John’s students from homeschooling backgrounds. Explore the Annapolis Campus Experience and the Santa Fe Campus Experience to learn about our campuses, student groups, religious life, and more. Attend Summer Academy to experience our classical curriculum and small, discussion-based classes.

Why Homeschooled Students Like St. John’s

“It feels very natural to go from homeschooling to St. John’s. It fits in with what I’ve been doing my whole life.”
Mitchell Harris ’20
Rachelle Munsey Homeschooled Student St Johns College
Contact Rachelle Munsey with questions you may have about being a homeschooled student at St. John’s College.

Before graduating from the undergrad program at Annapolis, Rachelle Munsey (A18) was educated at home through high school in a variety of learning formats, including online classes and co-ops. She also has seven years of teaching and tutoring experience with classically trained homeschooled and private school students. She now lives in Annapolis with her husband, Nathan and daughter, Ariadne, where she serves as a Community Facilitator at St. John’s and as a privately contracted editor. She would be delighted to dialogue with you about any questions you might have about her experience as a homeschooled student at St. John’s.

Contact Rachelle

Application Process

There are small differences in the application process for homeschooled students, and you are welcome to contact admissions if you have questions. You may apply using the Common Application, St. John’s Application, or Coalition Application. There is no application fee.

Homeschooled Applicant Checklist

Before you apply:

  • Select your campus: Annapolis or Santa Fe. Though you will apply to a specific campus, accepted students may change campuses before enrolling if there is space available.
  • Select your application: the Common Application, the St. John’s Application, the Coalition Application, or the Discussion-Based Application. The application instructions below are applicable to the Common Application, the St. John’s Application, and the Coalition Application; you can find more information on the different procedure for the Discussion-Based Application. St. John’s has no application fee.
  • Select your deadline: Early Decision 1 (November 1), Early Action (November 15), Early Decision 2 (January 15), Regular Decision (January 15), Rolling Admission-Fall (after February 15), or Rolling Admission-Santa Fe Spring (until January 15)

Required materials for all homeschooled applicants:

  • Application
  • Writing Supplement/Essays
  • Secondary School Report
  • Homeschool transcript (and any other high school or college transcripts). Include an outline of the homeschool curriculum followed, arranged in chronological order by conventional subject matter, with brief descriptions of the course content and any texts used. Include grades or a narrative assessment of your work. The student must complete his or her state homeschool graduation requirements. St. John’s will also need documentation of homeschool graduation and/or GED results.
  • One counselor recommendation with the Secondary School Report. This might be completed by your parent, head instructor, or homeschool coordinator. Sometimes the categories on the Secondary School Report do not correspond to the homeschool experience; just have the person completing the report answer to the best of their ability.
  • One teacher recommendation. This recommendation should be from a different person from the one who writes the counselor recommendation.
  • Homeschooled students are encouraged to submit the results of the SAT, ACT, or Classic Learning Test (CLT). Students may choose an admission interview in place of, or in addition to, submitting test scores.

Optional materials:

  • Additional letter of recommendation
  • For those applying for need-based financial aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required and the CSS Profile is strongly encouraged at the same time you submit your application for admission. If applying Early Decision or Early Action, applicants should submit the CSS Profile at the same time they submit the application for admission and then submit the FAFSA when it becomes available (currently scheduled by the Department of Education for December 2023). If applying Regular Decision or Rolling Admission, applicants should submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile at the same time they submit the application for admission. All applicants, regardless of whether they apply for need-based aid, are eligible to receive merit scholarships and are assessed for merit scholarships on the basis of their application for admission.
  • Interview

Deadlines

Applicants for both St. John’s campuses may apply Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, or Rolling Admission for the fall. Students also have the option of applying for Rolling Admissions throughout the fall semester for a spring start through the January Freshman Program.

ADMISSIONS DEADLINES
DECISION TYPE DEADLINE ADMISSIONS DECISION RETURNED
Early Decision 1 November 1 December 1
Early Decision 2 January 15 February 1
Early Action November 15 December 15
Regular Decision January 15 February 15
Rolling Admission (Fall) after February 15 Within 2-3 weeks
Rolling Admission (Spring) until January 1 Within 2–3 weeks

Please also remember our financial aid deadlines.

Admission Requirements

For admission to St. John’s, you should have a solid college-prep background, including two years of algebra, one year of geometry, and two years of a foreign language. Additional work in mathematics and foreign language is advised, as well as two or three years of natural science. We recommend taking the most challenging classes available in your homeschool curriculum.

Financial Aid & Merit Scholarships for Homeschooled Students

Applicants seeking need-based financial aid should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). All applicants, regardless of whether they apply for need-based aid, are eligible to receive merit scholarships on the basis of their application for admission.

Test Scores

Homeschooled students are encouraged to submit the results of the SAT, ACT, or Classic Learning Test (CLT). Students may choose an admission interview in place of, or in addition to, submitting test scores.

College Entrance Examination Board (SAT and TOEFL) School Code:

  • Annapolis—5598
  • Santa Fe—4737

The American College Test (ACT) School Code:

  • Annapolis—1732
  • Santa Fe—2649

Admission Interviews

Interviews are not required in order to apply for admissions to St. John’s College, but we strongly recommend them. Interviews allow our Admissions Committee to get to know you better, and you will also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the college. You can request a video interview with your counselor, or meet with us while we are traveling near your home.

ACCEPTING YOUR OFFER

Early Decision acceptances are binding, and students have two weeks after receiving their offer of admission to make their deposit. Early Action acceptances are non-binding. All Early Action, Regular Decision, and Rolling applicants have until May 1 to make enrollment decisions and deposits. If applying via Rolling Admission after May 1, applicants have two weeks after receiving the offer of admission to make their deposit. Students accepted to the Santa Fe January Freshman Program have until January 1 to make their deposit.

Starting College Early

St. John’s sometimes accepts an applicant who has graduated high school early or has chosen to start college without graduating from high school. If you are ready for college but haven’t taken the traditional path, you are welcome at St. John’s. Read more about starting college early at St. John’s.

Spring Admission

The Santa Fe campus offers a January Freshman Program. Freshmen who enter in January stay on campus the following summer to complete the first year; allowing them to graduate a year earlier than if they had postponed their entrance until the following fall. The January Freshman Program is of particular interest to students who come to St. John’s from other colleges, or to those who have traveled or worked since graduation from high school, or to those who wish to enter St. John’s immediately after the first semester of their senior year of high school.