21 colleges responded to my inquiry about how they view Coursera and edX courses.
These responses were received between September 9, 2024, and September 23, 2024.
Given the busy application season, I appreciate the admissions offices that took the time to reply to my unique question.
Thank you for emailing the Office of Undergraduate Admission at Carnegie Mellon University!
We will take those courses into consideration. We encourage you to list them in the Common App.
Regarding MOOCs: The only time we accept these credits is when the institutions are regionally accredited. You can find a list of the accreditations we accept here: Transfer Credit | University of Florida Online (ufl.edu). From what I have seen, we do not accept credits from Coursera or edX, as these are not accredited institutions. If an international student is interested in applying, they are subject to requirements for International applications. You can find more information for international admissions here: International Students | University of Florida Online (ufl.edu).
Thank you for your email. Primarily, we expect that homeschooled students have successfully undertaken a serious, rigorous course of study distributed across the humanities, sciences, math, social studies and languages. You can find more information on our Guidelines for Homeschooled Applicants page. We also recommend that their home curriculum meet or exceed our general course recommendations, which are located on our Academic Preparation page.
Due to the non-traditional nature of the homeschooling form of instruction, we invite our homeschooled students to provide us with everything that can help us understand their context. A high school diploma or the equivalent is required in order to enroll at Stanford. We accept any high school diploma recognized by the student's state.
Thank you for reaching out to the Undergraduate Admissions office and for your interest in Penn.
AP and other advanced courses and college credits are not required for admissions.
We expect that every student who applies to Penn will challenge themselves in high school based on the opportunities offered at their school.
Penn welcomes applications from students who chart non-conventional academic paths, including those educated through homeschooling. Homeschool applicants submit the same application materials as applicants who attend traditional schools.
Please follow the below link to learn more!
https://admissions.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/first-year-applicants/homeschool
We practice a comprehensive whole-person review, meaning there is no one part of the application we favor, and we consider the entirety of your context and the story you share with us when we review your application. More information on preparing the application can be found here: https://admissions.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/preparing-your-application
Thank you so much for reaching out! Regarding homeschool students and applying to Georgia Tech, I would advise you to visit this webpage for some more information.
We use a holistic review in order to give our applicants the best opportunity to present a complete picture of their qualifications. This should help students who don't have access to AP courses or college courses to still show that they challenge themselves to take rigorous courses.
In my experience, completing MOOC or Coursera-type coursework is less helpful to an applicant than taking transferable college level courses at a California Community college (for example). Transferable college courses show that the student is managing the rigor of the course, AND it will earn the student credit if admitted and enrolled on the campus.
I would also suggest that the applicant address why they and their family selected the homeschooling path and how they benefited from that experience. That may help the reader put some context around the achievements of the applicant.
Thank you for your email! We receive applications from all over the world and all different curricula including schools and countries that do not offer regular AP or community college coursework. We review all applications through a holistic review where we take into account what opportunities and resources students would have had access to, including academic curricula, geographic location, and lived experiences. If students are interested in supplementing their academic coursework with MOOCs, such as those on EdX or Coursera, they are more than welcome to do so but we do not require or expect it.
As with all coursework, homeschooled students should provide course descriptions and (if available) transcripts for courses taken in a community college, arts center, summer program, online course providers, etc. from ninth through 12th grades.
Homeschooled students pursue academic rigor in a variety of ways, which is completely normal for us to see in our application review process. I would suggest that you make those two points clear in your application (that you participate in the discussion groups and take a variety of types of online courses) - that would provide context that would be helpful to your reader. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for your interest in Rutgers. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), including those taught through Coursera, are not transferable to SAS. In addition, courses without mechanisms to insure academic integrity, such as secure testing practices, may not be awarded transfer credit. We would not accept MOOCs as the same rigor since it is not accepted for transfer credit.
Students can look for online classes that are part of school that are accredited by one of the major regional accrediting authorities recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (chea.org)
We always recommend homeschool programming through an accredited program. We have also seen students, on occasion, do AP self-study with the intent to do the exams. Students with the AP scores through junior year will send the official scores to Rutgers University. Taking the AP test would still need to paid for in this instance. I hope this helps!
Here is some information on homeschooled students in our pool:
Duke welcomes applications from students who are educated in alternative ways such as homeschooling and online-schooling. While we do not have any additional application requirements for these students, there is some benefit to providing supplementary information to help us better understand the context, the rigor, and the students’ achievements in their chosen educational path.
Thank you for reaching out to the Office of Admissions. We are excited to hear about your students' interest in The University of Texas at Austin!
The Office of Admissions uses an individualized, holistic review process to consider each completed freshman application. Our holistic review process takes all pieces of the admissions application into consideration. More details can be found here.
Homeschooled students, like all of our applicants, are looked at holistically and in the context of what they have done with what they have available to them. Each student submits their curriculum as they have engaged it - as you say, students will choose from many different options and we do not/can not recommend any one path over any other.
As it states on our website, students who are successful at Dartmouth generally arrive with four years of course work in the core subjects. Beyond that, each student chooses what is best for themselves.
Thank you for your email and interest in the University of Notre Dame. In response to your question, we recognize that students, particularly those who are homeschooled, can come from a variety of backgrounds with broad possibilities when it comes to curriculum options. If a homeschooled student's curriculum consists of MOOCs, we will evaluate this as the rigor that was available to them and count it toward the required units during their high school career, as outlined on our admissions website.
Certainly, it is helpful for homeschooled students particularly to send us standardized test scores, such as SAT, ACT, AP Exam Scores, etc, as a way to gauge their academic preparedness through a standardized metric. However, we understand that it is not a financial or logistical possibility for all students, so it is to the discretion of a student to choose if they want to disclose their scores as we are test-optional for the students applying for the Fall of 2025.
For those using the Common Application, it is most impactful to maximize the homeschool supplemental questions on the Common App. This allows the homeschool supervisor to detail the homeschool context, instructors, setting, curriculum, etc. This is an important component of the evaluation for the admission staff.
MOOCs including EdX and Coursera would not be considered in place of a credit-bearing course. These courses do not meet the criteria for pre-matriculation or transfer credit. We certainly see students utilizing these resources but rather as supplemental to a core curriculum. If possible, it can also be helpful to see a student demonstrate experience in a traditional academic setting.
Thank you for contacting UM-Dearborn. We try to make our process as transparent as possible. Our website is a great resource, but happy to answer other questions you have.
For incoming students who are in high school or about to graduate we have an assured admission at a 3.0 or better. We review GPA and academics solely for our decisions. We also offer a template for a transcript if the homeschool does not provide a "traditional" (for lack of better term) transcript
Unfortunately we do not accept EdX or Coursera courses at University of Michigan-Dearborn
Our office utilizes a holistic approach to application review. Holistic review is a competitive and selective process through which every application is thoroughly reviewed. We consider many factors in our review, including coursework and grades, extracurricular involvement and leadership, essays, and letters of recommendation. This allows us to have a more complete picture of each applicant.
While we consider all aspects of the application, our primary focus is on academics. We like to see students who are challenging themselves and doing well in the most rigorous courses available to them at their school, across a variety of subjects. More information about our process can be found on our website. Homeschool specific information can be found here.
When it comes to MOOCs, we generally do not consider them to be quite as rigorous as AP, IB, or dual enrollment courses taken directly through a college or university. However, these courses can still show progression in core subject areas which is another aspect of rigor that we consider in our review.
Thank you for reaching out to our office. Each year we receive many interesting applications from students all over the globe studying on their own at their own pace! MIT has a long history of admitting homeschooled students, and these students are successful and vibrant members of our community. We've posted special information for homeschooled students on our website.
There are plenty of accepted ways for students to access advanced coursework and demonstrate their knowledge to the MIT admissions committee, such as through EdX, that are outlined on our Accessing Advanced Coursework page.
Therefore, because our requirements are the same for all students, we cannot accept MOOCs, EdX, or Coursera as proof of academic rigor. They can certainly serve as a boost for a student's application because it demonstrates intellectual curiosity (a critical factor for students applying to our most competitive programs), but it will not demonstrate rigor in a student's coursework. However, we do accept CLEP exams. If you work with any Indiana residents, our Fast Start program can be a good way for those students to demonstrate rigor and gain admission to Purdue. Students from out of state can take the CLEP exams through this program as well, but their costs will not be covered, and they will not be guaranteed admission.
Given that MOOCs and Coursera courses are typically taken outside of a HS curriculum, we don't look at them in the same way that we'd consider AP, IB, or dual enrollment classes taken as a part of graduation requirements with an instructor, graded work, etc. Strong homeschool applicants are often taking online AP classes or most commonly, dual enrollment through a local college. From my understanding, most homeschool students can take advantage of community college dual enrollment at no cost.
We do not have special requirements for homeschool students as we review them the same as a traditional high school student. We do review MOOCs or courses taken from Coursera. If the student is admitted they would need to send in official transcripts for the courses.
We recognize that homeschooled students pursue coursework in a variety of formats, and are supportive of whatever decisions they make to prepare for college. We review students in the context of whatever information we have about their education opportunities and course choices, so in these cases it would be important to document in the application what has been available and the rationale for what is being completed.
Before I delve into my response, I want to provide the background that we review applicants through a holistic review process. We consider both academic and context factors. You can learn more about those factors here.
Completing MOOCs (even for a grade) is not considered an indicator of academic rigor in the same way honors/AP/IB/dual enrollment coursework is in our review. I could see engaging in a MOOC as a context factor that demonstrates a student's interest in a subject and perhaps a sense of going above-and-beyond what's required of them, but MOOCs wouldn't alter our perception of a student's rigor of curriculum.
Dear Admissions Office,
I am seeking additional information about your college’s admissions process for homeschooled students.
My interest comes from two main areas:
I participate in discussion groups for homeschooling parents and high school students, where questions about college admissions frequently arise. I aim to share accurate and helpful information with these families and plan to publish responses to these inquiries.
I also write a blog for homeschooling families navigating the path to college, and I expect to cover this topic in a future post.
Traditionally, students have demonstrated their ability to manage challenging coursework by taking AP classes or community college courses. However, some students face financial or physical barriers that limit their access to these options. In such cases, would completing MOOCs, such as those on EdX or Coursera, and receiving grades through them be considered sufficient to prove academic rigor?
I would appreciate your insight on the minimum admissions requirements, as well as what you regard as a strong application package for homeschooled students.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mia Watanabe
Founder of Free Homeschool Transcript Maker. Started homeschooling after my son came home from school in tears every day. Homeschooled for 10 years, learning as I went. Built a free homeschool transcript service when I couldn’t find one. Now helping over 100 families at https://freedu.us/
Founder of Free Homeschool Transcript Maker. Started homeschooling after my son came home from school in tears every day. Homeschooled for 10 years, learning as I went. Built a free homeschool transcript service when I couldn’t find one. Now helping over 100 families at https://freedu.us/
