Do your research
There are many high school templates on the internet. Some contain more facts than others. Determining which facts are critical depends on the receiving institution. From personal experience, a college will request you modify the transcript if it doesn’t meet their requirements.
Check the college website
If you have a target college in mind, check out its website for a checklist of necessary facts. If there is no checklist, try contacting admissions and ask what they expect to see on a homeschool transcript.
Ask for advice from someone who previously applied
Consider asking someone who has previously submitted a homeschool transcript to your target institution. Find out about their experience. Did their transcript get rejected at first? Where did they get the information on what to include on the transcript?
Find a checklist or sample transcript from a respected institution.
If you are unable to find information about a school’s expectations, find a checklist for homeschool transcripts at another institution for ideas.
Personal experience
My kids applied to Wake Technical College’s Career and College Promise pathway during high school. Admission to this program requires a high school transcript. It was a frustrating process. Our submitted transcripts were kicked back for modification which wasted time and delayed admission to the program. Thankfully, the college now posts a checklist of the facts they want to see on a homeschool transcript. See below for their checklist.
To weight or not to weight grades
Don’t assume that an institution will accept weighted grades. The community college my kids applied to during high school does not accept weighted grades. Read how that college handles weighted grades along with facts that it requires on the homeschool transcript.
Check Out Wake Tech’s Transcript Checklist for Ideas:
My Go-To High School Transcript Template:
Below that is transcript template I developed after years of learning things the hard way.
Adapting the Template to Your Student’s Situation
Read my post A Transcript Template for specifics on this template.
Concluding Thoughts
Drafting a high school transcript is a breeze if you have a trusted template at your disposal. Start drafting a transcript in the 9th grade and update each year. Maintaining a transcript will track progress and help with planning. When it comes time to apply to a college, your transcript will be ready to roll. Before submitting the transcript, check out the school’s website to see if it provides transcript guidelines and then make necessary tweaks. Try to submit the transcript as soon as possible in case the school wants you to modify the transcript. If the school kicks the transcript back, don’t stress too much about that. Just make the suggested changes and resubmit quickly. The college application process can be stressful for parents. Reduce the stress by drafting a transcript well before the senior year. Good luck!
More on Transcripts
The High School Transcript: A Targeted Approach (How many credits are needed? Which credits are needed?)
Transcripts: How to Calculate Course Credits (How to account for different types of credits.)
8th Grade Credits on the High School Transcript (Should you or should you not do this?)