Frequently Asked Questions

A HomeSchool Diploma is a beautifully printed diploma that a parent, guardian, or homeschool program awards to a graduating homeschool student. It marks the formal completion of your homeschool program and is designed for graduation ceremonies, framing, and photos.

Your homeschool program name, your graduate's full name, the graduation date, your choice of embossed gold seal, and a parent or guardian signature line. You can also add a co-signer (e.g. a homeschool program administrator) if you'd like.

We print on heavyweight parchment paper using sharp, professional printing techniques and apply an embossed metallic gold seal. Every HomeSchool Diploma is inspected before it ships.

No. A GED is an equivalency credential earned by passing a standardized exam. A homeschool diploma works the same way a private school's diploma does: it is a document attesting that the issuing school — in this case your own homeschool program — determined the student completed its course of study. Neither is a state-issued credential, and most homeschool graduates never need a GED.Read: Is a homeschool diploma valid?

For most graduates, yes. The diploma is the capstone document that marks completion; the transcript is the supporting evidence behind it, listing courses, credits, grades, and the graduation date year by year. Colleges, recruiters, and some employers ask for the transcript far more often than the diploma itself, so it's worth having both ready before applications go out.Build a homeschool transcript

Your homeschool program is the school issuing the diploma, so use its name. Most families name it after the family (“The Whitfield Family Academy”), a place that means something to them, or a person who shaped their education. Avoid the name of a curriculum, a co-op or support group, or a local high school — those organizations didn't set your graduation requirements, and borrowing their name can cause real problems with admissions and verification. Whatever you choose, keep the spelling and capitalization identical on the diploma, the transcript, and any state paperwork.Read: Naming your homeschool

The parent or guardian who administered the homeschool program signs it — you are the school. Every HomeSchool Diploma is printed with two signature lines for you to sign by hand once it arrives, and you choose the titles printed underneath. The most common pairing is Administrator and Instructor (often the same parent fills both roles); families who want both parents to sign frequently choose Father and Mother, and some invite a co-op leader or umbrella-school administrator to sign the second line.Choose your signature titles

No. Nothing about a homeschool diploma requires notarization, and a second signer is optional. A single parent signature is entirely normal. Some colleges will accept a notarized affidavit of completion or a letter from the homeschool administrator as an alternative form of proof, but that's a request from the receiving institution rather than a requirement of the diploma itself.

Use the date your homeschool program considers the student to have completed graduation requirements — for most families that's the date of the ceremony. Write it out in full (“June 6, 2026”) rather than abbreviating, since the printed date reads as a formal record. Make sure it matches the graduation date on the transcript and on any application forms; mismatched dates create paperwork friction that's easy to avoid up front.Read: Choosing your graduation date

Yes. Most homeschool families graduate within a few weeks of when their local district does — usually late May or early June — but December and January graduations are just as legitimate, and common when a graduate finishes early to start college, work, or military service. A mid-year ceremony works exactly the same way; the only thing that changes is the date on the diploma. If the ceremony is symbolic and your graduate actually finished earlier, print the real completion date.Read: Choosing your graduation date

HomeSchool Diplomas come in two sizes: 8.5 x 11 inches (our most popular) and 7.5 x 9.5 inches. You also pick the diploma layout style and your embossed gold seal from a range of traditional designs. Every style, seal, and size is included in the base price at no extra charge, and the live preview in the designer updates as you choose so you know exactly what you're getting before you order.See the styles, sizes, and seals

Yes. Community colleges, large public universities, and selective private colleges all routinely admit homeschooled applicants, and a parent-issued diploma satisfies the graduation requirement in the vast majority of cases. In practice, admissions offices lean hardest on the transcript — courses, credits, and grades for grades 9 through 12 — plus SAT or ACT scores where they're required. If a specific college is on your graduate's list, search “homeschool” on its admissions site; most publish a page spelling out exactly what they want to see.Read: Is a homeschool diploma valid?

Yes. Homeschool graduates are eligible to enlist in every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Under longstanding Department of Defense policy, homeschool graduates with a valid diploma are classified as Tier 1 education credential holders — the same tier as traditional high school graduates — provided they completed a program of home study meeting their state's legal requirements. Recruiters typically ask for the diploma, a full transcript, any state compliance paperwork, and a qualifying ASVAB score, so it's worth calling a recruiter early to confirm their current checklist.Read: Is a homeschool diploma valid?

For most jobs that require a high school diploma, the employer is confirming the applicant finished high school and rarely scrutinizes which institution issued it. A parent-signed homeschool diploma, presented honestly as such and paired with a short transcript, is generally accepted. A small number of employers — in regulated industries, certain government roles, and positions requiring background checks — may ask for extra verification, so confirm with that employer or licensing board before relying on the diploma alone.Read: Is a homeschool diploma valid?

No. Our transcript builder does the arithmetic for you: enter each course with its credit value and letter grade, and it computes the per-year and cumulative GPA on the standard 4.0 scale as you type, adding the usual weighting for Honors and AP or Dual Enrollment courses. The finished transcript prints a grading scale key so an admissions reader can see exactly how the number was derived. If your program grades on a different basis, you can override the calculated GPA with your own figure.Build a homeschool transcript

Visit the diplomas page to design your diploma and see current pricing. Every order includes full customization, the embossed gold seal of your choice, a digital copy, and free U.S. shipping.Design your diploma and see pricing

Standard delivery takes around 5 to 7 business days from your order confirmation. Need it for a graduation date? Reach out before you order and we'll do our best to accommodate the timeline.See the graduation planning timeline

Yes. Every order includes a digital copy of your HomeSchool Diploma at no extra cost, emailed with your order confirmation so you can review the design and have a digital backup.

Absolutely. After you order you'll get a confirmation email with a link to request a free revision. Just tell us what to change and we'll update the diploma before it ships.

Yes — co-ops, umbrella schools, and families with more than one graduate order from us regularly. Each diploma is personalized to a single graduate, so a group of graduates means one order per student. If you need several copies of the same graduate's diploma, extra copies can be added at checkout, and if you want a consistent custom design across an entire graduating class, a custom order puts one dedicated designer on the whole set.Start a custom order

Check the digital copy that arrives with your order confirmation right away — that's the easiest moment to catch a misspelled name or a wrong date, and the confirmation email includes a link to request a free revision before your diploma ships. Because each diploma is custom-made to order, we produce it exactly as submitted, so a reprint needed because of information entered incorrectly is handled as a new order. If a diploma arrives damaged, defective, or materially different from what was approved, contact us within 7 days of delivery with your order number and photos and we'll make it right at no cost.Read the full return policy

Yes. You can order a digital-only HomeSchool Diploma delivered as a high-resolution PDF by email, or the printed diploma on heavyweight parchment with an embossed metallic gold seal — which includes the digital copy as well. Digital-only suits families who need something quickly or want a file to email; the printed version is what gets framed and handed over at the ceremony. Keepsake add-ons such as a leather diploma holder or picture frame apply to printed orders only.Compare printed and digital

Requirements vary widely by state — notification, recordkeeping, required subjects, testing, and who counts as the program administrator all differ. Our state-by-state guide links to each state's department of education page, which is the authoritative source. As the parent or administrator of the program, you're the one who confirms your homeschool complies with your state's law — the guide is there to make that easy.Find your state's requirements

Keep the diploma and a clean signed copy of the final transcript indefinitely, in two places — one physical, one digital. High school records in general are worth keeping forever, because a graduate may be asked for a transcript years or even decades later for graduate school, professional licensing, or military reenlistment. Course descriptions, original test score reports, and samples of the graduate's best work are the supporting documents most often requested alongside the transcript.Read: Keeping homeschool records

We've been designing and printing diplomas since 2007, with nearly two decades of experience in delivering quality and reliable service to homeschool families.

No. We are a printer, not a school, school district, or accreditation body. Your HomeSchool Diploma is issued by your homeschool program based on the information you provide. It is the parent or guardian's responsibility to make sure their homeschool program meets the applicable state or local education laws.

We use secure checkout and careful packaging. We never share order details with third parties except to fulfill and ship your order, and we can remove sensitive data from your digital copy on request.