So your homeschool student wants to join the military after high school.
Now what?
In recent years, it’s become much easier to join the armed services after graduating from a homeschool program. In this blog post, we’ll explore the steps your student needs to take to start the enlistment process.
Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
Discriminated against no more: The military loves homeschool graduates!
Homeschool graduates can enlist in any branch of the armed services, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, Marines, or Coast Guard. In 2012 and 2014, Congress amended the National Defense Authorization Act, which makes it clear that homeschoolers may enlist in the military just like any graduate from a public or private school.
In fact, homeschool graduates are eligible to receive up to $40,000 in incentives for joining the military, just like any other student.
Occasionally, military recruiters may be unclear as to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) policies regarding homeschool graduates. But most of the time, homeschoolers don’t face issues with enlisting.
The DoD’s most recent 2014 policy, alongside Congress’s legislation, cleared away previous hurdles that homeschool graduates faced when attempting to enlist. Now, homeschoolers may enlist without facing discrimination for being homeschooled.
Here are some tips if your student wants to take the next steps:
1. Your student will need to take special care of his or her health and physical fitness
It’s no secret that the armed services recruit individuals who live up to a high standard in more than one area, including health, character, and fitness level. The process of joining a branch of the armed services is specially created to help eliminate those who do not fit well within these standards. Each branch of the military has its own rigorous physical fitness test (PFT) and specific standards of physical performance your student must meet in order to enlist.
2. Your student must take the ASVAB and the AIM
Every high school graduate, including homeschoolers, who enlists in the military is required to take two standardized tests called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and the Assessment of Individual Motivation (AIM).
The requirements to pass the ASVAB differ by branch, but all students must score in the 35th percentile or above to pass in most branches.
Your student’s score on the AIM, on the other hand, does not affect their eligibility to enlist, but is used to collect information about your student.
3. Make sure your student pursues a homeschool diploma, not a GED
If your homeschool student wants to enlist in the military after graduation, it’s important that he or she receives a high school diploma from your homeschool that has been issued by you and is compliant with any state laws regarding diplomas. Choosing a service that issues professional-quality diplomas for homeschool graduates is a good idea. Or check out our how-to guide here.
The armed services are seeking graduates who have earned high school diplomas and increasingly turning away those who have earned a GED. It’s important that your student does not pursue a GED prior to enlisting, as this could complicate the process.
If your homeschool student wants to enlist before he or she graduates, the Delayed Entry Program may provide a pathway as long as your student meets the qualifications. These qualifications include the ability to present any required paperwork and proof of approaching graduation.
4. Create a high-quality transcript for your student
Your student must submit a complete, carefully detailed homeschool transcript when they enlist. Using a transcript service like Transcript Maker will help simplify the process. Your student’s transcript must contain the same credits per subject that a traditional high school would use on its transcripts.
5. Join the Future Soldiers Program as a high school senior
Your homeschool senior may join the U.S. Army’s Future Soldiers Program if he or she is interested in enlisting in the Army after graduation. Students will be able to access tutorials and information that will help prepare them for what to expect from life in the military.
6. Complete senior year as a homeschooler
Your student must complete the entire nine months of the senior year of high school in a homeschool setting, at a minimum.
7. Be able to prove that you directed and supervised your student’s homeschooling
The recruiter must be able to easily assess that you oversaw your student’s education. If a homeschool co-op has been part of your student’s education, don’t worry—the armed services understand that co-ops often supplement a homeschooling regimen.
The military will want to see that you oversaw any Internet-based classes for your student and that you were incorporating them into your curriculum. There may be some confusion during the enlistment process if it’s unclear whether your student graduated from an online school or was truly homeschooled.
Even if homeschooling is recognized in your state as the equivalent to private school, the recruiter will still need to know your student was homeschooled.
The bottom line
Your student should be able to navigate the enlistment process with ease! Because of Congress and the DoD’s proactive stance on homeschoolers’ enlistment in the military, it’s now easier than ever for homeschool students to serve our country. With a little guidance, your student should be able to navigate the process in a fairly painless way, and without fear of being discriminated against in the process.
My high school graduate home schooled son is trying to get into the National Guard special forces unit. They are giving him a run around. I signed up on this site to make a transcript. They came back that they want a diploma. I was doing to see about have one done when the recruiter contacted my son and now wants him to take the GED exam. I home schooled my other 3 children and they had no problem getting into 4 yr colleges. I’m rather disgusted with the failure to acknowledge my home school curriculum. All my children were given a classical education which is far more than any public school yet a public school transcript and diploma (a piece of paper) is worth more than my transcript.
As frustrating as it is, the military can require non-traditionally educated students to take the GED. They want to make
sure that all of their recruits have had a certain level of education and feel that a standardized test will provide them with that
information. You should also go ahead and get the diploma for your son. Check out our recommendations for where to find quality
diplomas at https://support.transcriptmaker.com/help/do-you-have-diplomas.
HSLDA Home School Legal Defense, has helped many students get recognition for their studies with different agencies army, firefighters, etc…
Just want to make it clear that no homeschool student should be required to take the GED to enlist in the military It goes against the updates against discrimination that Congress enacted in 2012 and 2014. And if they take the GED that drops them down to a tier 3 recruit, Which is a subpar rating for those that may have not completed school or dropped out. Homeschool graduates are listed as a tier one the same as public and private school graduates.
The article does state categorically that homeschoolers should NOT pursue a GED if they want to join the military.
From my experience, the military wants homeschooled applicants to provide transcripts, a diploma, and also a letter from the parent verifying that the homeschool was registered with the state, the type of curriculum used, how the parent taught the child, how the parent graded the child, the reason homeschool was selected, etc. My advice is to have all of these documents ready before you child even talks to a recruiter.
The military is well-known for wanting exacting detail on what a homeschooled student did in high school. A friend of mine
whose son went into the Navy had to provide a listing of all the books they used while homeschooling. Thank you for your very
sound advice!
Well, this is a bit of an old post, but I thought I would ask my question here anyway. My son is joining the Army. We already obtained his diploma, and I had used a template to make his transcripts. When he started going to college, his transcripts were accepted here in the state of Texas with no issues. The Army wants his transcripts to be in a certain format, which is fine, but they want some type of association to sign it! We used Sonlight almost exclusively and only attended a co-op for a short duration. We have no idea what to do. The closest thing I have is a friend who was a TA at a public school in Oregon. Any idea how to approach this problem?
Have you explained to the recruiter that homeschools in Texas are considered private schools which are not regulated and that you are the person who is legally responsible to sign the transcript? They may feel better about the transcript if it is notarized. Ask if that would satisfy them and if so, take the unsigned transcript with you to the notary and sign it in their presence. You might also want to ask this question in your local homeschool Facebook group. Austin Area Homeschoolers has a great, very knowledgeable Facebook group and I would imagine someone there would be able to advise you. Good luck to your son!