Would you like your homeschool graduate to have a little extra bling on their diploma or transcript?  If your student has done extra work in a single area, you might want to request an endorsement for their diploma!

High School Diploma Endorsements

Your School = Your Rules

Would you like your homeschool graduate to have a little extra bling on their diploma or transcript?  If your student has done extra work in a single area, you might want to request an endorsement for their diploma!

Diploma endorsements are common in public and private schools. These are created by schools or government authorities to award students for extra work.  As the chief administrator of YOUR homeschool, you can create a diploma endorsement, too!

How it works

• Endorsements are earned by completing a series of related courses grouped by interest or skill set, such as Business & Industry, Health Science, or STEM. (can be anything!)
• Additional requirements: Students may need to meet specific criteria, such as a certain GPA, standardized test scores (like ACT WorkKeys), or an industry-recognized credential.
• Work-based learning: Some endorsements require practical experience, like an apprenticeship or a dual-credit course.
• Honors endorsements: can be granted for a perfect GPA or above a 4.0
• Attendance endorsement: can be granted for perfect attendance.
• Not mandatory: Endorsements are not a requirement for a standard diploma; they are optional recognitions of achievement.
• Multiple endorsements: Students can earn more than one endorsement on their diploma

Benefits for students

• Recognition: It provides extra recognition for students who go above and beyond the standard graduation requirements.
• College applications: An endorsement can strengthen a student’s application to college, especially for related majors.
• Career readiness: It demonstrates to potential employers that students have a head start and specialized skills for a particular career path. 

Research for Homeschooling Parents:

Check with your school’s website or your state Department of Education website to see which endorsements are offered and what the specific requirements are for other students. Using a quick Google search, I grabbed a few examples from public schools. You can use these to get your creativity flowing for YOUR student’s homeschool!

North Carolina

North Carolina offers several diploma endorsements, including a Career Endorsement. Requirements include: 

• Completing all public school graduation requirements.
• Completing a rigorous course of study that includes a Career Technical Education concentration.
• Earning at least one industry-recognized credential or achieving a benchmark score on a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test. 
• Learn more about the specific criteria on the NC DPI High School Diploma Endorsements webpage. 

Mississippi

Mississippi offers a Career and Technical Education Endorsement with specific criteria: 

• Earn a total of 26 credits (more than the standard 24).
• Achieve an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Complete four credits from the same CTE program.
• Score at the Silver level on the ACT WorkKeys assessment.
• Successfully complete an advanced experience, such as a dual credit course, a work-based learning experience, or earn a national credential. 
• Details are available on the Mississippi Department of Education Secondary Education diploma endorsements page. 

Illinois

Illinois awards a College and Career Pathway Endorsement on the high school diploma/transcript to signify a student’s readiness for both postsecondary programs and entry-level jobs. Key components include: 

• An individualized learning plan.
• A minimum of two years of career-focused instruction, including at least six hours of early college credit.
• A minimum of 60 cumulative hours of supervised career development experience (e.g., an internship).
• Demonstrated readiness for non-remedial coursework in reading and math. 
• You can find more information about the program on the Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary website. 

Virginia

Virginia’s Board of Education awards a Career & Technical Education Seal to students who meet certain criteria, such as: 

• Completing a prescribed sequence of courses in a CTE concentration with a “B” average or better.
• Passing an occupational competency assessment or examination that confers an industry certification.
• Acquiring a professional license in that CTE field from the Commonwealth of Virginia. 
• Review the full criteria on the Virginia Department of Education Diploma Seals page.

Create the Endorsement(s)

Step 1: Define the Endorsement & Its Requirements

You are the school administrator, so you set the standards.

Name the Endorsement: Give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Endorsement in Cybersecurity & IT,” “Endorsement in Graphic Design & Digital Media,” or “Career Endorsement in Allied Health”).

Define the “Course of Study”: Outline specific criteria, including:

• High School Credits: Specify the required core and elective credits within the chosen field (e.g., 2 credits of IT coursework, 1 credit of a related science).
• College Credits: Incorporate a plan for earning transferable college credit through dual enrollment, CLEP, DSST, or online courses, a strategy strongly supported by the resources at Homeschooling for College Credit.
• External Achievements: Include any required industry certifications (e.g., CompTIA A+, OSHA certification, etc.), work-based learning, internships, or portfolios.
• Academic Readiness: Define a benchmark for core skills (e.g., a specific score on the ACT WorkKeys assessment, SAT/ACT, or demonstrated non-remedial coursework readiness).
• Make the requirements reproducible:  A good way to think about the criteria you want to include is to look first at what your student did, what they will do, and whether it is reproducible.The criteria should not be so specific that only one student “could” ever qualify for the endorsement.  

Step 2: Prepare the Addendum Document

Endorsement Addendum Document:

Create a separate, formal document (1 page) that can be attached to the official transcript or sent upon request.  If possible, use the same header as in your transcript.

Outline the Endorsement Program: State the official name and your homeschool’s requirements for achieving it.

Detail the Student’s Fulfillment:

• List all specific courses (high school and college) taken to meet the requirements.
• Include a summary of hours completed for internships or work experience, etc..
• List all industry certifications earned, with dates of achievement.
• Attach copies of relevant college transcripts, score reports (CLEP/DSST/WorkKeys), and letters from employers verifying internships.

Step 3: Display Options on the Transcript and Diploma 

On the transcript:

Courses that are required for your endorsement need to be included on the transcript.  Double-check!  List all courses, credits earned, and grades. Include a GPA calculation. Crucially, add the endorsement to their academic record.  You can add a line under “Graduation Date” or include it in the “Awards/Notes” example: “Endorsement in [Name of Endorsement Area] – see addendum for details”.

On the diploma: 

If you’d like to create an artistic seal to put on their diploma, you can design your own using a custom sticker website or Canva.  Include the endorsement title directly on the physical diploma, beneath the student’s name, e.g., “Jane Doe, High School Graduate with an Endorsement in [Area].”  You can also add a special seal, sticker, or graphic. Canva has a lot of really great “seal” graphics you can customize for free. If you want to keep it simple, you can just purchase a non-specific gold sticker from any store that sells stickers.

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I invite you to consider our BIG Transcript Program if you would like to explore any of our ready-to-go endorsements already build for homeschools.

Career & Technical

1. Allied Health
2. Welding
3. Early Childhood
4. Culinary Arts
5. Automotive
6. Cybersecurity/IT
7. Graphic Arts & Digital Media
8. Agriculture & Animal Science
9. Construction Trades
10. Digital Entrepreneurship
11. Criminal Justice
12. Hospitality & Tourism
13. Audio/Video Production
14. Computer Programming
15. Business Administration

Academic, College Readiness, & Scholars

1. Academic Distinction
2. Academic Honors (4.25+)
3. Distinguished Graduate
4. Honors Scholar
5. Research & Writing Scholar
6. Advanced College Credit
7. STEM College Achievement
8. Humanities & Communication College
9. Accelerated Academic Achievement
10. STEM Scholar
11. Humanities Scholar
12. Social Sciences Scholar
13. Classical Studies
14. Multilingual Scholar
15. Global Studies & World Cultures

Preview: