English Composition 1
A first college writing course; NCCRS-recommended, 3 credits.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →MinnesotaHomeschool
PSEO Minnesota: too young for PSEO? College-level courses for 9th and 10th graders
Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The short answer
Under PSEO, Minnesota lets 11th and 12th graders, including homeschool students, take college courses with no tuition charged to the student. A PSEO Minnesota homeschool student in 10th grade qualifies only for career and technical courses with a passing reading score, and 9th graders do not qualify. College-level courses at home can fill the years before PSEO.
The rule
Under Minn. Stat. 124D.09, Postsecondary Enrollment Options covers 11th and 12th grade pupils, including homeschool students as alternative pupils, while a homeschool 10th grader qualifies only for career and technical courses after a passing reading score, and 4 semester college credits equal at least one full year of high school credit.
The rule asks for 4 semester credits = at least 1 year of high school credit (prorated). The legal source is Minn. Stat. 124D.09.
| Point | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use PSEO | 11th and 12th graders, including homeschool students; 10th graders only for CTE after a passing reading score | [1] |
| Homeschool step | Register with the Minnesota Department of Education before taking part | [1] |
| Notice dates | 30 October or 30 May for the next term | [1] |
| Cap | Two academic years for a student who starts in grade 11; one from grade 12 | [1] |
| High school credit | 4 semester college credits = at least 1 year of high school credit, prorated | [1] |
| Cost to student | No charge for fees, textbooks or materials for secondary-credit courses | [1] |
Who decides
Minnesota Department of Education (PSEO registration for homeschool students); Minnesota Department of Revenue (K-12 Education Subtraction and Credit) decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Minnesota Revisor: Minn. Stat. 124D.09, Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act [1]
- Minnesota Department of Revenue: K-12 Education Subtraction and Credit (Fact Sheet 8) [2]
- Minnesota Department of Revenue: Qualifying home school expenses (Fact Sheet 8a, updated 16 Dec 2025) [3]
- Minnesota Department of Revenue: press release, 20 August 2026 [4]
- M State: Cost and tuition 2026-27 [5]
Which credits count
What counts
- For PSEO: college courses at an eligible Minnesota institution taken by an 11th or 12th grader, or a 10th grader in a career and technical course after a passing reading score.
- For a homeschool high school transcript: the parent decides how a home course is recorded; many families count a 3-credit college-level course as a half or more of a high school year.
- For later college credit: ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses that a college reviews and records via a college transcript.
What does not count
- PSEO for homeschool 9th graders: the statute's alternative-pupil definition covers grades 10 to 12.
- PSEO beyond the cap: two academic years for a student who starts in grade 11.
- Fees for correspondence schools under the K-12 subtraction and credit, per the Department of Revenue's home school fact sheet.
Courses that fit
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Minnesota Department of Education (PSEO registration for homeschool students); Minnesota Department of Revenue (K-12 Education Subtraction and Credit).
College Algebra
College-level math for a strong 9th or 10th grader; NCCRS-recommended.
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
US History 1
Fits a high school US history year; NCCRS-recommended.
Self-paced online US History 1 course (HIST 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
US History 2
Completes the US history sequence.
Self-paced online US History 2 course (HIST 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Psychology
ACE-recommended and NCCRS-recommended; a popular elective.
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
English Composition 2
Follows Composition 1 for a full writing year.
Self-paced online English Composition 2 course (ENG 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →The path via a college transcript
- Map the yearsNote the grade your student is in now and the year PSEO opens: 11th grade for most homeschool students, or 10th for a career and technical course after a passing reading score.
- Use 9th and 10th grade for foundationsTake college-level courses at home in writing, math and history, and record them on your homeschool transcript as you decide.
- Register for PSEO in timeHomeschool students register with the Minnesota Department of Education before taking part, and the statute sets 30 May and 30 October notice dates; check the college's own PSEO deadline too.
- Ask about college credit in writingIf you want the home courses to count as college credit later, ask the college in writing first. The credit reaches it via a college transcript: a college that considers recommended credit reviews the courses and records any credit it awards.
TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; a partner college can review your student's courses and, if it awards credit, list them on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
What it costs
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study, homeschool lifetime | $250 once, every course | $250 gives homeschool families lifetime access to all UPI Study courses. | 15 Nov 2026 |
| PSEO at an eligible Minnesota college (11th-12th grade, or 10th grade CTE) | $0 to the student for tuition, fees and textbooks on courses taken for secondary credit | The best value once a student qualifies; capped at two academic years from grade 11 | 15 Nov 2026 |
| M State, paid enrolment outside PSEO | $200.35 per credit for 2026-27 ($218.50 internet delivery), plus fees | About $601 in tuition for one 3-credit course | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month, $299 for four months, or $799 a year | Self-paced ACE-recommended courses; credit still needs a college transcript | 15 Nov 2026 |
Once your student qualifies, PSEO is the cheapest route to college credit. Before then, self-paced college-level courses at home let a 9th or 10th grader build skills and high school credits; the homeschool plan covers all courses for one price.
What UPI Study cannot do here
- UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited; its courses are not PSEO courses and do not count toward PSEO.
- UPI Study does not decide how a college or a later PSEO college treats a course; college credit needs a college transcript.
- UPI Study cannot tell you whether a course is a qualifying expense for the K-12 subtraction or credit; the Department of Revenue says correspondence school fees do not qualify, so ask a tax adviser.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Confirm in writing first
Ask the college in writing whether named ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, recorded via a college transcript, would count toward its credit before you rely on them, and ask a tax adviser in writing before you claim any course on Schedule M1ED.
What PSEO is and who qualifies
Postsecondary Enrollment Options, or PSEO, is Minnesota's programme that lets high school students take college courses for high school credit, college credit, or both. The law is Minn. Stat. 124D.09. Students in 11th and 12th grade qualify, and the statute names homeschool students as alternative pupils who can take part once they register with the Minnesota Department of Education.
For a homeschool student, 10th grade is narrower: only a career and technical education course, and only after a passing score on the 8th grade reading assessment or another accepted reading test. A homeschool 9th grader does not qualify. Colleges also give priority to their own students, so a PSEO seat is not certain.
What to do before PSEO opens
Ninth and tenth grade can still be college-level years. A student who is ready can take English Composition, College Algebra or US History at home and learn how a college course works: a syllabus, quizzes, a final exam and steady deadlines. That makes the first PSEO term much easier.
As the homeschool parent, you decide how a home course appears on your student's high school transcript. PSEO itself counts 4 semester college credits as at least one full year of high school credit, so many families use that as a guide and record a 3-credit course as most of a year.
- Grade 9: English Composition 1 and US History 1
- Grade 10: College Algebra and US History 2, or Introduction to Psychology
- Grade 11: register for PSEO and take courses at a Minnesota college
Limits worth knowing
PSEO has a cap. A student who starts in grade 11 can take part for up to two academic years, and one who starts in grade 12 for one. The statute sets notice dates of 30 October and 30 May for the next term, and each college has its own application deadline, which is often earlier.
UPI Study courses are not PSEO courses. If you want them to count as college credit later, the credit has to reach a college via a college transcript, and you should ask that college in writing first.
Questions people ask
what is pseo
PSEO stands for Postsecondary Enrollment Options, a Minnesota programme under Minn. Stat. 124D.09. It lets 11th and 12th graders, including homeschool students, take college courses for high school and college credit with no tuition, fees or textbook charge to the student for secondary-credit courses.
can homeschoolers do pseo in minnesota
Yes. The statute names home-schooled students as alternative pupils in grades 10 to 12. They register with the Minnesota Department of Education before taking part. A 10th grader can only take career and technical courses after a passing reading score, and colleges give priority to their own students.
can a 9th grader do pseo
Not as a homeschool student: the statute's alternative-pupil definition starts at grade 10. A 9th grader can still take college-level courses at home in writing, math and history, which builds study habits and high school credits before PSEO opens in 11th grade.
how many pseo credits equal a high school credit
Under Minn. Stat. 124D.09, seven quarter credits or four semester college credits equal at least one full year of high school credit, and smaller amounts are prorated. A 3-credit course is therefore about three quarters of a high school year under the PSEO rule.
what are the minnesota homeschool requirements for pseo
A homeschool student must be in grades 10 to 12, register with the Minnesota Department of Education before taking part, meet the college's own admission steps, and give notice by the dates the statute and college set. Tenth graders are limited to career and technical courses after a passing reading score.
Read next
- PSEO for homeschoolers: grades, deadlines, limitsPSEO for homeschoolers in Minnesota is open in 11th and 12th grade, and in 10th grade only for career and technical courses after a passing reading...
- Minnesota's K-12 education credit and subtraction for home educatorsMinnesota's K-12 education credit and subtraction let homeschool families claim some education costs. The subtraction is up to $1,625 per child in...
The same topic in nearby states
Ready when you have it in writing
One price for all courses for homeschool families: start college-level work in 9th or 10th grade, before PSEO opens.
Sources
- Minnesota Revisor: Minn. Stat. 124D.09, Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act (official)Subd. 4: alternative pupils include home-schooled students in grades 10-12, who register with the commissioner; a 10th grader only for a CTE course after a passing reading score. Subd. 7: notice by 30 October or 30 May. Subd. 8: participation cap by grade of first enrolment (two academic years from grade 11). Subd. 12: four semester credits equal at least one full year of high school credit. Subd. 19: no charge to the pupil for fees, textbooks or materials when taken for secondary credit. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Minnesota Department of Revenue: K-12 Education Subtraction and Credit (Fact Sheet 8) (official)Subtraction up to $1,625 per child in grades K-6 and $2,500 per child in grades 7-12; the credit is 75 percent of qualifying expenses, with income limits; home-schooled children qualify if the home school meets compulsory attendance reporting; keep itemized receipts or invoices. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Minnesota Department of Revenue: Qualifying home school expenses (Fact Sheet 8a, updated 16 Dec 2025) (official)Qualifying: instructional materials, instructor fees for academic instruction outside the normal school day by a qualified instructor, educational software and hardware; tuition for college courses used to meet high school graduation requirements qualifies for the subtraction only. Not qualifying: fees for correspondence schools, internet fees, fees paid to a parent, sibling or grandparent. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Minnesota Department of Revenue: press release, 20 August 2026 (official)For tax year 2026 the credit has household income limits of $83,550 for one or two qualifying children and $86,550 for three; the subtraction has no income limit. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- M State: Cost and tuition 2026-27 (official)Tuition of $200.35 per credit for 2026-27, $218.50 per credit for internet delivery, plus fees. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Sophia Learning: Plans and pricing$99 a month, $299 for four months, or $799 a year. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Minn. Stat. 124D.09Price for PSEO at an eligible Minnesota college (11th-12th grade, or 10th grade CTE), checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- M State: Cost and tuitionPrice for M State, paid enrolment outside PSEO, checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Sophia: Plans and pricingPrice for Sophia Learning, checked on 15 Nov 2026.