English Composition 1
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Umbrella schools for homeschooling in Tennessee: who records college courses
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Umbrella schools for homeschooling in Tennessee are church-related schools that enrol home-schooled students, keep their records and issue the diploma. The Comptroller's 2018 brief says they must belong to one of eight organizations named in state law. If your teen takes college courses, ask the umbrella school how it shows them on its transcript.
Two ways to homeschool in Tennessee
Tennessee law gives families two basic options, as the Comptroller's 2018 brief describes them: an independent home school, or a church-related umbrella school. In both, the parent is the teacher and chooses the curriculum. Neither has to follow state academic standards.
The brief estimated that about 80 percent of Tennessee's home-schooled students used umbrella schools. The state counts umbrella students as non-public school students, and only certain non-public schools may run an umbrella programme.
| Independent home school | Church-related umbrella school | |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Parent files an Intent to Home School form with the district | Umbrella school notifies the district |
| Parent diploma or GED | Required for all grades | Required for grades 9-12 |
| Records | Kept by the parent | Kept by the umbrella school |
| Diploma | Issued by the parent | Issued by the umbrella school |
| School year | 4 hours a day for 180 days | 180 days |
How umbrella schools differ from each other
Umbrella schools must be members of one of eight organizations listed in Tennessee law. Membership standards vary a lot, so umbrella schools vary too: some set testing or course rules, others leave most choices to the parent.
That matters for college-level work. One umbrella school may simply record the course and grade you report. Another may want the syllabus, or limit how much high school credit it gives for an outside course. Ask before you enrol in anything.
- Ask how the umbrella school records a course taken outside the home.
- Ask whether it needs a syllabus, grade report or work samples.
- Ask how many high school credits it gives for a college-level course.
College courses and the umbrella transcript
There are two transcripts to keep apart. The high school transcript, from the umbrella school, shows the high school credit your teen earned. College credit appears only on a college transcript. A dual enrollment course at a Tennessee college goes on that college's transcript; the umbrella school can also list it for high school credit.
For courses from providers that are not colleges, the college credit question is separate. Credit from ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses reaches a degree only via a college transcript, when a college reviews and posts it. Ask the colleges on your teen's list in writing how they treat it.
Choosing between independent and umbrella
Families choose an umbrella school for support with records, a diploma from a school rather than the parent, and a community. Families choose independent home schooling for full control. Under the independent option, the 2018 brief notes standardized tests in grades 5, 7 and 9, with results reported to the district.
Either way, plan high school around the colleges your teen may apply to, and check the current law and your district's forms, since the brief dates from 2018.
Where UPI Study fits
UPI Study offers college-level courses such as English Composition 1 and 2, College Algebra, US History 1 and Introduction to Psychology. They are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. We are not a college and not accredited, so any college credit comes only via a college transcript, and only counts if the college agrees. Partner colleges such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Newlane University consider such credit. The homeschool lifetime plan is $250 once. We are not an umbrella school and do not issue a diploma.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Before you enrol, ask TSAC and the college about the grant's current limits, and ask each college on your teen's list in writing whether it reviews ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit.
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.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Is an umbrella school a private school in Tennessee?
Technically yes. The Comptroller's 2018 brief explains that an umbrella school is an extension of a church-related private school, with the student's home treated as a satellite campus, and the state counts its students as non-public school students.
Do umbrella school students take state tests?
The 2018 brief says the law is unclear for umbrella students and the Department does not treat it as a testing requirement. Some umbrella schools require testing; others leave it to the parent. Ask your umbrella school.
Can an umbrella school student use the Dual Enrollment Grant?
The Comptroller states that home school students are eligible for dual enrollment and the grant. Ask TSAC and the college how an umbrella school student shows grade level and home school status when applying.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
College Algebra
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
Self-paced online US History 1 course (HIST 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask TSAC, your umbrella school if you use one, and the colleges on your list in writing first.
Sources
- Tennessee Comptroller, Office of Research and Education Accountability: Home Schooling in Tennessee (legislative brief, April 2018) (official)Home school students are eligible to enroll in dual enrollment courses and to receive the lottery-funded dual enrollment grant; two home school types (independent and church-related umbrella school); umbrella schools must belong to one of eight organizations in TCA 49-50-801(a); independent: Intent to Home School form and district registration, parent diploma or GED, parent keeps records and issues the diploma, 4 hours a day for 180 days, standardized tests in grades 5, 7 and 9; umbrella: school keeps records and issues the diploma, parent diploma or GED for grades 9-12, 180 days. Its 2018 grant amounts are out of date and are not used. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.