Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Wisconsin homeschool college courses are usually paid for by the family. Under Wis. Stat. 118.55(2) the Early College Credit Program is open to public high school pupils and pupils at private schools; home-based students are not named. Parents file PI-1206 each year and choose the curriculum, so self-paced ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses can fit at home.
Under Wis. Stat. 118.55(2) the Early College Credit Program is open to public high school pupils and high school pupils attending a private school, while Wisconsin homeschool parents file form PI-1206 every school year and provide at least 875 hours of instruction in 6 subject areas.
The rule asks for No state credit count for homeschoolers; 875 hours of instruction a year in 6 subject areas. The legal source is Wis. Stat. 118.55(2).
| Item | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Early College Credit Program | Open to public high school pupils and pupils attending a private school | [1] |
| Homeschool filing | Parents complete PI-1206 every school year | [2] |
| Instruction | At least 875 hours a year in 6 subject areas | [2] |
| Curriculum | Chosen by parents; DPI does not provide or approve it | [2] |
| Diploma | No public or private high school diploma; parents may make their own | [2] |
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (home-based private educational programs, PI-1206); Early College Credit Program under Wis. Stat. 118.55 decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (home-based private educational programs, PI-1206); Early College Credit Program under Wis. Stat. 118.55.
Covers language arts and is the course colleges most often ask about first.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
A second writing course for a student who is ready to go further.
Self-paced online English Composition 2 course (ENG 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Fits the mathematics area for a student past Algebra 2.
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
A next step in mathematics for a student heading to STEM.
Self-paced online Pre-Calculus course (MATH 115). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Fits the social studies area.
Self-paced online US History 1 course (HIST 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Completes a full 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 →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; see their own transfer pages. The college your student finally attends still decides what it counts.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| 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 |
| Wisconsin technical college transfer course, resident | $196.05 per credit plus fees (2026-27) | About $588 for a 3-credit course, before fees and books | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month | Self-paced courses at home; up to two at a time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus a one-time course fee (for example $79 for English Composition I) | Self-paced courses, one at a time, each with its own fee | 15 Nov 2026 |
A technical college course sits on that college's own transcript. Lower-cost self-paced options suit families who pay themselves, but check with the target college in writing before counting on the 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.
Ask the college your student plans to attend in writing how it treats ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit before you enrol.
Wisconsin's Early College Credit Program, set out in Wis. Stat. 118.55, lets high school pupils take courses at a UW campus or a private college. Section 118.55(2) names two groups: public high school pupils, and high school pupils attending a private school. Students in a home-based private educational program are not named, so the programme is not a route a homeschool family can count on.
That leaves most homeschool families with the same choice: enrol directly at a college and pay its rate, or use self-paced college-level courses at home. A Wisconsin technical college charges $196.05 per credit for transfer courses in 2026-27, before fees, so one 3-credit course is close to $600. Two courses a term for two years adds up quickly, which is why many families look at self-paced options first.
DPI says parents must complete the PI-1206 form every school year. A home-based programme must give at least 875 hours of instruction a year, in a sequentially progressive curriculum covering reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health. DPI does not provide or approve curriculum, so the parent decides what counts.
That freedom is what makes college-level courses fit. A student can take English Composition 1 for language arts, College Algebra or Precalculus for mathematics, and US History 1 and 2 for social studies. The hours spent count toward the 875, and the course goes on the parent's homeschool transcript as high school credit.
DPI is clear that homeschool completers do not receive a diploma issued by a public or private high school; parents may create their own. Colleges know this and read the parent's transcript alongside test scores and any college-level work. A college-level course with a credit recommendation gives an admissions office something outside the family to look at, and a college may later record the credit via a college transcript.
Each college decides whether it adds that credit. Before you plan a year around it, ask the colleges your student is likely to apply to, in writing, how they treat ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit.
The statute, Wis. Stat. 118.55(2), names public high school pupils and high school pupils attending a private school. Students in a home-based private educational program are not named. If you want to try, ask the college and your school district directly, and get the answer in writing.
DPI asks parents to complete PI-1206 every school year and to provide at least 875 hours of instruction in six subject areas. DPI does not approve curriculum, so you choose the courses. Keep your own records of what was studied and for how long.
Not from a public or private high school. DPI says homeschool completers do not receive one and that parents may create their own. Colleges read the parent's transcript, so clear records of college-level courses help.
At a Wisconsin technical college, transfer courses cost $196.05 per credit for residents in 2026-27, plus fees, so a 3-credit course is close to $600. Self-paced online options cost less per course; check the college your student plans to attend before relying on the credit.
English Composition fits language arts, College Algebra or Precalculus fits mathematics, and US History fits social studies. Lab sciences are harder to do at home, and many colleges want those taken with them.
Each college decides. Some consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit recorded via a college transcript, and some do not. Ask each college your student may attend, in writing, before you enrol.
One payment covers self-paced college-level courses for a home-based student.