NH Homeschool FAFSA Self-Certification: How to Qualify for Federal Aid

FAFSA season causes a specific kind of panic for NH homeschool families. Your student never attended a public high school, there is no accreditation number for your home education program, and the form asks questions that seem to assume a traditional school exists somewhere. What do you do?

The answer is federal law: the Higher Education Act explicitly recognizes home education as a valid secondary school completion pathway, and New Hampshire state law supports this by designating homeschooling families as the certifying authority. You do not need a state-issued diploma. You do not need an accredited school. You self-certify, and the federal aid system accepts it. Here is exactly how.

The Legal Foundation

Under the Higher Education Act, a student is eligible for federal student aid if they have a high school diploma, a recognized equivalent (like a GED), or — and this is the relevant path — if they completed secondary school through a "homeschool that is treated as a homeschool or a private school under State law."

New Hampshire law fully satisfies this provision. RSA 193-A designates parents as the educational authority for their home education program. When your student completes that program, you — as the program administrator — self-certify that they have done so. This self-certification has the same legal standing as a diploma for federal aid purposes.

This is not a workaround or a gray area. It is the intended pathway for students in self-certifying states, and it has been consistent federal policy for years.

What "Self-Certification" Means in Practice

When your student fills out the FAFSA, they will encounter the question about their high school completion status. The correct answer is "Homeschool diploma/certificate" or the equivalent option in the current FAFSA interface (the exact wording may vary slightly by year).

Do not select "I did not complete high school" or "GED." Those are different pathways with different implications.

After selecting the homeschool completion option, the FAFSA will not ask for an accreditation number or a school code — because home education programs in self-certifying states do not have these. The form is designed to accommodate this.

The Documentation You Should Have Ready

The FAFSA form itself may not ask for supporting documents at submission, but the college's financial aid office often will. Most NH colleges processing a homeschool applicant will request:

A parent-signed statement of secondary school completion. This is a simple letter on which you, as the home education program administrator, formally certify that your student completed a secondary education program meeting the requirements of RSA 193-A. It should state the student's full name, the dates of the home education program, and your name and signature as the issuing authority.

The NH Department of Education has historically provided a "Self-Certification of Secondary School Completion" form through its home education division. Check the DOE's website for the current version. If the form is not available, a parent-written letter containing the same information is accepted by all NH public universities and CCSNH institutions.

A homeschool transcript. Most colleges also want to see the transcript alongside the self-certification letter. These two documents work together: the transcript shows what the student studied; the self-certification letter establishes the legal standing of the program. See our companion guide on building an NH homeschool transcript template for what to include.

The Notification of Completion. Under Ed 315.16, when a home education program ends, the parent submits a Notification of Completion to the NH Department of Education. A copy of this form (or the acknowledgment that the DOE sends back) serves as additional evidence that the program was formally concluded under state law. Not all colleges require this, but having it ready removes any doubt.

What the Financial Aid Office Will Do With It

The college's financial aid office will review your self-certification letter and transcript, verify that the student's FAFSA indicated home education as their completion pathway, and process the aid package accordingly. In most cases at UNH, Keene State, Plymouth State, and CCSNH, this is a routine process — admissions and financial aid staff at NH public institutions see homeschool applications regularly and know what to expect.

If the financial aid office is unfamiliar with the NH process (more likely at out-of-state schools), cite 20 U.S.C. § 1091(d), which is the specific provision in the Higher Education Act that authorizes homeschool self-certification for federal aid eligibility. In practice, you will rarely need to do this at an NH institution, but it is useful to know when applying to colleges in other states.

The EFA Families: A Different Document

If your student participated in the Education Freedom Account program (RSA 194-F) rather than traditional homeschooling under RSA 193-A, the process is the same for FAFSA purposes. The EFA program requires annual submission of a Record of Educational Attainment to the Children's Scholarship Fund — but that document is for grant renewal, not FAFSA eligibility. For federal aid, the self-certification pathway still applies.

Do not confuse the EFA's July 15 annual record deadline with FAFSA requirements. They serve different purposes and are submitted to different entities.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Selecting "GED" on the FAFSA. A GED is a different pathway with different implications. If your student completed a home education program in NH, select the homeschool completion option. Using the GED pathway when it is not applicable can create complications with the college's verification process.

Waiting until the college asks for documentation. Prepare the self-certification letter and transcript before submitting applications. Financial aid timelines move quickly. Having your documents ready means you can respond to requests within 24-48 hours rather than scrambling during peak application season.

Leaving the self-certification letter vague. The letter should be specific: student's full name, birth date, the dates of the home education program (start year to graduation year), a statement that the program was conducted under RSA 193-A, and your signature as the home education program administrator. A letter that says only "my child was homeschooled" does not establish the legal framework the financial aid officer needs to see.

Assuming accreditation is required. Some parents believe their home education program needs to be accredited for federal aid. It does not. The Higher Education Act homeschool provision applies regardless of accreditation status. New Hampshire's RSA 193-A programs are not accredited — and they do not need to be.

What Happens After Verification

Once the college verifies your documentation, your student is treated identically to any other incoming student for financial aid purposes. They are eligible for Pell Grants, federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and work-study programs based on their FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (now called Student Aid Index).

There is no penalty or limitation on aid eligibility based on the homeschool pathway. Federal aid amounts are determined by financial need, not by how a student completed secondary school.

Staying Organized for This Process

The documents involved — self-certification letter, transcript, Notification of Completion, and possibly course descriptions — are all part of the broader NH homeschool documentation system you should have been building throughout high school. If you have kept organized records under RSA 193-A, assembling these documents for FAFSA is a matter of pulling the right files rather than reconstructing years of work from memory.

The New Hampshire Portfolio & Assessment Templates includes a transcript template, reading log, subject summary sheets, and a high school documentation framework designed around NH's specific requirements — which makes assembling the FAFSA package significantly faster when the time comes.

See more United States homeschool guides →