Homeschool benefits and savings in Berrien County, South Haven Public Schools, or Covert Public Schools
The LMC Guarantee pays all tuition and mandatory fees at Lake Michigan College, worth $2,887.50 for a 15-contact-hour semester at the 2026-27 rate, and adds free textbooks for students who live in the college district. Michigan home school graduates qualify when they file the FAFSA and enroll full time, and Pell-eligible students get another $1,000 for living expenses.
Who qualifies
Graduates from a Michigan home school
Lake Michigan College accepts a Michigan home school graduation, and the state counts a diploma or a certificate of completion.
Has lived in Michigan long enough
Your student must be a Michigan resident since July 1 of the previous calendar year, and so must you if your student is a dependent. Your student must also be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or approved refugee.
Files FAFSA, enrolls full time
File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with school code 002277, then enroll full time as an undergraduate within 15 months of graduating.
Lives in district for free books
The free textbooks come from the LMC Foundation Book Grant, which requires living in Berrien County, the South Haven school district, or Covert.
What it is worth
Lake Michigan College charges domestic students $192.50 per contact hour for the 2026-27 academic year.
- One class (3 contact hours)
- $577.50
- Full-time term (12 contact hours)
- $2,310
- Term at 15 contact hours
- $2,887.50
- Fall and spring at 15 contact hours
- $5,775
- Pell-eligible living expense award
- $1,000
A course's contact hours can differ from its credit hours, and some courses add a flat fee for lab materials or technology, so check the class schedule and ask financial aid which fees the Guarantee pays.
From applying to keeping it
- Senior year
Apply to Lake Michigan College
Submit the free online application, then send your homeschool transcript to the college.
- Before enrolling
File the FAFSA
Use LMC's school code, 002277. There is no separate Guarantee application, and the FAFSA also decides whether your student gets the $1,000 bonus.
- Within 15 months of graduating
Enroll full time
Class of 2026 spring graduates must enroll by the fall 2027 semester. The college confirms how many credits count as full time.
- Each year
Renew the award
File the FAFSA again, keep living in Michigan, stay full time, and meet the college's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, for up to three years at a community college.
What it pays for
Covered
- In-district tuition and contact hours
- Mandatory fees
- Print or ebook textbooks for LMC District residents
- A $1,000 bonus for Pell-eligible students
Not covered
- Textbooks for students outside the LMC District
- Part-time enrollment
- Students in default on a federal student loan
The tuition part is the state's Michigan Community College Guarantee, and the textbook part is a separate LMC Foundation grant with its own district residency rule.
Good to know
Michigan residency is enough for the tuition guarantee
The tuition guarantee needs Michigan residency, not district residency. Only the free textbooks require living in Berrien County, the South Haven school district, or Covert.
Who to contact
Lake Michigan College's main line and contact form answer questions about applying, the Guarantee, and the book grant.
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Michigan
No state report under the parent-led homeschool exemption, MCL 380.1561(3)(f). The nonpublic-school route has separate reporting; an annual membership report is required for eligibility for auxiliary services.
Michigan sets these rules:
- Subjects: Under exemption (f), provide an organized program in reading, spelling, math, science, history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar. The nonpublic-school route requires subjects comparable to local public schools.
- Testing: Michigan does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: No prescribed homeschool portfolio or attendance-record format under exemption (f). Keep progress records for transfers; the nonpublic-school route has separate reporting requirements.
- Teachers: Under exemption (f), the instructor must be the child’s parent or legal guardian; no degree or teaching credential is required. MDE requires a reporting nonpublic homeschool parent to have at least a bachelor’s degree unless a sincerely held religious objection applies.
Read the Michigan homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Michigan
Questions parents ask
- Do we have to file the FAFSA for the LMC Guarantee if we earn too much for federal aid?
- Yes. The FAFSA is how the state confirms eligibility, even though the community college route has no income requirement.
- Can my student take a gap year first?
- Yes, if your student enrolls within 15 months of graduating. A spring 2026 graduate has until the fall 2027 semester.
- What happens if my student transfers to a university?
- The award can continue. The state lets students transfer to a four-year school and renew for up to five consecutive years toward a bachelor's degree, with no more than three of those years at a community college.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
College classes can cover part of high school. We teach the subjects your child needs alongside them, starting at the right level in each subject.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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