Homeschool benefits through Essex County College homeschool Early College
Essex County College's Early College Program lets high school students take college courses for $60 a credit, or $180 for a typical three-credit course, when they live in Essex County. Homeschooled students apply the same way as other students but bring written permission from their parents instead of a school counselor's letter.
Who qualifies
Lives in Essex County
The $60-per-credit rate is for Essex County residents taking courses on the Newark or West Essex campus or online.
Is 15 and in 10th grade
Your student must be at least 15 at registration and in the second marking period of 10th grade or later.
Has parent permission
A homeschooled student brings written permission from the home school or parents to verify course prerequisites, in place of a counselor's letter. A parent or guardian also signs the application.
Meets course prerequisites
Your student must meet each course's prerequisites, and some courses require the placement test or official SAT scores.
What it costs
Essex County College charges Early College students who live in Essex County $60 per credit and waives its general activity and lab fees.
- One 3-credit course
- $180
- One 4-credit course
- $240
- Two 3-credit courses in a semester
- $360
- Two courses each in fall and spring
- $720
- General activity and lab fees
- Waived
High school students cannot use scholarships or financial aid, so you pay tuition and textbooks yourself, and you should ask the office what it charges students who live outside Essex County.
From applying to keeping it
- Before you apply
Choose courses
Pick the exact courses from the Essex County College catalog, such as ENG 101, and check each prerequisite.
- Before registration
Complete the forms
Fill out the Early College Enrollment Application and Registration Form. The registration form has spaces for a homeschool advisor and for the school district if your child is homeschooled.
- Each fall, spring, or summer
Submit the application
Email the forms and your student's latest transcript to pcrpt1@essex.edu with Early College Program in the subject line, or bring them to Room 3249 in the Main Building.
- During the course
Keep up with college deadlines
Your student follows college course requirements and withdrawal deadlines, and the grade goes on a permanent Essex County College transcript.
What the rate includes
Included
- College tuition at $60 a credit
- Courses on the Newark or West Essex campus
- Online courses
Not included
- Textbooks
- Scholarships and financial aid
- The resident rate for students outside Essex County
Good to know
Parent permission replaces the counselor's letter
Homeschooled students can join. Essex County College says they follow the same procedures and guidelines, except that written permission from the home school or parents replaces the school counselor's letter.
Who to contact
The Pre-College Readiness Office takes Early College applications and answers questions about eligibility and course choices.
pcrpt1@essex.edu 973-877-4475 Pre-college readiness
Homeschool rules and statewide help in New Jersey
No routine annual notice. NJDOE identifies notice obligations after an unappealed denial of district enrollment and a transfer form when withdrawing an enrolled high-school student. A district may request documentation when credible evidence suggests noncompliance.
New Jersey sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide instruction academically equivalent to the local public school for a child of similar grade and attainment. District curriculum approval is not required.
- Testing: New Jersey does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: No prescribed homeschool portfolio or routine reporting. Evidence of equivalent instruction is useful if a district requests documentation based on credible evidence of a compulsory-education violation.
- Teachers: No state teacher certification required for a parent or other person teaching at home.
Read the New Jersey homeschooling guide See statewide programs in New Jersey
Questions parents ask
- What transcript should a homeschooled student send to Essex County College?
- The transcript you keep for your student. The college asks for the latest high school transcript and describes no separate homeschool version, so ask the Pre-College Readiness Office if it needs anything more.
- Can we use financial aid to pay?
- No. Students still in high school cannot get scholarships or financial aid at Essex County College, so you pay the $60 per credit and textbook costs yourself.
- Will the credits transfer?
- Yes, to any public college or university in New Jersey. Out-of-state and private schools decide under their own transfer policies.
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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