Homeschool benefits and savings in Patrick County
Patrick Promise pays the balance left after other aid, including required bookstore costs, for up to five semesters at Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC), where a 15-credit semester runs about $2,675 in 2026-27. Patrick County homeschool graduates qualify with a homeschool GPA of 2.0 or higher if they enroll the fall after finishing.
Who qualifies
Recent homeschool graduate
Recent high school, homeschool, and GED graduates of traditional high school age qualify, including early homeschool graduates. Your student needs a cumulative homeschool GPA of at least 2.0, or P&HCC can review junior and senior year momentum measures instead.
Lives in Patrick County
Your student must be a Patrick County resident with Virginia in-state residency status when the award is made.
Enrolls the next fall
Enroll at P&HCC in the fall semester after finishing your homeschool program, in a career studies certificate, certificate, or associate degree program.
Files the FAFSA each year
Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year, with both the student and parent portions.
What it is worth
P&HCC's 2026-27 in-state rate is $175.00 per credit hour in tuition plus a $3.35 per credit activity fee, $178.35 per credit in all.
- One class (3 credits)
- $535.05
- Required semester (15 credits)
- $2,675.25
- One year at 15 credits a term
- $5,350.50
- Five semesters at 15 credits
- $13,376.25
The Promise also covers required bookstore expenses, but only if your student charges them to the student account at the start of the semester.
From applying to keeping it
- Senior year
Apply to P&HCC and Promise
Apply to P&HCC with your student's Social Security number, then complete the one-time Patrick Promise application and agreement form by the advertised deadline.
- Before fall
File the 2026-2027 FAFSA
Submit it at studentaid.gov with parental 2024 tax information; processing usually takes three to five days.
- From March
Clear the SIS To-Do list
Check Action Items and Messages in the student information system for financial aid items, such as proof of secondary completion, and resolve each one so Promise funds can hold your classes.
- By July 31 each year
Log service hours
Complete 8 hours of community service in Patrick County and log them online.
- Each semester
Stay enrolled
Take at least 15 credits with no break in enrollment, keep a 2.0 GPA at P&HCC, and attend required meetings with the Promise Coordinator.
What it pays for
Covered
- Tuition and fees left after other aid
- Required bookstore expenses
- Summer terms within the five semesters
Not covered
- Part-time enrollment
- Breaks in enrollment
- Colleges other than P&HCC
Who pays first
- Federal and state aid
- Scholarships
- Patrick Promise
It is last-dollar aid: federal, state, and scholarship aid apply first, and Patrick Promise covers the balance that remains.
The Patrick County Education Foundation funds Patrick Promise as local aid available only at P&HCC.
Who to contact
Promise Coordinator Megan Willis works with homeschooled, GED, and other non-Patrick County High School students on applications and requirements.
mwillis@patrickhenry.edu 276-656-0348 Patrick Promise Fund
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Virginia
You must file the annual notice of intent by August 15. If you move into a Virginia division or begin after the school year starts, notify the division as soon as practicable and complete the filing within 30 days of the notice.
Virginia sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide a curriculum and include a list of the coming year’s subjects with the annual notice. The home-instruction statute does not require the public-school curriculum.
- Testing: Submit evidence of progress by August 1 after the school year. Children under six on September 30 of that school year are exempt from this assessment requirement.
- Records: Submit the annual notice, subject list, proof of a qualifying route, and required evidence of progress. Keep copies; no routine portfolio or attendance-log filing is required.
- Teachers: Qualify through a high-school diploma, Board-prescribed teaching qualifications, providing a curriculum or program of study, or evidence that you can provide an adequate education.
Read the Virginia homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Virginia
Questions parents ask
- Who do homeschool families talk to about Patrick Promise?
- Megan Willis, the Promise Coordinator, handles homeschooled, GED, and non-PCHS students. Patrick County High School students go through their Career Coach instead.
- Can my student take 12 credits instead of 15 on Patrick Promise?
- No. Patrick Promise requires at least 15 credit hours every semester, including the first fall.
- What if a program takes longer than two years?
- Students may take up to two and a half years, which is where the fifth semester comes in, because some programs run over 60 credit hours.
- Does it pay for books?
- Yes, for required bookstore expenses that your student charges to the student account at the start of the semester.
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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