WE WELCOME APPLICATIONS FROM HOME SCHOOLED AND UNSCHOOLED STUDENTS. ALL PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS ARE SUBJECT TO THE SAME APPLICATION EVALUATION.
An application for admission to an undergraduate program (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts) is evaluated according to three important criteria:
- Interest: Does the application reflect an understanding of Goddard’s student-driven, low-residency model? Has the student articulated why Goddard is the right fit for them?
- Willingness: Has the student expressed a willingness to think critically about their personal and academic experiences? Has the student expressed a willingness to take responsibility for their learning?
- Readiness: Does the student’s academic record (high school or college transcripts, letters of recommendation, and reflections in the personal essay) demonstrate sufficient preparation for writing-intensive, independent, and critical work in the liberal arts and sciences?
1. ONLINE APPLICATION
Complete the Online Application for Admission here.
Where there is a demonstrated financial hardship, the Office of Admissions may waive the application fee. Please contact your admissions counselor for instructions.
2. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
Homeschool Transcript
The homeschool transcript should include
- A list of all courses taken or areas of study covered, either self-designed (including reading lists and course descriptions) or a formal document from a correspondence school or agency.
- Evaluations of student performance (narrative or graded evaluations accepted) in each subject.
- A short research paper, preferably completed within the last year.
Transcripts and other official records must be submitted electronically by the credit-awarded institution directly to admissions@goddard.edu. If etranscripts aren’t possible, please contact our office for mailing information.
Additional Transcripts
If you completed any formal secondary education, submit official high school transcripts or other proof of successful completion of secondary education (such as GED record).
You do not need to submit high school transcripts if you have completed two full years of undergraduate education.
Test scores are not considered for admissions decisions. If you took the AP, IB and CLEP exams, you are strongly encouraged to submit those scores with your application as you may be eligible to earn college credit. If you are applying for admission to the BA in Education with Teacher Licensure, you must submit Praxis Core test results.
3. RECOMMENDATIONS
Two (2) letters of recommendation must be submitted in support of your application. Letters may come from tutors, teachers, mentors, community leaders, supervisors or anyone who can speak to your ability to self-direct, your maturity, and your readiness for college-level academic work.
If you are applying to the BA in Psychology (BA/MA Fast Track), three (3) letters must be submitted in support of your application. At least one letter should address your ability to do graduate-level work.
Letters can be from an academic or professional setting; or be from colleagues, advisors or mentors.
Recommenders may submit letters of recommendation online.
4. ESSAY AND SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
BACHELOR OF ARTS: INDIVIDUALIZED STUDIES, HEALTH ARTS & SCIENCES, SUSTAINABILITY
ESSAY
Write no more than 1,000 words addressing the following:
Write about your readiness for undergraduate study in a program that is largely self-directed and writing-intensive. What life and academic experiences have inspired and prepared you to undertake undergraduate study? What do you intend to study? Please describe possible learning goals for your first semester. What resources might you turn to for grounding and guidance? What elements of your intended degree concentration are attractive to you?
BACHELOR OF ARTS: EDUCATION
ESSAY
Write no more than 1,000 words addressing the following:
Your essay should address your reasons for applying to Goddard; your educational background in the field; what life experiences prepared you to reach your educational goals. If you are pursuing a teaching endorsement, please tell us how your undergraduate work to date prepares you to seek licensure and describe your “call to teach.”
NOTE: Students hoping to earn a Vermont Teachers License are required to submit Praxis CORE scores or a Praxis CORE Acknowledgement Form.
BACHELOR OF ARTS: PSYCHOLOGY
ESSAY
Write no more than 1,000 words addressing the following:
Please address the following issues: What events in your life have led you to want to pursue studies in the field of psychology and/or counseling? Write about your readiness for undergraduate and graduate study that is largely independent, as well as your ability to motivate yourself and to advocate for your style of learning. What personal attributes provide the greatest challenges to your study in this program?
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS: CREATIVE WRITING
ESSAY
Write no more than 1,000 words addressing the following:
Please describe how you started writing, how your writing has evolved, your experience with craft and revision, and what you hope your writing will become. Also discuss why have you decided to pursue a BFA degree rather than working on your own to write, your thoughts on the relationship of the writer to the world, the texts that have inspired you, and how hope to grow as a reader.
CREATIVE PORTFOLIO
Submit two or three short pieces (no more than 20 pages; excerpts from longer pieces are acceptable) along with a one-page introduction to each piece explaining the process through which the piece came to be written: its genesis, any revisions it has undergone and why.
5. INTERVIEW
All applicants to Goddard’s undergraduate programs are required to complete an interview with an admission counselor. The interview is designed to help the counselor assess your understanding and readiness or self-directed study. It also provides you with an opportunity to ask questions about the low-residency model or other aspects of the Goddard curriculum. Interviews are generally done over the phone and are 20-30 minutes in length.