Geneva, a homeschool graduate from Virginia, was set to leap into her fourth semester at her local community college when officials blocked access to her federal financial aid.
The college told her that she would be considered ineligible for this financial aid until she provided them with a letter proving that her parents complied with Virginia’s homeschool law.
Aimee, Geneva’s mother and longtime member of HSLDA, reached out to us for help in early August, and HSLDA Legal Director Scott Woodruff got to work writing a letter to send to the community college.
In his letter, Scott Woodruff explained that homeschoolers are allowed to self-certify their status as graduates on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). He also pointed out that adult students seeking degrees are not required to prove their parents’ compliance with Virginia’s compulsory attendance law according to the school’s own policy. Such things are only required of dual-enrollment students. Since Geneva had already graduated high school, there was no reason to withhold financial aid.
Moving Forward
A week after HSLDA’s letter was sent, we heard the good news from Aimee. The community college had released all financial aid to Geneva with plenty of time for her to begin fall classes!
Now Geneva is set to continue her journey to earn a degree in psychology that will prepare her to pursue her PhD in the same field. HSLDA’s assistance on this financial aid issue brings Geneva one step closer to fulfilling her goals.
For more than four decades HSLDA has fought for homeschool graduates like Geneva. We will continue to protect homeschool families from discrimination that gets in the way of the next step in their educational journey.