Thiel College–Your Homeschool-Friendly Option for Higher Education

Inside: Thiel College is a homeschool-friendly option for higher education and dual enrollment options. Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Thiel College. I was compensated for my time and honest opinion.

It’s that time of the year where eager Juniors (and some procrastinating Seniors) are starting to look at life beyond high school. Colleges begin scouting students and students begin scouting colleges. For homeschool students, this also means checking to see what colleges are homeschool-friendly.

When our oldest daughter was researching colleges, we eliminated all that required homeschool students to jump through extra hoops, such as submitting lab reports from every science class. It was important to us she attended a school that understood the value homeschool students have to offer and recognized a homeschool education as a valid one.

Thiel College (pronounced “teel”), located in the small community of Greenville, Pennsylvania, is one of those homeschool-friendly colleges that value homeschool students. Their admission requirements for homeschool students are the same for all other students seeking admission. No special hoops to jump through.

Getting to Know Thiel College

Thiel is a private college located in the beautiful western Pennsylvania countryside. An independent liberal arts college it is rooted in the Lutheran tradition.

Thiel consistently appears on Forbes list of Grateful Grad Colleges: The Top 200 Show-Me-The-Money Schools. They also boast a highly engaged network of over 15,000 alumni.

In addition, Thiel joins Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburg and Princeton as premier institutions recognized by the Dietrich Foundation for their commitment to higher education and championing student success.

Benefits of Thiel College

My oldest daughter chose to attend a smaller private college as opposed to a larger university. She wanted the close-nit community experience a smaller campus would provide without having to sacrifice the extracurricular activities and campus life. As a very social person, she relished the idea of smaller class sizes that would allow her to make deeper connections with her peers. It was also important to her that her professors knew her personally and that is best achieved with smaller class sizes.

Thiel College offers all these same benefits she was looking for:

• 11:1 student-faculty ratio–70% of classes have less than 20 students!
• 95% of students live on campus
• 60+ areas of study
• 100+ clubs, teams, and organizations
• 80% of faculty hold the highest degree in their field
• Opportunities to take advantage of diverse cultural experiences offered in nearby cities (90 minutes from Pittsburg and Cleveland; 60 minutes from Youngstown, OH)

A Successful Future After College

While individual effort plays an important role in future success, a school’s dedication to helping students succeed is also important.

One hundred percent of students complete one or more internships or practicums prior to graduating. Getting real-life experience through internships and practicums plays an important role in gaining employment post-graduation. And in fact, ninety-five percent of graduates report being employed or studying in their field within three months of graduation. These are awesome statistics.

In addition, many of Thiel’s graduates go on to study at some of the top institutions, such as Duke, Harvard, Oxford, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt, and Yale.

Dietrich Honors Institute

And for those high school students who excel, Thiel’s invitation-only Dietrich Honors Institute offers a custom curriculum. I know us homeschoolers love customized curriculum.

High School students with a GPA of 3.7 or higher who demonstrate a strong record of leadership, service, or academic commitment are invited to apply.

Accepted applicants of the Dietrich Honors Institute also receive:

• $1000 renewable four-year scholarship
• Weekend trips and excursions with classmates to Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
• Eligibility for up to $2000 scholarship to study or intern abroad
• Honors housing in a learning and living community
• Early registration to get your preferred schedule

Spiritual Life at Thiel College

One of the things that impresses me about Thiel College is their encouragement for students to have an active spiritual life. In fact, every Tuesday, Thiel holds a Community hour from 11am to 12pm during which time there are no classes or meetings scheduled so students can attend a worship service in the Chapel.

When our daughter was looking into colleges, she was disappointed to learn her first choice of school didn’t allow religious institutions or clubs to be on campus and the closest building for our religion was 30 miles away. Seeing a college that encourages and supports a students spiritual growth is refreshing.

High School Dual Enrollment at Thiel College

If you are one of the lucky homeschool families to live within close proximity to Thiel, you’ll be happy to know they offer dual enrollment classes for junior and senior high school students.

Dual enrollment is a great way for high school students to earn college credit while still at home.

Learn More About Thiel College for Homeschool Students

Think Thiel College is a good fit for your homeschool student? Want to learn more about the 60+ courses of study they offer? Head over to their website to request more information.

(Did you know getting on a college’s mailing list early [sophomore/junior year] shows them you are a serious interest and can mean more financial aid, application fee waivers, etc.?)