Resources for Parents and Guardians

We believe that parents and guardians play an important role in a student’s education. Here you will find information to help guide your student through PSEO and Early College at Northwestern. Additionally, more information can be found on our FAQ page. 

If you would like to visit campus, please contact the admissions office to arrange a day and time to visit. You can set up a personalized visit or attend one of our campus visit events for prospective undergraduate students. Please call UNW’s visit coordinator at 651-631-5112 or schedule your campus visit online here.

General PSEO and Early College questions for the Admissions Office may be directed to 651-631-5126. Please visit the PSEO Application or Early College Application page for additional information about admittance requirements.

Student services

Once your student is admitted, UNW has numerous services available to help them succeed.

Available student services include: Career & Leadership Development, Disability Services, and other Academic Success Services like the Writing Center, Subject Tutoring, and Academic Coaching.

Additionally, your student will be assigned an academic advisor upon admittance. Their advisor will help them navigate the college experience and create an academic plan that works to fulfil both their high school and collegiate goals.

Student records

Your student and your student’s education records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

FERPA’s primary purpose is to establish a uniform framework for access, review, and correction of academic records at all schools nationwide. In primary and secondary educational institutions, FERPA grants these rights to the parent, but these rights are transferred exclusively to the student once the student reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level (i.e. a post-secondary educational institution no matter the age of the student.) Students who wish for their records to be released to a parent or third party must authorize the college in writing. 

The student information release for and other FERPA-related information can be found on the FERPA Frequently Asked Questions page. 

Homeschooled students

Northwestern understands the unique needs of homeschooled learners and is committed to guiding you through the enrollment process. Nearly one-third of our PSEO and Early College students come from homeschool backgrounds. It is important for homeschool administrators to determine the high school graduation requirements, as the state only funds coursework essential for high school graduation.

At the University of Northwestern, we can educate students in their junior or senior years of high school for up to four semesters. If you are considering enrolling your student in PSEO and they are not yet ready, it may be wise to wait. Starting college too early can impact their GPA and future scholarship opportunities.

During the application process, we rely on the accuracy of the homeschool transcript to verify that your homeschooler has completed the freshman year and is on track to complete the sophomore year. We require transcripts to be formatted year-by-year (i.e. freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or 2022-2023, 2023-2024, etc.). We also need an expected graduation month and year. If grades are still in progress at the time of application, please include the most current grade available for each course.  A transcript template  is available to help with this formatting. Please note that transcripts not adhering to this format may face greater scrutiny and could impact acceptance.

While homeschooled students will start building a collegiate transcript by taking PSEO or Early College classes, the responsibility to maintain their homeschool transcript remains with the homeschool administrator.

PSEO through multiple institutions

The Minnesota PSEO program allows students to take courses through multiple institutions, but please keep in mind that students must apply to each PSEO program individually and will need to work out these details with their high school. Students can take up to 18 total credits each semester through PSEO.

Orientation

All PSEO and Early College students will participate in a new student orientation. The orientation for Online and On-Site students is completed virtually, but there is a mandatory in-person orientation for all new On-Campus students prior to their first semester. Attendance by parents at this orientation is welcomed and encouraged; our Parent Relations team prepares sessions and events specifically for the parents of new On-Campus PSEO or Early College students. Your student will receive information about orientation upon admittance to their program.