Undergraduate Application Procedures

Saint Mary’s College undergraduate applicants apply using the Common Application.

Applicants are required to complete the Saint Mary’s College member section when completing the Common Application. A recommendation is optional from the secondary school principal, counselor, or teacher in a college preparatory subject.

The appropriate official must transmit the official transcript of record directly to the College. A non-refundable application processing fee of $60 must accompany the application form.

From Secondary School

Saint Mary’s College welcomes applications from students qualified by scholastic achievement and personal character to pursue the program of studies leading to the bachelor’s degree. When evaluating candidates for admission, the Dean of Admissions with the Committee on Admissions reviews the following credentials: completed applications; secondary school records; recommendations; and a required essay. Each candidate for admission receives individual consideration. The primary qualities sought in a candidate are academic preparation, seriousness of purpose, and moral integrity. The secondary school record is considered the primary measure of potential college ability. Minor academic deficiencies in preparation may be overlooked when the overall application is supported by strong academic achievement, writing samples, and recommendations. Extra-curricular accomplishments may enhance an application by reflecting special talents, perseverance, and maturity.

Saint Mary’s does not require students to submit Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) scores as part of the admission process. Students may choose to submit their SAT or ACT if they feel it reflects their academic ability.

Each candidate is expected to complete at least 16 units of secondary school coursework with a passing grade of C- or better, including four years of English, three years of mathematics (algebra, advanced algebra or the equivalent, and geometry), two years of foreign language, two years of science (at least one laboratory), two years of social studies or history, with one required year of U.S. history. Students who plan to major in a science or mathematics program are expected to show particular strength in scientific and mathematics preparation.

Transfer Students

Students entering Saint Mary’s College from other colleges or universities with 23 or more transferable academic semester units must present records of college performance of a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in academic transferable courses. Transfer students with fewer than 23 academic semester units (or 34 academic quarter units) must meet the standards set forth for admission from secondary school, and must present records of college performance of a minimum GPA of 2.0 in academic transferable courses. Transfer students who would not qualify for admission to Saint Mary’s College directly from secondary school will normally be required to present records of at least one year’s work at other colleges with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in 23 or more academic semester units, or 34.5 academic quarter units transferable to the University of California system from California community colleges or another accredited college or university. The units should be completed with letter grades rather than Pass, Satisfactory, or Credit.

All transferable academic grades from other colleges are considered in determining eligibility for admission. When courses are repeated, only the highest grade will be computed into the grade point average in determining the minimum admission standard of 2.0. Saint Mary’s does not accept as transferable for credit any courses in remedial subjects, vocational fields, or non-academic areas such as typing, and secondary school mathematics. Courses from California community colleges typically must be designated as “UC-transferable” to be accepted at Saint Mary’s.

If students transfer from schools that do not compute grades below a C into the overall grade point average, their application will be evaluated on the basis of the number of courses they complete in making normal progress toward graduation.

Upon enrolling, only courses with grades of C- and above are acceptable for credit. For courses graded “Pass/Fail”, “Pass” grades are counted toward the total number of credits earned toward the degree, but do NOT count towards major, minor, or Core requirements, except where the transferring institution states that a “Pass” grade is equivalent to a C- or higher AND the syllabus or other documentation for the course specifically states that the course is only offered with the “Pass/Fail” grading option. Students are able to use the “challenge by exam” process to demonstrate letter-grade proficiency in a subject that they have taken at a different institution on a pass/fail basis.

The maximum number of lower-division course units that are transferable from any college is 74 semester units (or 111 quarter units). At least 31 units of upper-division (300-400-level) credit earned must be completed at SMC. This includes at least 50% (and no fewer than 6 units) of the upper-division units required by all majors, minors and certificates.

Admissions and Enrollment

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Admissions and Enrollment