Regular Freshman Admission 
Early Action Freshman Admission
Application Procedures
Early Admission Program
Campus Visits
Advanced Placement 
Credit for CLEP
Transfer Students
International Students
Veterans and Military Personnel

Mount St. Mary’s welcomes applications for admission from all candidates who believe the university can help them reach their educational goals. We attract students from diverse geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds. The Mount seeks students who can benefit from our academic program and contribute positively to our community. Candidates for freshman admission to the university should have followed a four-year college preparatory course of study, including the specific coursework listed below, and be students of good character.

A minimum total of 16 academic units are required including:

•  4 years of English
•  3 years of mathematics (including algebra I, geometry and algebra II)
•  3 years of science, including at least two laboratory science courses
•  3 years of social studies/history
•  2 years of one foreign language

Applicants who have more than these minimum expectations are likely to receive more favorable consideration.

The following criteria are used in making admission decisions. These criteria are listed in what is the usual order of importance to us.

• Academic record
       • strength of applicant’s high school curriculum
       • academic achievement and the pattern of performance over the four years of high school
       • rank in class (if available)
• Test scores from either the SAT or the ACT
• High school counselor or teacher recommendation
• Extracurricular activities (quality, leadership and distinctive participation)
• Personal statement or essay (optional)

REGULAR FRESHMAN ADMISSION
Students seeking regular freshman admission should submit their application to the university as early as possible in the senior year, but no later than March 1. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applications received after March 1 will be considered on a space-available basis. Students who possess strong academic credentials, and who may be considered for academic scholarships and the Freshman Honors Program, will be notified early of their admission decisions. This will facilitate their timely consideration for merit-based academic scholarships.

EARLY ACTION FRESHMAN ADMISSION
Students who have identified Mount St. Mary’s as one of their top choices may choose to apply for admission under the Early Action Program. These students must submit all the application materials, including the high school transcript and SAT results through the junior year, by December 1. The Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and inform the student of its decision no later than December 15.

Note that this early notification plan is nonbinding and, for those offered admission, does not require a response before the standard candidates’ reply date of May 1. Since we are typically reviewing Early Action candidates without the grades or SAT results of the senior year, this program is recommended for candidates with stronger academic credentials. Those not offered admission in this early period will receive full consideration later in the regular admission notification period.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

1. Send the completed personal application form, along with the $35 application fee, to the admissions office. If the application fee is a financial hardship, requests for a fee waiver should come through the school counselor and preferably on the College Board’s Fee Waiver Request Form.
2. Have your high school send directly to the admissions office a complete secondary school record. Normally, we will want to see senior grades included; if you have already graduated, a complete and final transcript should be sent. A recommendation also should be sent directly to us.
3. Request that the results of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Entrance Examination Board be sent to the admissions office. If you took the American College Testing program, have the ACT result sent. Either direct results from the testing agency or results included on official school transcripts are acceptable. The university’s CEEB number is 5421, and its ACT number is 1726.
4. If you wish to apply for financial assistance, please refer to Financial Aid.

EARLY ADMISSION PROGRAM
Mount St. Mary’s operates a program of early admission for superior high school students in the local area. High school students who apply and are admitted enter as special students. The objective of the program is to allow superior high school students to take a course or two while they are completing their senior years in high school. The maximum number of credits that the high school student may take in this program is six, but usually a student will take only three credits in addition to his or her usual high school schedule.

In addition to an application for admission as a special student, the high school student must submit a letter of endorsement from his or her high school principal. No high school students will be admitted into the program without letters of endorsement from their principals.

CAMPUS VISITS
We strongly encourage prospective students to visit the Mount campus. While we welcome visitors throughout the year, we encourage students to visit when the university is in session. Tours of the campus with student tour guides can be arranged, as can individual appointments for meetings with faculty, coaches or other administrative offices such as financial aid.

Appointments for personal interviews with admissions counselors may be made between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. We also can schedule such appointments on selected Saturdays during the academic year.

Please call the admissions office at 800-448-4347 or 301-447-5214 to make arrangements for your visit. While a personal interview is not a required part of the admission process, it can be helpful in providing us a more complete and personal understanding of you as an individual.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT
For those who have taken Advanced Placement Tests of the College Board, the university will grant appropriate credit; course waiver and credit is determined by the test grade and existing university policy. These credits may apply to major, minor, elective or some of the core-curriculum requirements and will be recorded on the university transcript with a grade of Pass (P) when the official report is received from the College Board. Generally, all AP grades of three or better will receive university course credit.

CREDIT FOR CLEP
Mount St. Mary’s grants credit for successful completion of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) to a maximum of 30 hours. The university serves as a test center and administers CLEP examinations on a regular basis to those students obtaining prior approval of the registrar; approval is rarely given after the sophomore year has been completed. State requirements preclude acceptance of CLEP credit for any requirements in the Teacher Education Program.

TRANSFER STUDENTS
Transfer students are a welcome addition to the Mount and are considered for admission in either the fall or spring semesters. Each year, 50 to 75 students transfer to Mount St. Mary’s, some from other four-year colleges and some from community or junior colleges. To be eligible for advanced standing as a transfer, a student needs to have taken generally equivalent coursework elsewhere, be in good academic and disciplinary standing, and be eligible to return to the institution from which the student is transferring. Generally, transfers are required to have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, with a 2.5 preferred.

Students who wish to transfer need to keep in mind that normally at least half of the credits in the major and minor fields and certain core courses should be taken at the Mount. (In any case, a minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed at Mount St. Mary’s as a senior-year requirement.) Usually, no more than 60 credit hours will be accepted for transfer. Exceptions allowing the transfer of up to 75 credits are permitted under articulation agreements for transfer students from Frederick Community College, Harrisburg Area Community College and Hagerstown Community College.

The university tries to be flexible with respect to core curricular requirements for transfer students. For those entering with sophomore or junior status, several foundational requirements may be waived; courses from the students’ previous institutions will fulfill many of the university’s core requirements.

Normally, along with a letter of acceptance, transfer students will receive a written summary of their transfer credits accompanied by an evaluation of their remaining core and major requirements. All traditional academic courses from accredited institutions are eligible for transfer; no remedial or developmental courses will be considered. Only grades of C (2.0) or higher will be accepted for transfer; all courses transferred are listed on the transcript with a grade of Pass (P) and are not counted in the cumulative average.

An application for transfer admission should include:

• A completed personal application form, along with the $35 application fee, and an accounting for all elapsed time since secondary-school graduation
• A complete and final official copy of your secondary-school transcript (typically waived for those who have been out of high school 10 or more years)
• Official copies of transcripts of all previous post-secondary enrollment (if more than one institution, copies from each attended), along with a copy of the appropriate catalog from the previously attended institution(s)
• If you have attended another institution within the last two years, at least one recommendation from a professor who has taught you in an academic course; if not, then at least one personal recommendation (an employer, for example).

Transfer students should submit all application materials by June 1 for fall entrance, or by December 1 for spring entrance. The admissions office will normally notify transfer applicants of its decision within two weeks of the completion of the application. Transfer applications received after the deadlines will be considered on a space-available basis.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Mount St. Mary’s seeks and encourages the cultural diversity that international students bring to the campus. Each year we enroll a number of international students, and approximately one dozen different countries are represented in the student body. International students normally apply as freshmen and should meet the March 1 application deadline for fall entrance.

International applicants should submit the following materials:

• The completed personal application form, along with the $35 application fee
• Certified copies in English translation of secondary-level courses and grades, state or national examination results, and the appropriate diploma or certificate received in secondary school
• Official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if English was not the language of instruction. International students for whom English is not the native language are required to take the TOEFL and, generally, a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test is necessary to be considered for admission.
• A certified bank statement or affidavit of support documenting that adequate funds are available, for each year of enrollment, to pay the full educational and living expenses in the United States. Limited academic scholarships, ranging in amount up to but not more than about one-third of the total budget of educational and living costs, may be available to international applicants with especially strong academic credentials and TOEFL and SAT results.
• For those offered admission and who will enroll, a Mount St. Mary’s medical form, indicating completion of the required United States immunizations, as well  as immunizations required by the native country. 

VETERANS AND MILITARY PERSONNEL
Mount St. Mary’s is authorized by the Maryland Higher Education Commission to accept for full-time or part-time study veterans who have met the admissions standards of the university.

Veterans are required to abide by the regulations of the Department of Veteran Affairs as well as those of the university. VAR 14236 requires institutions to determine academic need prior to veteran certification in tutorial programs.

The registrar serves as the VA certifying official. Newly enrolled students who are eligible to receive veteran benefits should contact the registrar at the outset of their studies.