Admissions

The Lasallian Guaranteed Admission Program

Students laying together in a star shape on a lawn

From Lasallian Classroom to Saint Mary's Community: A Guaranteed Path Forward

For over 160 years, Saint Mary's College of California has carried forward the educational mission first entrusted to the Brothers of the Christian Schools by Saint John Baptist de La Salle. That mission has never been confined to our campus in Moraga. It lives wherever a Lasallian school opens its doors — in parish schools, in urban academies, in college preparatory institutions from coast to coast. The Lasallian Guaranteed Admission Program is our formal answer to a simple conviction: students formed in the Lasallian tradition are already prepared, in the deepest sense, for what a Saint Mary's education asks of them. This program removes uncertainty from that transition and welcomes them as members of our community before they ever set foot on our beautiful campus.

 

Program Overview

The Lasallian Guaranteed Admission Program extends guaranteed undergraduate admission to graduating seniors from any Lasallian-affiliated high school in the United States — including schools sponsored or historically staffed by the District of San Francisco New Orleans, the Brothers of the Christian Schools, or recognized member institutions of the Lasallian Association of Secondary Schools (LASS) — who meet the academic criteria outlined below.

This is not a preferential review. It is a guarantee: qualifying applicants who complete the application process will be admitted to Saint Mary's College of California.

 

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for guaranteed admission, an applicant must:

  1. Graduate from an accredited Lasallian high school in the United States.
  2. Achieve a cumulative unweighted high school GPA of 3.7 or higher.
  3. Complete a full college-preparatory curriculum, including: 
    • Four years of English
    • Three years of mathematics (through Algebra II at minimum)
    • Two years of science (one year must be laboratory science)
    • Two years of social science/history (one year must be U.S. History)
    • Two years of the same world language
  4. Submit the Common App, official transcripts, and a counselor recommendation by the applicable priority deadline.

Standardized test scores are not required under Saint Mary's test-optional policy and will not affect eligibility under this program.

 

Lasallian Star

Grounded in the Five Lasallian Core Principles

This program is not simply an admissions pathway — it is a deliberate extension of Lasallian identity from secondary education into higher education. Each element of the program reflects one of the five core principles shared across the Lasallian family of schools:

 

Faith in the Presence of God 

We recognize in every Lasallian graduate a formation grounded in reflection, conscience, and purpose. Saint Mary's Catholic, Lasallian, and Liberal Arts identity provides continuity for that formation, ensuring students are not asked to leave their spiritual foundation behind when they arrive on campus.

Quality Education 

The 3.5 GPA threshold and completed college-preparatory sequence are not arbitrary. They affirm that a rigorous Lasallian secondary education is, in itself, sufficient preparation for the rigor of a Saint Mary's education.

Respect for All Persons 

Every applicant to this program is considered on the basis of their demonstrated achievement and character, not on the basis of their zip code, their school's name recognition, or their family's familiarity with elite college admissions. This program treats every Lasallian graduate, from every affiliated school, with the same regard.

Inclusive Community 

This program is intentionally national in scope. A student graduating from a Lasallian high school in Rhode Island, Louisiana, Texas, or California is equally welcomed into the Gael family. Lasallian identity, not geography, is the connecting thread.

Concern for the Poor and for Social Justice 

Many Lasallian high schools serve first-generation, under-resourced, and immigrant communities. Guaranteed admission removes a significant barrier — the uncertainty of the traditional admissions process — for students and families who have already demonstrated commitment to a Lasallian education often at real financial and personal sacrifice.

 

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