COVID-19 Admissions FAQs
Please note that all policy adjustments below are meant to address the unique circumstances students are currently facing, and are not reflective of permanent changes to admissions policies or procedures at Saint Mary’s.
If you have an admissions related question not addressed below, please contact the Office of Admission at (925) 631-4224 or smcadmit@stmarys-ca.edu. You can contact the Office of Financial Aid at (925) 631-4370 or finaid@stmarys-ca.edu. For COVID-19 related questions that do not include admissions processes and/or incoming students, please contact our COVID-19 resource team at (925) 631-5500 or email covid-19_information@stmarys-ca.edu
For fall 2020 semester, we are fully planning on resuming in-person class instruction and opening campus housing to new and returning students. But we understand that the Covid-19 situation is ambiguous and changing. If we are not able to offer in-person class instruction or campus housing to students, we will fully refund both tuition and housing deposits before the start of the fall 2020 semester or allow students to defer to spring 2021 or fall 2021 semesters. We will notify students over the summer if changes occur.
For fall 2020, our first-year and transfer enrollment deadline has been extended from May 1 to June 1, 2020.
For admissions consideration for fall 2020, we will accept your unofficial transcript in lieu of your official transcript for both first-year and transfer students. First-year students will be required to submit an official final high school transcript prior to matriculation and transfer students will be required to submit official transcripts of all undergraduate institutions attended. First-year students should be able to locate their unofficial transcript via their school's online portal. You can email us that transcript at smcadmit@stmarys-ca.edu. Should you have any further questions or concerns about locating your transcript, please contact us.
A pass grade will satisfy our core requirements for admissions eligibility. We will not be including these grades into our cumulative academic GPA calculations for admissions and scholarship eligibility.
For fall 2020, pass grades in spring 2020 courses at external institutions will satisfy general education requirements
No, Saint Mary’s requires that a student receive a 5, 6 or 7 on higher level exams to receive academic credit.
Yes, for fall 2020 consideration, Saint Mary’s will waive the SAT/ACT requirement if the student had signed up for a future test date that has now been canceled. The student must have not previously taken an SAT or ACT test to have this requirement waived.
If you’ve been admitted and your financial situation has changed, you can file a financial aid appeal due to a reduction in income, changes in health, or other extenuating circumstances. You can contact the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@stmarys-ca.edu or (925) 631-4370 for additional information on how to begin the appeal process.
We will be flexible and may require additional requirements, such as an interview.