Freshman Admission

Freshman Admission Requirements

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Welcome to SXU!

Your college search is an exciting time, and we are pleased you're exploring your options as a freshman student at SXU. Please use the Office of Admission and your admission counselor as resources to help guide you through the college application process. It's our goal to make this an easy process. Depending on your interest of study, your department or school may have specific requirements for the admission process.

December 1 Application Priority Deadline
Submit your application (and any additional materials) before December 1 to receive expedited access to your admission decision and priority for scholarships!

How to Apply

Submit a free application for admission. Saint Xavier has rolling admission, however, we encourage students to apply early in senior year especially for programs where capacity is limited, such as our nursing program.
Request an official high school transcript or GED score report.
ACT or SAT test scores are NOT required, however, it may be beneficial to submit test scores. See our No Test Required Admission Policy for more details.
Applicants for our nursing program are required to submit an essay describing your reasons for pursuing the nursing program and why you are interested in attending Saint Xavier University.

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Log into your SXU applicant status portal to check the status of your application. See if you are missing any application materials (ex. transcripts) or if an admission decision is ready for you!

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Congratulations! Log into your SXU applicant status portal for your next steps to enroll.

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SXU Access Advantage

Do you qualify?

Through the Access Advantage tuition program, qualifying students will have their tuition costs covered through a combination of state, federal and institutional aid sources.

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Policy on High School Diploma Validity

To meet regulatory standards for institutional eligibility, Saint Xavier University admits regular students who meet one of the following criteria:

Have a high school diploma (including those from foreign schools, if equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma).
Have the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.
Have completed secondary school education through homeschooling.
Are older than the age required for school attendance in Illinois (17 years old).

Saint Xavier University is committed to ensuring the integrity of its admissions process. In alignment with federal regulations, the University has established procedures to evaluate the validity of a student's high school completion if there is reason to believe that the high school diploma submitted is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary school education.

If concerns arise regarding the validity of a high school diploma, the Office of Admission will:

Request additional documentation or verification from the student, such as transcripts, evidence of accreditation of the issuing institution, or other supporting materials.
Use the College Board's database of CEEB codes to verify the legitimacy of the high school and ensure it is recognized as an institution providing secondary school education.
Conduct additional research into the issuing institution to confirm compliance with secondary education standards, if necessary.

The Director of Enrollment Operations and CRM is responsible for overseeing and managing this process to ensure compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements. Admission decisions may be delayed or rescinded if the diploma cannot be verified as valid. This policy ensures that all enrolled students meet the academic qualifications required for admission to Saint Xavier University.

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Music

Students who have been admitted to Saint Xavier University must follow additional requirements to be allowed entry into the Music Department. All students in the Music Department are considered Music Major Candidates until formal application and acceptance status into the Department has been completed.

Audition for Music

Students are required to audition as a music major or music minor candidate.
The guidelines for auditions are specific to your major and choice of instrument.
During the audition, students are being considered for scholarship opportunities offered directly by the Music Department. If a student is accepted into the Music Department, he or she is not guaranteed a music scholarship. However, the student may be eligible for other scholarships, so please consult the scholarship directory.

Students must make formal application for admittance to the Department after completion of four (4) semesters of study as a music major candidate.

It is the responsibility of the student to initiate and follow through with the admission process.
Students who are not admitted into a specific music degree program should not register for upper-level music courses in that program.
It is possible that upper-level coursework taken prior to formal admission will not count toward degree completion.
Students who are not admitted after the second attempt may petition the music faculty for a third and final attempt at formal admission to a specific program.

Admission into the Music Departments requires students to meet multiple criteria.

Successful completion of Music Department sophomore year requirements (located on page 65 of the Music Student Handbook).
Successful completion of the University Sophomore year requirements (48-60 semester hours).
Cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.
Letters of recommendation from an Applied Music professor, Theory/Aural Skills professor and Music Education director (Music Education students only).
Successful completion of a Formal Admission Jury with a GPA of 2.5 for Bachelor of Arts candidates and 3.0 for Bachelor of Music candidates.
Successful completion of the State of Illinois Criminal Background Investigation and Test of Academic Proficiency #400 for Music Education majors.

Students admitted to the University as music majors must comply with the Music Department admission requirements in order to be officially admitted to the department.

Mid-semester of the fourth semester of Music studies, obtain an Application for Formal Admission to the Music Department.
Submit two (or three) letters of recommendation to the Chairperson of the Department at least four weeks prior to the close of the semester. Letters should come from an Applied Music professor, the director of Theoretical Studies and for Music Education students, the director of Music Education.
Full-time Music Department faculty will meet to discuss all areas of academic achievement as well as principal instrument performance ability.
A 20 or 30-minute audition (based on major) on principal instrument will take place during the current semester's jury examination unless otherwise requested.

Nursing

By applying to the Nursing Program, students will be prepared for the 21st century health care workplace with a focus on health and wellness across diverse populations while acquiring a quality education from a top ranked program.

Freshman Online Application Common Application

Apply online. There is no fee. We encourage students to apply early in senior year especially for nursing since capacity is limited.
Submit official high school transcript or GED score report.
ACT or SAT test scores are NOT required, HOWEVER, it may be beneficial to submit test scores. See our No Test Required Admission Policy for more details and for suggestions on when submitting a test score could be helpful.
Submit an essay describing your reasons for pursuing the nursing program and why you are interested in attending Saint Xavier University.
Submit a signed Nursing Essential Abilities and Behaviors Form to the Office of Admission.

Saint Xavier University adheres to the May 1 national college decision day guidelines. The nursing program has a finite number of spaces for enrolling freshmen each fall. Applicants who apply late in senior year may be placed on a waitlist. Admitted students who submit a tuition deposit after May 1 may be placed on a waitlist.

Capacity in our nursing program is limited, so we encourage students to apply early in senior year.
Students accept the offer of admission on a first come, first served basis by submitting a tuition deposit and registering for freshman orientation.
Once capacity is reached, a waitlist will be created. Students will be notified as soon as possible should they be put on the waitlist.
A waitlisted student may receive a tuition deposit refund after May 1, if requested.

Students admitted to the University as pre-clinical nursing majors must comply with the Nursing Program admission requirements in order to be officially admitted to the program.

Applicants with the following qualifications may be considered for admission:

Minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) cumulative high school GPA
Grade of B or better in high school biology and chemistry courses
Essay describing why you want to be a nurse, and how you plan to be successful at Saint Xavier University

Students are required to test negative for drugs in a 12 panel drug screening prior to beginning their clinical experience and as required by clinical agencies. The College of Nursing, Health Sciences and Business reserve the right to require random drug screenings based upon reasonable suspicion.

Before beginning clinical courses, students must meet and provide a series of health requirements.

Physical Examination
Titers
Tetanus
Annual TB Screen
Influenza Immunization
Current BLS certification for Health Care Providers
Proof of Comprehensive Health Insurance
Complete Immunization Record
CPR certification
Current Health History
Required Laboratory Reports
Students are responsible for completing and clearing a criminal background check as a condition of admission to the nursing program and must do so annually thereafter. All students shall have an ongoing duty to report any violations of this policy and/or state and/or federal law.

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Freshman Admission Requirements