Admissions

A campus visit is an excellent way for a prospective student to become acquainted with St. Mary’s College. Students and their families are encouraged to schedule an interview and tour. These appointments are available Monday through Friday and should be scheduled via our website. Designated Saturday visits are also available. Please check the Admissions website for more details. Open Houses, which are scheduled throughout the year, provide an opportunity to learn about the College and talk with faculty members and students.

Applicants and their families can make reservations to attend an Open House online or by contacting the Office of Admissions.

In addition to the usual first-year application process, St. Mary’s offer an Early Action program for those who want to apply early.  Early Action is non-binding.  All students are considered for merit aid and notified at time of decision. All candidates, regardless of their admission option, are required to make a non-refundable commitment deposit of $500 to confirm the acceptance of an admission offer. See the schedule of application deadlines and decision notifications here.

Requirements

• Completion of the following high school units: English, four; social studies, three; mathematics, three; science, three; and other electives, seven. Study of a foreign language is highly recommended.
• Superior grades in high school, especially in college preparatory courses (for example, honors, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses).
• SAT I or ACT scores.
• Possession of an earned high school diploma, or its equivalent or a satisfactory score on the General Educational Development (GED) examination administered by the State Department of Education.

Procedures

1. Applications: St. Mary’s College of Maryland uses the Common Application and our own online institutional application. Students should apply online at www.smcm.edu/admissions. The required $50 application fee may be submitted through this website.
2. Transcripts: Send official secondary school transcript and transcripts for any college work completed directly to the Office of Admissions, 47645 College Drive, St. Mary’s City, Maryland, 20686-3001.
3. Standardized Test Scores: Send SAT Reasoning and/or ACT scores directly to the College. St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s College Board (CEEB) code is 5601, and our ACT college code is 1736. Standardized test scores are required only for individuals who have graduated from secondary school within the past three years.
4. Recommendations: St. Mary’s College of Maryland requires one letter of recommendation from a junior or senior year teacher of an academic subject. Two letters are recommended.
5.  A mid-year report reflecting seventh semester or tenth trimester grades.

Notification and Acceptance

First-year applicants who request consideration under the Early Action  program will be notified of an admission decision by winter break . Individuals offered admission must accept the offer of admission with a non-refundable commitment deposit of $500 by May 1. Regular Decision applicants will be notified by April 1.

Requirements

• Above-average grades (recommended minimum GPA of 3.0) in all college courses. Transfer admission is competitive, based on space availability.
• Satisfactory completion of at least 12 credit hours of college credit.
• Possession of an earned high school diploma, or its equivalent or a satisfactory score on the General Educational Development (GED) examination administered by the State Department of Education.

Procedures

1. Applications: St. Mary’s College of Maryland uses the Common Application and our own institutional application. Students should apply online at www.smcm.edu/admissions. The required $50 application fee may be submitted through this website.
2. Transcripts: Have each college send an official transcript directly to the Office of Admissions, 47645 College Drive, St. Mary’s City, Maryland, 20686-3001. Transfer applicants who have completed fewer than 24 credit hours of college credit must provide an official high school transcript and SAT Reasoning scores or ACT exam scores as well.
3. Recommendation: St. Mary’s College of Maryland requires one recommendation from a college professor.
4. Registrar Report: A statement of good standing (College Report) from the most recent college attended. This report should be completed by your college/university registrar or appropriate dean/college official who can verify your enrollment and academic standing.

 

Notification and Acceptance

Transfer students for fall admission will be notified by April 1. Acceptance will continue with rolling admissions decisions until the class is filled. Spring transfer students will be notified in early December.

Transfer of Credits

For further information, see “Transfer of credit from other institutions” in the “Academic Policies” section.

Superior students who show exceptional maturity may seek admission to St. Mary’s after the completion of their junior year of secondary school. Candidates for early matriculation must have the agreement of the secondary school that a secondary school diploma will be awarded after the completion of specified courses at St. Mary’s. Candidates for early matriculation must provide a letter from their secondary school principal certifying the secondary school’s agreement to the above condition and a letter of recommendation from the secondary school guidance counselor. Candidates for early matriculation must arrange a campus interview with an admissions officer.

Students who enroll for course work at St. Mary’s College of Maryland are classified as either degree-seeking students or non-degree-seeking students. Degree-seeking students are those seeking a degree from St. Mary’s College and who have been accepted by the Office of Admissions. A degree-seeking student may enroll for course work (full or part-time) for each consecutive semester as long as he or she remains in good academic standing at the College. A program of 12 credit hours or more constitutes a full-time load; a program of fewer than 12 credit hours constitutes a part-time load. Non-degree-seeking students are those not currently seeking a degree from St. Mary’s College. They must consult with the staff of the Office of Academic Services. Non-degree-seeking students are permitted to enroll for fewer than 12 credit hours. There is no limit to the number of credit hours that a non-degree-seeking student who does not apply as a degree-seeking student may accumulate, and a non-degree-seeking student may enroll for as many semesters as desired for the purpose of enrichment or transferring credits to another institution.

Students who fail to meet the criteria for good academic standing outlined above will be sent a letter of warning and placed on academic probation. Non-degree-seeking students receive advising and help with the registration process from the Office of Academic Services.

A non-degree-seeking student may become a degree student by applying for and being granted formal admission through the Office of Admissions. Application must be made prior to the student’s enrollment in the last 30 credit hours for a degree at St. Mary’s College. In addition, 30 of the student’s last 36 credit hours must be completed at St. Mary’s. For admission as a degree student, a non-degree-seeking student must meet the same criteria as a transfer student. The terms by which the student may graduate will be determined by the policies laid out in the catalog current at the date of his or her admission as a degree student. A student must maintain continuous enrollment in the College in order to be graduated under that catalog.

See re-admission for further information.

Part-time students are those individuals enrolled for 11 or fewer credit hours during the fall and spring semester or 12 or fewer during the summer semester. They may be either degree or non-degree-seeking students. Degree students make regular application to the College through the Office of Admissions. Non-degree-seeking students complete an application form available through the Office of Academic Services. (A more complete definition of degree and non-degree-seeking status is given in the preceding section, “Degree and Non-degree-seeking Students.”) All part-time students are considered part of the student body of the College. They choose from the same courses as full-time students and must meet the same academic standards. College activities, clubs and organizations are open to part-time students, except those governed by special rules of eligibility, such as intercollegiate athletic teams.Part-time degree students are entitled to pre-register for courses at the same time as full-time students. Non-degree-seeking students register at the time designated by the registrar before each semester.

All policies and fees regarding late registration and drop and add procedures apply to part-time students. Campus rules as stated in the To the Point handbook also apply.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland is an institutional member of the Service Members Opportunity College (SOC), a group of more than 400 colleges and universities providing post-secondary education to active duty members of the military services. As an SOC member, St. Mary’s College of Maryland recognizes the demands of the military service and is committed to easing the transfer of relevant course credits, providing flexible academic residency requirements, and awarding credit from appropriate military education and occupation programs. For further information, contact the Office of the Registrar.

Students are admitted to St. Mary’s College based on their potential for academic success, irrespective of physical or learning disabilities. Administrative staff and faculty work cooperatively to assist students with disabilities in their educational endeavors and adjustments to the College community. The Office of Academic Services works to ensure that educational programs are accessible to all qualified students. Students with physical or learning disabilities should contact the Office of Academic Services for specific information and assistance regarding potential special needs.Students with disabilities who seek accommodations in their academic programs or in their housing assignments must submit documentation of their disabilities to the Office of Academic Services before receiving accommodations. Because housing assignments for the fall semester are made early in the summer, requests for accommodations in housing should be made as soon as is practicable, preferably by June 1, to ensure the availability of special housing assignments. Students seeking academic accommodations should make an appointment with the Office of Academic Services as soon as possible after arrival on campus.

Students who are natives of countries other than the United States must follow the same application procedures specified elsewhere in this section. In addition to these requirements, international students must submit the following:

• Scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Any student whose native language is not English should take this examination before the application for admission can be considered. TOEFL scores of 550 or higher (90 or higher on the iBT version) are generally recommendednerally required for admission. An IELTS score of seven is recommended or higher is accepted. It is also recommended that students also submit SAT Reasoning or ACT exam scores if available. Language scores may be waived by the Dean of Admissions when language proficiency can be fully demonstrated (ex. Student has received instruction and successfully completed coursework taught in English). Further information can be obtained from the Office of Admissions.
• Transcripts and certificates of all previous academic work: These records must be originals or certified copies and must be accompanied by English translations if necessary.
• Transcript evaluations are the responsibility of the student. Evaluators such as WES, AACRAO, Joseph Silney, or other organizations recognized by NAFSA are considered.
• Financial Resource Statement: An official statement from the international student’s bank verifying the student’s financial resources for a year of college study must be submitted and must be accompanied by English translations if necessary.
• Health Examination Report: This form must be completed and mailed to the Health Center after the student is accepted for admission. The director of International Education is available to assist international students.

It is the policy of the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s College of Maryland to recognize the categories of resident (in-state) and non-resident (out-of-state) students for the purposes of admission and tuition classification. These categories are determined by a student’s financial dependency and permanent place of abode. A full-time active member of the Armed Forces, the spouse of, or the financially dependent child of such a person shall be granted in-state residency provided his or her home of residency is Maryland or that he or she resides in, or is stationed in, Maryland. This in-state residency status begins on the date the military assignment is effective. The Vice President for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions determines the residency status for the prospective student while the registrar is responsible for determining the residency status of the enrolled student. A student requesting a change in status must submit to the registrar a petition form (available from the Office of Admissions or the Office of the Registrar or online here and all appropriate documentation no later than the last day of late registration of the semester in which the change in status is requested. A student must notify the Office of the Registrar in writing within fifteen days of any change that may alter his or her residency status.

For further information about the policy on student residency classification, contact the Office of Admissions or the Office of the Registrar or online at the Office of the Registrar’s website.