The Committee on Admissions considers each applicant on the basis of high school academic performance, standardized test scores, activities, letters of recommendation, and the personal essay.
Admission Calendar
November 15 Early Decision I application deadline.
December 15 Early Decision I notification.
Reservation deposit due by January 15.
January 2 Early Decision II application deadline.
February 1 Early Decision II notification.
Reservation deposit due by February 15.
December 9 Merit Scholarship application deadline.
February 1 Regular decision/international application deadline.
March 2 Sewanee's Application for Financial Aid and FAFSA Deadline.
April 1 Regular decision notification.
May 1 Reservation fee due for regular decision.
Transfers
April 1 Fall semester application deadline.
December 1 Spring semester application deadline.
Readmission
May 1 Fall semester application deadline.
December 1 Spring semester application deadline.
Secondary School Preparation
Sewanee admits students who are prepared for its challenging academic environment. The following are recommendations for competitive applicants.
A challenging high school curriculum including at least:
four years of English
two or more years of a foreign language
three or more years of math including algebra I and II and geometry*
two or more years of lab science (most students have four)
two or more years of social science, including history
*Three years of college preparatory mathematics (two years of algebra, one of geometry) are considered the minimum preparation for a student to attempt the required mathematics course at Sewanee; most entering students have taken four years of math.
full high school transcript with strong high school GPA showing consistent or increased strength in class work
competitive standardized test scores (ACT or SAT)
extracurricular activities such as clubs, sports, church groups, or work experience
admission essay written clearly and passionately
positive recommendations from teachers and school counselors with an optional recommendation from church leaders, work supervisors, or volunteer coordinators
$45 application fee
College Entrance Examination
The SAT and ACT are given in centers throughout the world at various times during the year. An applicant should take one of these tests — preferably once during the second half of the junior year and again during the fall of the senior year. The college does not guarantee consideration if a test is taken after January of the senior year. Information on the SAT and ACT is available from the applicant's secondary school or counselor. Students for whom English is not the native language should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) by February of the year of application.
Campus Visits, Interviews
Campus visits and interviews for prospective students are not required but are strongly recommended. It is to the student's advantage to see the Sewanee campus and community before making a formal decision. The interview is actually an opportunity to exchange information. The admission officer is interested in learning about the student's courses, grades, test scores, activities, and interests. The student, in turn, has the opportunity to ask about the academic program, extracurricular activities, student life, and financial aid.
The Office of Admission, located in Fulford Hall, is open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (central time), Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available during the school year. A visit may be arranged by calling the Office of Admission at 931.598.1238 or 800.522.2234. Interviews or group information sessions are available year round. Campus tours are given regularly during the year at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays. A group information session and campus tour are available at 10:30 a.m. on select Saturday mornings during the academic year for students and parents unable to arrange an individual interview.
Overnight visits in dormitories are available to high school seniors at certain times during the academic year. Prospective students wishing to experience an overnight stay in a dormitory must call the Office of Admission at least ten days in advance.
Early Decision Plan
Early Decision is a viable option to those students who list Sewanee as their number one choice. An early decision applicant agrees to withdraw all applications to other colleges and universities and enroll at Sewanee if admitted under Early Decision. There are two Early Decision opportunities for which students may apply. Early Decision candidates are eligible to be considered for all potential financial aid awards through both the merit scholarship and/or need-based financial aid processes.
The student applying for early decision should:
1. Indicate “early decision” on the application, confirm that the University of the South is the first choice school, and promise that admission will be accepted if offered. Please carefully read and then sign the Early Decision Agreement found on Part II of the application.
2. Present all credentials necessary for admission on or before November 15 for Early Decision I or January 2 for Early Decision II. If all necessary information has not been postmarked by these respective dates (except October/November test score results for Early Decision I or December test score results for Early Decision II as noted below) the college does not guarantee an early decision.
3. Fulfill all testing requirements no later than the November test date of the senior year for Early Decision I or the December test dates of the senior year for Early Decision II. Applicants taking the October SAT or November ACT for Early Decision I, or the December SAT or ACT for Early Decision II should indicate this on the admission application. Applicants should also request on the standardized test registration that the score results be sent directly to Sewanee. Application decisions are not be made until the scores are received.
4. If accepted, the applicant must confirm by January 15 for Early Decision I, or by February 15 for Early Decision II, by returning the enrollment decision form with a $300 deposit. The applicant must also withdraw applications from all other colleges.
Under this plan, the University of the South agrees:
1. To reach a decision on admission by mid-December for Early Decision I or by early February for Early Decision II.
2. To guarantee an applicant who is not admitted early, full consideration under the regular admission procedure with freedom to consider other colleges. These deferred candidates should submit other appropriate materials to the Committee on Admissions — especially senior year grades and additional standardized test scores, if applicable.
Early Admission After the Junior Year
Students may apply for admission after the junior year of high school. Although Sewanee does not encourage early admission to the college, this plan is sometimes appropriate for select students. The early admission candidate should have exhausted most of the academic courses offered by his or her high school and be ready academically, emotionally, and socially for the college environment.
An early admission candidate must complete the same requirements and meet the same deadlines as a regular candidate with the following additions:
1. An interview is required on campus with either a member of the admission staff or a member of the Committee on Admissions.
2. Written recommendation and approval must be received from the candidate's counselor, principal, or headmaster for early admission action, including a statement that the student is prepared emotionally, academically, and socially for success in the college environment.
3. The candidate should present academic credentials as strong or stronger than the average student who typically enrolls at Sewanee (i.e., an A-/B+ average in academic courses from high school and at least 1240 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT).
4. The candidate must state (in writing to the Committee on Admissions) why he or she wants to forego the senior year in high school and enter college as an early admission student.
Although the committee prefers that the candidate meet all requirements for the high school diploma, this is not a requirement for acceptance as an early admission candidate.
Transfer Applicants
Students seeking to transfer to the college from other accredited colleges complete the same forms as applicants from secondary schools and must include two letters of recommendation from college instructors. In addition they must submit official transcripts from each college attended.
Credit for transfer students is subject to approval by the Office of the Associate Dean of the College. The College Standards Committee, in consultation with the chair of departments concerned, may be called upon to evaluate transfer credit for courses of uncertain interpretation.
Quarter hours are converted to semester hours at two-thirds face value. Thus five quarter hours equal three semester hours.
To receive a degree, students transferring from other institutions must meet the college's graduation requirements. Each such student must spend at least four semesters in residence in Sewanee enrolled on campus as a full-time student. Because each student must earn at least sixty-four semester hours of credit at Sewanee, transfer credit is limited to sixty-four semester hours.
The application deadline for transfer candidates is April 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester.
Readmission
Former students requesting to return to the College of Arts and Sciences are asked to complete an application for readmission and to submit a record of academic work in the form of official transcripts from other colleges attended. Failure to submit these transcripts invalidates the reapplication.
The application deadline for readmission candidates is May 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the January semester.
Advanced Placement
Graduation credit for elective courses may be obtained through almost every Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level test option. AP test scores of 4 or 5 and IB test scores of 5 or higher on higher level exams, which do not represent the same academic area (explained below), will earn semester hours of credit for entering students. Credit is not given for organization and management studies or for studio art courses.
Credit for one elective course (four semester hours) may be earned in any of the following: anthropology (includes human geography), art history, biology, chemistry, classical languages, computer science, economics, English, environmental studies, French, German, mathematics, music, philosophy, physics, psychology, and Spanish.
When a student presents both IB and AP test results in the same area, only one course credit is given. However, credit for two elective courses (eight semester hours) may be earned in the field of political science should a student present results in both American and comparative government and/or in history, when test results reflect a knowledge of the history of more than one area of the world.
Students may earn up to eight full-course/thirty-two-semester-hour credits through AP or IB. An incoming student who appears to have earned more should consult with the associate dean of the college to determine in which areas credits are to be given for maximum benefit to the student.
AP and IB course credits may not be used to fulfill general distribution requirements; however, a student with such credits may request permission of a given department to use a higher level course to meet the related requirement.
Because academic success at Sewanee almost always requires four full years of high school preparation, the University does not award transfer credit for college courses earned at another college or university prior to a student's graduation from high school. Students may be considered for placement in higher-level courses on the basis of such course work.
Students wishing to transfer college credits earned during the summer prior to enrollment at Sewanee must have those courses approved for transfer in advance by the University Registrar.
Auditing Classes
Some students, particularly non-degree-seeking students, may wish to audit or “sit in” on a class for the sake of learning. To register for an audit, a student obtains written permission from the instructor and from the Associate Dean of the College. Auditors are expected to attend class regularly. The extent to which an auditor participates in graded exercises (e.g., submits papers, takes tests) and the extent to which an instructor grades an auditor’s work are by mutual agreement between the instructor and the auditor. Although neither formal academic credit (semester hours) nor grade is given for auditing, the designation AU may be recorded on an official college transcript for a registered auditor whose instructor indicates that the student has met the instructor’s expectations for auditing by submitting to the registrar an AU designation on a grade sheet provided at the end of the term in which the audited course occurred. A degree-seeking student may not change the status of a class to AU after the W/WF deadline. The charge to non-degree-seeking students for auditing is determined each year and for 2008-2009 is $160 per credit hour.
