What We Look for in an Applicant
Every year, about 7,600 students apply to USD. They come from public, private, and parochial schools, and from all over the world. From these highly qualified students, we select less than 50% for our freshman class of 1,000. It is impossible to predict a candidate's chances of admission just by looking at the academic record and test scores. Instead, we focus on five aspects of the student's application: academic performance, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, essay, and letter of recommendation.
Our first focus is on academic ability. USD seeks serious students, and those applying as freshmen are expected to present a well-balanced secondary school program of college preparatory courses in English, foreign language, mathematics, laboratory science, history, and social science. Since this is the most important single factor in the decision, serious candidates will challenge themselves with higher- level courses and strong academic course loads even in the senior year. In addition, we use student's standardized test scores to look at a different side of a student's academic ability. There is no required minimum standardized test score. In the evaluation, we use the highest verbal and highest math score from the SAT Reasoning Test (which includes the writing test) or the highest composite ACT (with the optional writing test).
Besides academic ability, we look for students who will bring a variety of experiences and opinions to campus, who will want to be involved in our community, and who will strive to learn and do more for their personal growth. Successful USD applicants typically have significant extracurricular activities, but we do not value one type of activity over another. Our applicants are actively involved either in their schools, community, on the athletic field, or in various religious organizations. Some do many activities while others will immerse themselves in one or two. Either way, our applicants strive to make a difference in our world. The last two factors, the essay and letter of recommendation, further attest to the student's personal qualities both in the classroom and in the community.
