Frequently Asked QuestionsThe ProcessHow do I apply for ninth grade admission to Loyola High School? First, submit online the following: application for admission (with $70.00 fee), parent spiritual dimension form, personal essay and curriculum vitae. Second, have your school submit the required online recommendations, Principal, English, and Math teachers, and mail transcripts/standardized test scores from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. A Pastor Minister Recommendation is also required. Third, take the entrance examination at Loyola High School. What are you looking for in an applicant? The Admissions Committee is looking at a variety of personality, achievement and aptitude factors to evaluate a student’s demonstrated ability to succeed in a competitive college preparatory environment. There is no policy with regard to a minimum G.P.A. or standardized test score. In general, a student should display consistently strong academic achievement, particularly in the core subjects of Math, English, and Social Science, positive relationships with peers and teachers, and a commitment to active participation in religious and extracurricular activities at school and in the community. What criteria are used to choose Loyola freshmen? There are four criteria for admission: 1) score on the entrance examination; 2) grades and standardized test scores from 6th, 7th and 8th grades; 3) recommendations from the Principal, English and Math teachers, as well as Pastor or Minister; 4) involvement in extracurricular activities. When and where can I pick up admissions information/application? Applications are available, online at www.loyolahs.edu. Information in the form of an interactive DVD-Rom is available at a local school presentation, or in the Main office at Loyola High School. These can also be requested via telephone and mailed to your home. When can we visit the campus? Prospective applicants and their parents are encouraged to attend Loyola’s Open House on Sunday December 9th, from 1:00 — 4:00 PM. Many applicants are interested in activities outside the classroom like speech and debate, the performing arts, student publications or a sport and can contact the activities office on campus for a schedule to visit an activity of interest. For a young man that might not be sure Loyola is the best fit, once he has been accepted he is able to shadow a current student before any registration fees are due to assist him in that decision. Are non-Catholics at a disadvantage when applying? First and foremost, Loyola is a Catholic school. Loyola owes much of its success to the generous support of the Catholic Community in Los Angeles over the past 143 years. Catholic applicants are generally, but not always, given preference over non-Catholic applicants, and this without regard to race. Presently, Loyola’s student body is 85% Catholic, which in general closely reflects the percentage of Catholic applicants. What value does the admissions committee put on the recommendations? The recommendations are an integral part of the Loyola application. Through a written description of a candidate’s abilities, talents and weaknesses; the recommendation allows the committee to judge applicants fairly and distinguish between large numbers of applications. They are confidential, for use only by the Admissions Committee, and will not become part of any permanent record. Should additional letters of recommendation be submitted? There is no need to submit additional letters of recommendation. However, any letter of recommendation received on behalf of a student will become part of our confidential admissions files, for use only by the Admissions Committee. Again, it will not become part of any permanent record. What value does the admissions committee put on the personal essay? The personal essay is an essential component of the application process. By describing yourself, your involvement in activities and explaining why you would like to attend Loyola, you speak directly to the committee in your own choice of words. Essays are limited to the space provided on the personal essay form. Is there an application fee? Yes, a one-time non-refundable fee of $70.00 is required, payable by credit card within the secure site managing the online application process. When are applications due? Application materials submitted online by the applicant including application form, fee, personal essay, curriculum vitae, and parent spiritual dimension form are due January 11, 2008. Recommendations and Transcripts are due February 1, 2008. Any application received after the January 11, 2008 deadline will be assessed a $25.00 penalty fee. Can application information be returned by fax? No, for the following reasons: the fax is not confidential, nor are the required signatures considered legal or official. Exception: if we are close to the application deadline and the Admissions Committee needs the information quickly, materials may be faxed. However, in such a case all originals must be submitted by mail or personal delivery immediately thereafter. When is my file complete? Your admissions file is complete when all application forms, fees, personal essay, recommendations, entrance exam scores, grades and standardized test scores are on file in the Admissions Office. All applicants are able to track the status of their file each time they log into their user account in the online application. The only item you are unable to track is the receipt of an entrance exam score from another school. If you test Can I obtain information from my application file? If you are accepted, you will have access to your entrance exam scores and elementary school transcripts, in the fall through the Counseling Department. They become part of your official academic file at Loyola High School. You do not have access to any other application information. All of this information is confidential, and is destroyed after the application process has been completed. What are Loyola’s present tuition and fees? Tuition and fees for the 2006-2007 school year are as follows: Tuition = $10,960.00, Registration = $350.00, Activities = $230.00 Technology/Science = $400.00. In 2007-2008 each Loyola student received a “grant” of approximately $5,700.00 from fund-raising, investments, and the Jesuit Community contribution, totaling 31% of this year’s operating expenses not covered by tuition. Therefore, the cost of a Loyola education, if it were not for this grant, would be $16,600.00. Is financial aid available? Every effort is made to extend the financial assistance necessary to allow all qualified students the opportunity to attend Loyola High School. Financial aid is available on an annually renewable basis. Financial aid applications will be available to parents of 9th grade applicants, at the switchboard located in Ruppert Hall, on November 30, 2007. For 2007-2008, more than $775,000.00 in need-based financial aid was awarded to over 200 students, almost 20% of the student body. Are merit scholarships available? Merit scholarships awarded for the 2007-2008 academic year in excess of $150,000.00. Freshmen are eligible for the following merit scholarship awards: The Reverend Charles R. Gagan, S.J., Scholarship is awarded to the two highest ranking students among all those accepted for admittance. This scholarship provides almost one-half tuition for the freshman year. The William S. Mortensen, Jr., Scholarship is awarded to the two African-American candidates who exhibit outstanding academic accomplishment, involvement in activities, and demonstrated leadership. This scholarship also provides almost one-half tuition for the freshman year. The Thomas P. Swartz Scholarship is awarded to the candidate who demonstrates himself to be outstanding in every way, academically, personally, spiritually, and as a leader with integrity. This scholarship provides almost one-fourth tuition for the freshman year. Entrance Book Award Scholarships are presented to those extraordinary candidates who distinguish themselves in elementary and middle school studies, and ranked among the highest candidates accepted at Loyola. At least six students are chosen, each receiving all books for the freshman year at no cost. The Entrance Exam
No. When you file an online application with the Admissions Office you are automatically registered for the exam on either of the two Saturdays it is given, January 26th or February 2nd. Do I need to take the entrance exam at Loyola? You should take an entrance exam at your first choice of schools, to allow the Admissions Committee to make the best assessment of your abilities, by comparing your scores with those of your peers who took the same test (type and form). Because the exam is offered twice at Loyola, an applicant can take an exam at his first two choices. An applicant’s file is not complete without a copy of an HSPT entrance exam on file by February 11, 2008. If you plan to test elsewhere it is important that you verify that they can forward the score to us by the above date. If you take the exam at Loyola, we may take photos of applicants with their ID card to ensure test security. What is on the entrance examination? Loyola uses the High School Placement Test (HSPT), produced by the Scholastic Testing Service. Exam sections include: Verbal Skills, Cognitive Skills, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Math Concepts, Math Problem Solving(no Algebra 1), and Language Grammar Skills. What do I need to do to prepare for the entrance exam? Get a good night’s sleep. Relax. Arrive by 8:15 AM. Bring two #2 pencils (sharpened) and a snack. Arrange to be picked up at approximately 12:30 PM. If you wish to review sample questions, preparatory books are available for purchase at your local bookstore. Ask for a prep book that includes the HSPT administered by the Scholastic Testing Service. What if I am not able to take the exam because of illness? Two exam dates are given for your convenience. Additionally the exam may be taken at another Catholic high school and forwarded to Loyola. Due to administrative constraints there are no additional exam dates. In the event of an illness preventing an applicant from taking the exam, contact Mr. Utley as soon as possible at (213) 381-5121 Ext. 219. Is there a minimum entrance exam score required for admission? There is no policy with regard to a minimum score on the entrance exam. A student should be capable of doing college preparatory work. For last year’s freshman class, the mean score was above the 90th percentile, based on a national scale. Can I get my entrance exam scores sent to another school? Yes, you will have the opportunity to request that exam scores be sent to another Catholic high school at the time you take the test at Loyola. Copies of entrance exams will be mailed to requested schools by February 12, 2008.
NotificationWhen are letters of acceptance mailed? Letters of acceptance are mailed March 7, 2008. If you are accepted, but still unsure whether Loyola is the right school for you, you can schedule a school-day visit to campus prior to the April 1st registration deadline. If I am accepted, are placement exams available? Yes. If you feel qualified, you may register to take a placement exam, administered in May; in Math or Foreign Language. Information is in your acceptance packet mailed on March 7, 2008. Are students admitted conditionally? On rare occasions a student is admitted pending his performance during the 4th quarter at his present school and/or summer school at Loyola. It is possible that acceptance may be revoked based upon summer school or 4th quarter performance. Is there a wait-list for students who are not accepted? When the 2008-2009 freshman class has been selected, the Admissions Committee will prepare an official “wait-list”. Wait-listed students will be notified by mail on March 7th. Notification of acceptance/non-acceptance status will be made as soon as possible, prior to July 11, 2008. The number of wait-listed students accepted depends on the number of spots that open up. For 2007-2008, 12 students were accepted under these conditions. Obviously, wait-listed students should make other plans in the event they are not accepted. This will be clearly explained in a letter sent to wait-listed students.
The SchoolHow old is Loyola High School? Loyola High School is the oldest continuing secondary school in all of Southern California. Currently in our 143rd year it was founded in 1865 and located at its current campus since 1917. Where is Loyola High School located? Our mailing address is 1901 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90006. We are situated just north of the I-10 freeway between Normandie and Vermont which is about 2.5 miles due west of Downtown Los Angeles. What is the student body like at Loyola? The geographic, socioeconomic, ethnic and racial diversity of the young men that attend Loyola make us a truly unique community. Currently we have students that travel from as far as Chino Hills, Thousand Oaks/Westlake, Newport Beach and Palmdale. Students represent well over 100 different zip codes. Ethnically our student body is more than 47 percent non-white including about 23% Hispanic American, 14% Asian American and just over 10% African American.
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