Hey Everyone!
My name is Veronica, I am a senior Neuroscience and Biology double major, and I work in Undergrad Admission at Santa Clara University. I’m here to answer any questions that you might have about SCU surrounding campus life, applications, financial aid, clubs/activities, or if you just have general questions, ask away!
Hi Veronica, congrats on being a senior. My daughter is currently a senior in HS. It’s a competitive catholic HS. Shes a pretty good student. She scored a 34 on her ACT. I was wondering how generous SCU is with scholarships?
Hi Veronica! I’m currently a senior in high school attending a competitive public high school (ranked top in the state in multiple academic areas).
I have a 3.94 cumulative unweighted GPA (4.07 weighted), 32 ACT, 6 AP’s (4’s and 5’s on the exams), and fairly strong EC’S (cross country captain, attended state competition for mock trial, writer for school newspaper, multiple volunteer organizations, tutor, youth group, etc.).
I’m super interested in SCU, but I won’t qualify for any financial aid from FAFSA, and I think I would need a decent scholarship to afford attending. How many scholarships / how quality are the scholarships from SCU? Do they only give it to the top-of-the-top students applying / do you think I have a chance? Thanks so much!
@vschuSCU How is off-campus housing? Do most upperclassmen moved off campus and is it really expensive?
D19 and I visited July of 2016. Lovely campus and great reputation in Silicon Valley, yes?
Hi @college dad 2B,
Around 73% of undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid through the university, whether that be scholarships, grants, work study, loans, or other options.
The scholarships offered by SCU range in the amount of the award, here are a few of the scholarships they offer:
Jesuit Ignatian Award - for first-year undergraduate students who have graduated from a Jesuit high school (awards vary).
SCU Dean’s Scholarship - for first-year undergraduate students who are admitted to the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business or School of Engineering (awards vary).
SCU Provost Scholarship - for first-year undergraduate students who have assumed leadership roles in their schools and their communities (half tuition).
SCU Presidential at Entry Scholarship - awarded to first-year undergraduate students who demonstrate other qualities identified and emphasized by the president as critical to the University’s mission (full tuition).
Johnson Scholars Award - provided to first-year undergraduate students who demonstrate the highest levels of academic ability, motivation and leadership potential (up to full tuition, standard room & board, books & supplies; summer stipend upon application)
Another option is for students to look for financial assistance through outside sources, and I would recommend looking at these sources:
Hi @julia789 ,
Definitely take a a look at my post from above, and I would also recommend emailing your counselor once you’ve submitted your application to see what you can do to elevate yourself as an applicant.
Find your counselor here:
https://www.scu.edu/admission/undergraduate/contact-us/find-your-counselor/
Good luck!
Hi @PetulaClark
I have actually lived on campus for all four of my years at Santa Clara, but I have a lot of friends who live off-campus so I can tell you a little bit about their experiences. There are a few different options, one of them being Neighborhood units. These are houses near campus that are owned and maintained by the university, where you can living in a room by yourself, or with one or two roommates, that are billed quarterly. Those range anywhere from around $2,000 per quarter up to $7,000 per quarter, depending on how many people you choose to live with.
Another option is that many landlords in the area post their listings on Santa Clara’s Off-campus living site. There’s also a local company that many students use to find housing, called One Rent.
I would say that about half of the upperclassmen move off-campus, and the other half commute, live in the residence halls, or the apartments designated for upperclassmen, the University Villas. These are maintained very well, and are often preferred by students.
As for SCU’s reputation in Silicon Valley, one of the best parts about our proximity is that it allows students to reap the benefits before they’ve even graduated. There’s so many people that have internships and jobs at the companies nearby while they’re finishing up their degrees. Plus, a lot of professors have connections in the industry, and are able to be that first point of contact for students.
Hi Veronica, I am currently a senior in high school, and I am in the middle of SCU’s common application. I am applying to the school of business, and would like to get an understanding of the competitiveness in those types of majors. I am more of an average student, but throughout my years in high school you can see a consistent growth form year to year. Thank you so much!
Hi @NateLee8,
In terms of the schools within SCU that students can apply to, the general competitiveness goes from College of Arts & Sciences, to the Leavey School of Business, and finally the School of Engineering is the most competitive to get into.
To give you a more concrete idea of what class compositions are, here are the class profile statistics from the most recently admitted Class of 2020, with the middle 50% of scores:
College of Arts & Science
GPA (4.0 scale) - 3.45–3.82
SAT CR - 590–670
SAT Math - 600–690
ACT - 27–31
Leavey School of Business
GPA (4.0 scale) - 3.53–3.86
SAT CR - 580–670
SAT Math - 635–720
ACT - 28–31
School of Engineering
GPA (4.0 scale) - 3.65–3.94
SAT CR - 600–710
SAT Math - 680–760
ACT - 30–33
Good luck on your applications!
Hi Veronica
I submitted my application via commonapp for ED, but I have yet to receive a confirmation email to get me on the eCampus portal. About how long does it take for the confirmation email send out?
Hi @CaptainJezza,
I would recommend giving the Office of Admission a call just to confirm that your application went through, if you haven’t already gotten email confirmation. Their phone number is 408-554-4700, and you can also email them at admission@scu.edu and someone will respond there as well.
Veronica,
I am applying as an Canadian High School student. Santa Clara is easily my number 1 school in terms of where i Want to go. I was wondering if you have seen a lot of Canadian students accepted, and how SCU values the Canadian grading system. I have about an 89 average, which is about a 3.8 GPA but a fairly low SAT for engineering at 1310. Will SCU understand that I come from Canada, where standardized testing is lest prominent?
Hi Veronica,
My daughter was just accepted for Class of 2022. She received a $21,000 SCU Need Based Scholarship. The award letter says for 2019, but it also says it is renewable for 12 consecutive quarters. Does this mean she will receive this each year, or is it a one year offer that she must apply for every year?
Hi Veronica,
How much commitment do members of club sports (boxing, for example) at SCU typically have? I read that a lot of students are involved in club sports. Do they meet and compete regularly or is it more casual? How do students typically get involved with the community in general?
Can you tell me what you know about into the wild? Does is cost $?
Hi Veronica,
My daughter was accepted for Biochemistry. I would like to know if there is any internship recommended during the summer. Will it be hard to get one?
Aside from preview day, what would you recommend is the best way to visit campus as an admitted student? Are there any other options beside a normal campus tour?
I want to double major in neuroscience and psychology. I know Santa Clara’s neuroscience major is new…how do you like it? Is it difficult to maintain a high gpa/is it interesting/are the professors helpful? I guess what I’m asking is would you recommend the major to someone looking to enter a premed track to psychiatry. Thank you!