High School Counselor FAQ

What is new and exciting at Xavier?

• New Health United Building opened in January, 2020 (partnership with TriHealth). The new facility houses three main functions:
  1. A brand new rec center facility complete with areas for intramurals & club sports,  workout spaces and personal fitness classes.
  2. A new physical, mental and emotional health center staffed with TriHealth professionals. There is also a pharmacy located at this center.
  3. New Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Radiologic Technology, Health Service Administration, Exercise Science and Athletic Training labs and classrooms.
• Both the Nursing and Honors programs are now test optional.
• Most of our competitive scholarships are now test optional - stay tuned for further updates! 
• We have a new honors program in Data Science.  All of the honors programs are here.

How is Xavier handling COVID?

• Our students are back on campus and are in hybrid-style classes. In this time, we are exceptionally proud to partner with nationally recognized, TriHealth, to continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 and make decisions that ensure the health and safety of our Xavier community.
• We have a task-force who meets daily to consistently address the most recent impacts of COVID-19 as well as monitor the effectiveness of Xavier’s current processes related to COVID-19 & the health of ourstudents.
• Additional information is constantly added to our COVID website.

If students are looking for more information about Xavier but do not have the ability to travel to campus at present, are there resources that our staff can direct them to?

Yes! Here are a few to get students started:

• Making a Musketeer: Student panels? Academic major sessions? Helpful advice in crafting your essay? Look no further than this site designed for juniors and seniors at every stage in the college process.
• Virtual Tour: Explore our campus community with the company of two of our best and brightest Musketeers! Roam the academic mall, peek inside our residence halls, and enjoy the view from our student section in Cintas Center from the comfort of your own home until you can journey out to Cincinnati.
• Virtual Presentation: Get to know what it means to join our Xavier family with proud alumnus and admission counselor, Tim Wilmes. 
• Schedule a Meeting with your Counselor: Questions? Our admission staff is eager to provide you with all the support you need to feel confident in your search. We’re happy to set up a time to chat via phone or Zoom!

While the ability for students to meet admission representatives at their high schools is very limited this fall, is Xavier able to host visitors on their campus? What safety precautions are you taking?

Yes! Xavier is very thankful that we have been able to host on-campus tours throughout the summer and this fall. We offer daily visits during the week, as well as opportunities to visit on the weekend during specific days. During their time on campus, families will be escorted around campus by one of our student tour guides.

If students are interested in coming to campus for a visit, they can sign up for a day and time on www.xavier.edu/visit. We look forward to giving them our very best Musketeer welcome when they arrive!

What are your admission requirements?

Your students will need 4 materials to complete their application: Common App/Xavier app, transcript, letter of recommendation, and essay. Standardized Test Scores (SAT/ACT) are optional for all of our programs. There is no application fee.  More admissions information here.

What are your admission deadlines?

We have a rolling admission policy, so while we do not have any hard application deadlines, we encourage students to apply and fill out their FAFSA by December 1.

With a few students deferring their entry term from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021, will the admission criteria be affected in any way?

We do not anticipate any change to admission criteria or admit/deny rates for Fall 2021 applicants due to deferred Fall 2020 applicants. 

When should I advise students to submit their test scores? 

It is important to note that Xavier considers many factors when making the decision to admit a student, and test scores are only one piece of the puzzle. Typically, we also tend to find that a student’s academic performance in the classroom throughout high school tells a reasonably similar story to the test scores that they achieve on the SAT or ACT. Consequently, it is really up to the student to determine whether they want their scores to be reviewed. A good way to approach this decision is if a student is jumping for joy when they receive their scores and they feel that their results reflect their abilities as a student, encourage them to submit the scores.

If, however, they believe that their academic potential is better represented by their high school transcript and their other application pieces, support them in choosing to apply test-optional. You can also encourage them to reach out to their admission counselor in order to request further feedback. We want students to be able to put their best foot forward when applying, and we are more than willing to help them in any way we can!

Do you accept College Credit/Dual Enrollment? What about AP/IB?

Yes!  We will accept transfer credits from a regionally accredited institution and those courses will transfer to Xavier, so long as the student earns a “C” or better in the course. Oftentimes the course will transfer in and will count for a required course; it just depends on the course/university.  View where you/your student can review how their credits will potentially transfer. We also will accept AP & IB scores and the full list is here.