What we’re looking for in our applicants

Academic Performance on Transcripts

We seek students who’ve challenged themselves in an academically rigorous course of study throughout high school. Advanced, honors, AP, and IB courses are strongly encouraged, but not required for admission to the university. Students who complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program are eligible to receive up to 30 credits to Loyola, which is equivalent to one full year of study, or sophomore status.

We suggest that applicants take advantage of a full range of courses and try to exceed the minimum graduation requirements. Specific coursework may be considered with regard to certain majors. Overall, the average GPA for accepted students is an A/B.

International Applicants: 

All transcripts that are not in English must be evaluated. SPANTRAN is a recommended service. An official course-by-course evaluation must be included.

Grade Point Average for First-Year Applicants:

The Office of Admissions will review applications in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Scholarship eligibility is determined by a student's overall academic performance and the rigor of their curriculum, within the context of their high school profile, and based on a 4.0 grading scale. For students applying with a different grading scale, the Office of Admissions will convert their GPA to a 4.0 scale, taking into account all AP, IB, dual enrollment, honors, or advanced level coursework. 

Personal Statement

This is all you. The personal statement is your chance to speak directly to the admissions committee and show us how you’d fit into the Loyola community.

In this statement we are looking not just for your academic leadership, but also your community involvement, personal achievement and, truly, who you are as a person. If you’ve experienced any personal hardships during high school, this is a chance to tell us and to explain your circumstances to the committee.

Letter of Recommendation

Loyola New Orleans requires one letter of recommendation to complete your application. It should come from a teacher or educator who can speak to your academic ability. It can be submitted electronically via common application, or emailed, faxed or mailed.

College of Music and Media Applicants

All students applying to a major in music, theatre, design, visual arts, music industry studies and digital film should reference the audition and interview requirements.  Students must complete University and program specific requirements before their admissions decision is released. Please contact your admissions counselor with any questions about auditions, campus visits or your application.

No Standardized Tests

Loyola has adopted a test blind admissions process. This means that we do not require a standardized test score for our admission application and we will not consider a test score, should a student choose to submit one. In test-blind admissions, the SAT or ACT score is not considered for admission or merit scholarship decisions. This will allow the admission process to be more focused on GPA, academic rigor, student involvement and the student’s personal statement. Read our test blind FAQs to learn more about our admissions process. 

Special Circumstances:

• Louisiana students: Currently the state agency (LOSFA) that awards TOPS requires an SAT or ACT score to award the TOPS Scholarship. You must take and submit a qualifying test score to both LOSFA and to Loyola if you want to use TOPS. Loyola will use the score to determine TOPS eligibility, but it will not factor your test score into your admissions decision.
• Student athletes: Test scores can be used as an option to confirm your National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) eligibility. Please visit the NAIA Eligibility Center for the more information.
• International applicants: whose native language isn’t English must submit the results of the TOEFL or IELTS examination. SAT and ACT test scores may be submitted for scholarship consideration. Visit the International Applicants page for more information.

Students who need to send their ACT or SAT scores to Loyola for one of the reasons above will find Loyola's school codes below: 

SAT Code: 6374
ACT Code: 1592

Deferred Student Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for applying to Loyola University New Orleans. For those students who applied for our Early Action application process and have been given the decision of “deferral to regular decision” please refer to the guide below for more information and a better understanding of the deferral process at Loyola New Orleans.

Learn More