Who Needs to Completed An Application? (rev. August 2023)

 

St. Anthony’s Cathedral House of Liturgical Studies has a rolling admissions process, which means prospective students can apply at any time.

 

• Applications are required ONLY for applicants pursuing credit for degrees/credentials: 1) for a professional-seminary degree or 2) for a Houses of Study catechetical/formation diploma and a micro-credential certificate because applicants in this general category will be studying with the institution for a period of time. ​
   

• Applications are NOT required 1) for graduates and qualified former students of the institution and 2) for individuals pursuing credit for non-degrees, such as self-enrichment and professional development (e.g., enrolling in a single academic course or a continuing education course). 

 

To learn about any additional admissions requirements, prospective students are asked to refer to individual programs or degrees featured on the institution’s website and later in this catalog.

 

Required Admissions Package Materials

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Prospective credit-for-degree students must complete and/or submit the following items as part of the admissions process:

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1. An application form and a non-refundable $10 USD admissions fee. An application will not be processed unless the fee is paid (see the online registration portal at (www.stanthonysliturgicalhouse.org/registration). An admissions application in MS Word format (with fillable boxes) can be downloaded from the institution’s website (see below).
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

2. Copies of transcripts (official and unopened preferred), documenting any undergraduate and graduate work. See section below about “Transcripts and Transfer Credit” for those applicants who might have difficulty providing transcripts due to unforeseen circumstances, such as fire and war.
    

3. A one- to two-page letter, describing the applicant’s 1) past and current academic and professional/experiential history, 2) reason(s) for applying to St. Anthony, and 3) description of the way in which the institution would help the applicant achieve his/her career (ministry) and personal goals.
    

4. Mandatory interview with admissions personnel (in person, phone, or online).
    

5. For international and non-native English prospective students: document English proficiency (see relevant section below).
    

Note: Applicants pursuing credit for a House of Study catechetical/formation diploma and a micro-credential certificate only need to complete/meet requirements 1 and 5 above. 

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Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Applicants will be notified if their applications are incomplete and given 30 days to respond, after which time the application will expire, all submitted documents will be destroyed, and the $10 applicable fees will not be refunded. If the applicant is interested in enrolling at a later time, the candidate must re-submit all documents and any applicable fees.

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Submitting Your Application

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Applicants can presently submit their applications and documents in one of two ways:

 

1) mail completed applications and accompanying documents to the following address with the admissions fee (check or money order made payable to St. Anthony Cathedral House of Liturgical Studies):

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St. Anthony's Cathedral House of Liturgical Studies

c/o Office of Admissions

P. O. Box 1846

Manassas, VA 20108-1846

 

2) scan and send the package to the institution via admin@stanthonysliturgicalhouse.org (note Admission Application in the subject line). Before submitting your application and accompanying documents, visit the online registration portal and pay the $10 admissions fee (www.stanthonysliturgicalhouse.org/registration).

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Admissions Policy

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There are three categories of applicants applying to become a student:

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1. New credit-for-degree students, who have never been enrolled at the institution and wish to pursue a professional-seminary (theological) degree, one of the Houses of Study diplomas, or a micro-credential certificate, must complete the application process with all pertaining documentation and any fees as required, before being officially accepted and admitted as a credit for degree/credential or matriculating (permanent) student. Note: Applicants pursuing credit for a House of Study catechetical/formation diploma and a micro-credential certificate only need to complete/meet requirements 1 and 5 above. 
   
   New credit for non-degree students are a special category of students who have never been enrolled at the institution but wish to enroll in individual courses for credit/audit, but not for a degree, diploma, or certificate. These non-matriculating (visiting) students do not need to complete the admissions process but can simply register for the course in which they desire to enroll. 
    

2. A graduate, who at a later point in time wishes to continue his or her studies in a different or higher program, does not need to reapply, but simply state in a formal cover letter his or her intention to register (enroll) in courses. However, the student does need to complete a reactivation form and pay any applicable nonrefundable reactivation fee.
    

3. A former student can re-apply at a later time after being dismissed for one or more of the following reasons (if that issue is corrected): lack of contact, delinquent tuition payments, exceeding leave of absence period, lack of academic progress, violation of the institutional honor code.

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Transcripts and Transfer Credit

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Transcripts still play an important function in the admissions process. Previous education and training are reviewed by respective institutional officials to determine qualifications for respective degree/credential programs and how many transfer credit might be awarded, if any, unless a waiver for a professional-seminary degree is granted by the chief operating officer. See respective programs and degree prerequisites for more details. If no transcripts and narrative course descriptions (see note below) are available, students will be placed on a probation period and required to enroll in three core courses in their respective programs to demonstrate that they can manage the academic workload.

 

Credit for previous experience and external, non-degree credits: Previous experience and education, including printed and media materials, practical pastoral experience, and external, non-degree credits can be assessed for transfer credit and advanced standing. Applicants are encouraged to download and complete the “Credit Assessment Form” (see fillable form below) and to submit the supporting materials requested by the form. 

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Note on Narrative Course Descriptions: Applicants, who find it difficult to provide official and unofficial transcripts with their application due to fire, war, and other circumstances, are encouraged to provide non-transcripted documentation of their courses, which should include a narrative description of the courses completed. Such narratives should include this type of information: institution, dates of attendance, address, school contact/advisor (if available), name of courses, grades (if possible), weekly hours completed, books read, subjects covered, name of instructor (if available), etc. If course syllabi are available, these would be very helpful in creating such a narrative and/or in submitting the application. The attempt is to “challenge a course,” so the applicant can transfer course credits (course) to or does not need to retake the required credits at St. Anthony. Such a challenge might also entail completing a comparable oral exam or a written assignment to gauge comprehension and proficiency in the subject matter. 

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ATTENTION: International (I-20) and Non-native English Speaking Students

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English is the primary language of the administration and instruction at St. Anthony (the institution is working on foreign language programs). International and non-native domestic speakers will need to be proficient in the English language to optimally function in this learning environment. While language accommodations might be attempted, one year of college-level English is required.

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Applicants will need to document proficiency in the English language either 1) by completing two semesters of remedial college-level English (that is, English as a Second Language) with a C or better from either an accredited U.S. or an equivalent educational institution, or 2) by earning a qualifying score on an English language assessment approved by St. Anthony.

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St. Anthony recommends that prospective non-native English-speaking students complete their language requirement using the TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test), the following three exams of Cambridge ESOL, or the Duolingo tests. These are the minimal scores that St. Anthony will accept for admissions for international non-native English-speaking applicants:

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TOEFL iBT (of four sections): Reading: 22, Speaking: 20, Listening: 22, Writing: 25. Total Score: 89 with a minimum of 20 in each section To locate one of the 7,000 TOEFL iBT testing centers and to register for the test, students should visit www.ets.org/toefl. Applicants should send their TOEFL scores to St. Anthony's.

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Cambridge Exams:

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) with Academic Writing: Minimum Band Score of 6.5-7.0

CAE (Certificate in Advanced English): lowest acceptable grade: B1

CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English): lowest acceptable grade: C1

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Students who wish to take the Cambridge ESOL examinations should visit www.cambridgeesol.org to locate one of the 2,500 worldwide testing centers nearest them.

 

Duolingo: St. Anthony now accepts the Duolingo English test, which is more convenient and affordable than other standardized English tests. Prospective students need to receive an overall score of 110 and a minimum subscore in each section (subscores): literary: 105, comprehension: 110, conversation: 90, and production: 110.