Upper School

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Catholic University of America

• 3.0 Unweighted GPA
• Early Action or Regular Decision
• Renewable

Guaranteed direct admission for seniors with a 3.0 unweighted academic GPA. Early Action (November 1) decisions arrive by December 15; Regular Decision (February 1) by March 15.

Please note: Students aiming for nursing, engineering, or the sciences must have reached pre-calculus and completed three lab sciences at a B average or better.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Gettysburg College

• 3.6 Weighted GPA
• 2+ Advanced Courses
• Early Decision or Early Action

Guaranteed admission for seniors in good standing with a 3.6 weighted GPA and at least two Advanced (or dual-enrollment) courses who apply through the Common Application by the Early Decision (November 1) or Early Action (November 15) deadline. Eligible students receive, at minimum, the 1832 Founders Scholarship and are considered for Gettysburg’s higher merit awards. Families seeking need-based aid file both the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

Please note: All Gettysburg students affirm the college’s Honor Code, pledging to uphold the highest principles of honesty and integrity in all endeavors and to foster mutual respect within and beyond the classroom.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Goucher College

• 3.0 Weighted GPA
• Common App Early Action by November 15
• Renewable 4 Years

Guaranteed direct admission for seniors in good standing with a 3.0 cumulative weighted GPA who apply through the Common Application by the Early Action deadline (November 15). The $32,000 annual award is a guaranteed minimum — renewable for four years (eight semesters of full-time enrollment) in good academic standing — and eligible students are considered for Goucher’s higher merit awards where their credentials warrant. Families seeking need-based aid file the FAFSA annually.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Ithaca College

• 3.6 Cumulative GPA
• 2+ Advanced Courses
• Early Action or Early Decision by November 1
• App Fee Waived

Guaranteed admission for students with a 3.6 cumulative GPA and at least two advanced courses (as certified by McDonogh) who apply Early Action or Early Decision by November 1 — with a decision no later than December 1. The application fee is waived (Common App code IC2027P; automatic on the Coalition App), admitted students are automatically considered for Ithaca merit scholarships, and Ithaca remains test-optional. Students may also compete for the Presidential, Leadership, Martin Luther King, Innovation, and Park scholar programs by their published deadlines; families seeking need-based aid file the FAFSA.

Please note: The guarantee excludes international applicants requiring a student visa and programs with auditions, portfolio reviews, or interviews (those applicants receive standard review). Direct-entry physical therapy, occupational therapy, and pre-athletic training applicants must complete all core science and mathematics coursework.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

John Cabot University

• 3.3 Unweighted GPA
• Common App or JCU Application
• Early Action by November 15 or Regular Decision by March 1
• Rome, Italy

Guaranteed admission for McDonogh graduates in good standing with a 3.3 cumulative unweighted GPA who apply through the Common Application or JCU’s own application by Early Action (November 15, with decisions by December 15) or Regular Decision (March 1, with rolling notification). John Cabot is an American residential university in central Rome — accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), with roughly 1,800 students from 87 countries — and participates in the U.S. federal student loan program. Students admitted under the agreement are offered JCU’s Presidential Scholarship of up to $4,750 per semester (renewable with a 2.67 cumulative GPA), which may be combined with the JCU Assistance Grant of up to $2,000 per semester.

Please note: The guarantee applies to first-year, degree-seeking enrollment. Students below the GPA threshold remain welcome to apply through JCU’s standard holistic review and receive full consideration.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Loyola University Maryland

• 3.5 Weighted GPA
• Early Action or Early Decision I
• First-Year, Fall Entry

Guaranteed admission for applicants who meet the GPA threshold, apply in the Early Action or Early Decision I round, and remain in good standing through graduation.

Please note: The BSN Nursing program is excluded from the guarantee — nursing applicants are reviewed holistically. Transfer and graduate (3+1 and 4+1) applicants are not covered.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

McDaniel College

• 3.5 Weighted GPA
• Common App Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision
• Renewable 4 Years

Guaranteed direct admission for seniors in good standing with a 3.5 cumulative weighted GPA who apply through the Common Application by Early Decision (November 1), Early Action (November 15 or December 15), or Regular Decision (February 1). The $25,000 annual award is a guaranteed minimum — renewable for four years (eight semesters of full-time enrollment) in good academic standing — and eligible students are considered for McDaniel’s higher merit awards where their credentials warrant. Families seeking need-based aid file the FAFSA annually.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Randolph-Macon College

• 3.0 Unweighted GPA
• Rolling Admissions
• Renewable

Guaranteed direct admission for seniors with a 3.0 unweighted academic GPA, reviewed on a rolling basis with an admission and scholarship decision in about two weeks. Students at a 3.5+ GPA are invited to apply by November for Scholars Day and additional scholarships.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Rhodes College

• 3.5 Weighted GPA
• 2+ Advanced Courses, Junior and Senior Years
• Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision
• No App Fee

Guaranteed admission for seniors in good standing with a 3.5 cumulative weighted GPA (no academic grade below a C) and at least two advanced courses in both the junior and senior years, who apply by Early Decision I (November 1), Early Decision II (January 15), Early Action (November 15), or Regular Decision (January 15). The $20,000 annual award is a guaranteed minimum — renewable for four years (eight semesters of full-time enrollment) — and eligible students are considered for higher awards through Rhodes’s standard merit review. Students admitted under Early Decision also receive the $3,000 Rhodes Early Decision Grant. Families seeking need-based aid file the FAFSA or CSS Profile; applying for need-based aid is not required to receive the merit minimum.

Please note: Early Decision is binding — a student admitted under Early Decision I or II agrees to enroll at Rhodes and to withdraw applications to other institutions.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Saint Joseph’s University

• 3.75 Weighted GPA
• Early Action or Early Decision by November 15
• Renewable
• Honors Invitation

Guaranteed admission through Saint Joseph’s Guaranteed Admission Program, with a renewable merit award, a renewable Excellence Award, and a guaranteed invitation to apply for the Honors Program.

Please note: Nursing and direct-entry health programs (occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy) carry additional math and science requirements.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

St. Mary’s College of Maryland

• 3.5 Unweighted Core GPA
• Test-Score Paths
• Apply by Nov 1

Guaranteed direct admission with merit consideration for a 3.5 unweighted core GPA — or 3.2 with a 1250 SAT, or 3.0 with a 1350 SAT. Apply by the November 1 Early Decision or Early Action deadline; the award renews with a 3.0 college GPA.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Susquehanna University

• 3.0 Core GPA
• Renewable 4 Years
• FAFSA Annually

Guaranteed direct admission for students with a 3.0 academic-core GPA in good standing. The merit award renews each year for four years; families file the FAFSA annually for any need-based aid.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

University of Scranton

• 3.2 GPA
• Test-Optional
• Early Action or Early Decision

Guaranteed direct admission and a $29,000 annual award for students with a 3.2 GPA. Select health-science programs (nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and communication sciences) require a higher GPA and carry a $33,000 award.

Signed Direct Admission Partner

Washington College

• Via Dual Enrollment
• 3.0 GPA
• Early Action by December 1

Guaranteed admission for students in the McDonogh–Washington dual-enrollment program who carry a 3.0 GPA and apply by the Early Action deadline (December 1). The award is renewable, and students may also compete for top academic scholarships.